Sol-Gel Derived, Nanostructured Oxide Lubricant Coatings

摘要

In this program, we deposited oxide coatings of titanium and nickel by wet-chemical deposition methods, also referred to as sol-gel, which showed excellent tribological properties in previous investigations. A range of precursor solutions were synthesized and deposited onto a variety of substrates, all having excellent adhesion. Titania-rich compositions exhibited the best friction and wear properties. Microstructural analysis revealed that these coatings consisted of 50 nanometer size crystals of nickel titanate and rutile. The coefficients of sliding friction between the nickel titanate/titania coatings and several counterfaces were reduced by up to an order of magnitude, often showing no wear. The materials developed under this program extend the useful temperature limit of solid lubricants over previous technologies and will not oxidize nor become unstable in the presence of most gases or vapors. These coatings are non-toxic, easy to deposit and relatively inexpensive. The technical feasibility of these coatings is high.