Friction and wear properties of electroless Ni-P- (IF-MoS2) composite coatings in humid air and vacuum

Ni-based inorganic fullerene-like (IF) MoS2 composite coatings with different volume fraction of IF-MoS2 were deposited on medium carbon steel substrates by electroless plating. The friction and wear behavior of composite coating were investigated using a ball-on-disk wear tester in humid air and vacuum at a sliding speed of 0.11 m s−1 and a load of 15 N. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the composite coatings decreased with increasing the volume friction of IF-MoS2. Ni-P- (IF-MoS2) composite coating also displayed excellent friction and wear properties in vacuum while Ni-P- (IF-MoS2) composite coating did not, which implied the good stability of IF-MoS2 in different environments. The favorable effects of IF-MoS2 nanoparticles on the friction and wear properties are attributed to their unique fullerene-like structure.