Study of RF PACVD diamond-like carbon coatings for space mechanism applications

Currently, sputtered molybdenum disulphide is an established coating in the field of space applications. However, when used in air, molybdenum disulphide loses much of its lubricating power, thus preventing in-air ground testing. In this work, the tribological properties in vacuum, dry N 2 and air o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSurface & coatings technology Vol. 120; pp. 612 - 617
Main Authors Vercammen, K., Meneve, J., Dekempeneer, E., Smeets, J., Roberts, E.W., Eiden, M.J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.11.1999
Subjects
Diamond-like carbon films
Radio frequency plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition
Tribological properties
Vacuum conditions
Radio frequency plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition
Tribological properties
Diamond-like carbon films
Vacuum conditions
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Summary:Currently, sputtered molybdenum disulphide is an established coating in the field of space applications. However, when used in air, molybdenum disulphide loses much of its lubricating power, thus preventing in-air ground testing. In this work, the tribological properties in vacuum, dry N 2 and air of a-C:H films produced by radio frequency plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition (RF PACVD) were studied in order to assess their potential for applications in space. We demonstrated that diamond-like carbon (DLC) films deposited at low bias voltage show lubricating capacity under vacuum conditions. However, the shorter lifetime of these DLC films compared to MoS 2 under vacuum is considered to be an important limiting factor.
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ISSN:0257-8972
1879-3347
DOI:10.1016/S0257-8972(99)00428-4