Tribological properties, phase generation and high temperature phase stability of tungsten- and vanadium-oxides deposited by reactive MSIP-PVD process for innovative lubrication applications

The tungsten and vanadium oxides are promising to be usable as solid lubricants at elevated temperatures because of their ability to form oxygen deficient Magnéli-phases. As a matter of fact, metal-oxides are interesting for tribological insets at atmospheric conditions because of their expected oxidation stability and low adhesion. The study reports about the deposition of tungsten and vanadium oxides in a reactive d.c. mode by the MSIP- (Magnetron Sputtering Ion Plating) PVD process and especially about the influence of the oxygen content in the sputtering atmosphere as well as the deposition temperature on the phase generation. A simplified ‘sputtering phase diagram’ of the binary systems V–O and W–O as a function of the deposition temperature (378–650 K) and the oxygen content (0–50%) was determined. Furthermore, it was shown that the tested vanadium-oxides are phase stable up to 878 K and the tungsten-oxides up to 1100 K (measured in a high-temperature XRD facility). Additionally tribological properties of the deposited oxide coatings, like the friction coefficient vs. steel, will be presented. For polished and WOx coated samples a friction coefficient of μ≈0.2 against steel was measured at room temperature. The coatings were analyzed by various testing methods to characterize the tribological, mechanical and structural properties, like SEM, nanoindentation, (high-temperature)-XRD and pin-on-disk.