Enhancement of frictional properties of Ni-MoS2 self-lubricating composite coatings by microgroove arrays

The self-lubricating Ni-MoS2 composite coating deposited on a stainless-steel (SS) surface with microgroove arrays are prepared and detailed characterized in this paper. Laser surface texturing (LST) and electrochemical deposition (ECD) are carried out successively to fabricate such composite coating. Compared with the Ni-MoS2 coating deposited directly on the non-LST substrate, the coefficient of friction (COF) of the Ni-MoS2 coating on the microtextured substrate is reduced from 0.17 to 0.14, the wear volume is decreased by 21%, the average depth of wear track is decreased by 61%, the running-in time is significantly minimized to 1/11, and the lifetime is remarkable increased. The excellent frictional properties can be attributed to the influence of the microtexture on the growth pattern of Ni-MoS2 coating, as well as the synergistic lubrication effect between texture and the Ni-MoS2 structure.