On the Self-Repair of WS2/a-C Tribocoating

This study investigates the self-healing capacity of a WS₂/amorphous carbon (a-C) tribocoating. It is found that prenotches up to 45 µm wide in the WS₂/a-C coating surface can be completely healed under the stimulus of sliding operations. The in situ tribotest of 100, 500, 2000, and 6000 laps confirms a dynamic filling of tribofilms that patch the voids and prenotched damages. The stabilized coefficient of friction (CoF) remains at an ultralow value down to 0.02, independent of the prenotched damage at the top of coating. The sites of notched damage in fact act as lubricant reservoirs to accumulate the otherwise “wasted” debris, which are restored as a superlubricant by the sliding operation. High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that WS₂ (002) nanoplatelets in the healed notch are parallel to the top coating surface but conformal to the coating/notch interface. The patchy tribofilm holds excellent promise for the self-repair of damages in the field of tribology.