Amorphous phase grain-boundary reinforce random nanocrystals molybdenum disulfide endows the film with high service life and load-bearing capacity

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) is a widely used solid lubricant material, but its sensitivity to moisture and inherent softness with self-sacrificing nature for lubrication have given rise to challenges in its applications. The recently emerged HiPIMS technology, featuring a high plasma ionization rate, can endow the deposited films with high adhesion and high density. In this work, this technology was employed to produce isotropic MoS 2 films with high density and high hardness up to 4.6 GPa. The tribological tests under a high load of 30 N in both ambient air and vacuum showed a common low fiction coefficient