Effect of Carbon Target Current on Ultralow Frictional Behavior of CrCN Coatings under Glycerol Lubrication

The aim of this paper is to find an effective way to reduce the friction and wear of steel. CrCN coating was deposited on AISI 304 stainless steel by magnetron sputtering technology, and the friction and wear properties of the coating under glycerol lubrication were studied. The hardness of CrCN coatings on stainless steel surface can reach to 17.87 GPa when the carbon target deposition current is 2A. The CrCN coating presents low friction coefficient (COF) under the lubrication of glycerol, a highly efficient green lubricant. When the load is 0.5 N, the lowest friction coefficient is only 0.01. XPS analysis on the wear track suggested that glycerol decomposed during sliding and a fluid lubricating layer was formed, which provides ultralow friction. The paper shows that the glycerol could be used as an efficient lubricant for the CrCN coating.