Crystal structure and tribological properties of molybdenum disulfide films prepared by magnetron sputtering technology

Abstract Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is widely used in practice due to its excellent lubricating properties. However, research on the tribological properties of magnetron sputtering for depositing MoS2 films remains limited. Herein, the tribological properties of MoS2 films were investigated in detail through a series of characterization and friction coefficient tests. MoS2 films were deposited onto silicon substrates by magnetron sputtering under different radio-frequency powers (Prf). With increased Prf, the crystallinity of the films gradually increases, whereas the friction coefficient initially decreases and then increases. Prf also affects the chemical composition, surface morphology, and grain size of MoS2 films. At Prf = 300 W, the film surface is dense and smooth, the grain distribution is uniform. Moreover, the films have superior tribological properties and low friction coefficient, which can be attributed to the weak van der Waals force among MoS2 layers and the microscopic morphology of the films. All these results indicate that by reasonably controlling the preparation parameters, MoS2 films with excellent tribological properties can be prepared by magnetron sputtering.