Friction and corrosion behaviors of the copper reinforced with MoS2 nano-layers coated with silver

Abstract

The effect of 10 wt% alumina, 20 wt% (10Al2O3-10MoS2), and 30 wt% (10Al2O3-10MoS2-10Ag) reinforcements on the tribological and corrosion properties of copper was investigated. The nanocomposites were prepared by the ball milling coating method and then fabricated by the cold and hot compaction technique. The copper's hardness increased gradually from 96 HV to 227 HV for the 30 wt% (Al2O3-MoS2-Ag) representing an increase of 136.48 %. Adding 30 wt% (Al2O3-MoS2-Ag) to the copper reduced the wear rate from 22 mg/min to 0.3 mg/min under 50 N applied load, owing to the presence of two types of self-lubricating materials, MoS2 and Ag. This nanocomposite recorded the lowest mean coefficient of friction of 0.166 compared with 0.23 for copper. Adding the alumina increased the copper corrosion rate to 3.83 mm/year due to increased oxidation ratio that facilitates the penetration of the electrolyte. However, the Cu/(Al2O3-MoS2-Ag) sample recorded corrosion rates of 0.467 mm/year compared with 0.446 mm/year for copper.

Keywords

• Copper
• Molybdenum disulfide
• Hot compaction
• Hardness
• Wear rate
• Friction