Influence of microstructure on tribological properties and corrosion resistance of MoS2/WS2 films

Abstract Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are easily oxidized in the marine atmosphere environment, which results in a sharp deterioration of lubricity and limits its application. Combining two TMDs with different properties to form composite film or multilayer film is an important way to improve the performance. In this work, the MoS2/WS2 composite film and multilayer film with different microstructure characteristics were prepared by magnetron sputtering. For the MoS2/WS2 multilayer film, the regular and favorable (002) stacking plane parallel to the substrate was obtained and the compact structure was achieved by interrupting the continuity of the same component film. The multilayer interface not only significantly improved the hardness by hindering dislocation movement, but also improved the corrosion resistance by hindering the diffusion of H2O, O2, Cl− and Na+ corrosives. Consequently, the mechanical properties, the tribological properties and corrosion resistance of the MoS2/WS2 multilayer film were significantly better than that of the MoS2/WS2 composite film. The study can provide guidance for the design of high-performance and corrosion-resistant TMD films.