On the tribological performance of laser-treated self-lubricating thin films in contact with rubber

The tribological processes still cause a significant increase in energy consumption worldwide. In this work, we deposited self-lubricating coatings for the purpose of reducing friction during sliding against rubber. One of the coatings was also treated with laser. We studied the morphological, structural and mechanical properties of the proposed solutions. Tribological tests were performed using a pin on disk device. The laser treatment improved the crystallinity of the WSx phase. This improvement was coupled with a reduction of the hardness in the laser-treated areas due to graphitization. The laser-treated sample showed a reduction in friction only during the initial stages of sliding. The lowest friction was observed during the testing of unalloyed sputtered WSx coating, but it suffered more wear.