Sliding element comprising a pigment

Disclosed is a sliding element 100 for an engine, the sliding element 100 having a polymer-based overlay layer 106 and a metallic substrate 102. The polymer-based overlay layer has a polymer-based matrix with a metal particulate and a pigment. The pigment has a hardness of at least 4 on the Mohs hardness scale. The metal particulate may be aluminium flakes that constitute 10-20 vol% of the polymer-based overlay layer. The pigment make comprise a metal oxide. Suitable pigments include a titanium oxide (TiO2), a chromium oxide (Cr2O3), or a complex inorganic colour pigment (aka multi-phase oxide), such as chrome antimony titanium buff ((Ti,Cr,Sb)O2) or cobalt chromite green spinel (Co(Al,Cr2)2O4). The pigment may have a D50 size of 0.1-2µm. The pigment may make up 0.5-25 vol% of the polymer-based overlay layer and may be a different colour to the colour of the metallic substrate. Also disclosed is an engine and a vehicle with the aforementioned sliding element. A method of producing said sliding element is also disclosed. The above invention may allow a bearing sliding surface to be imparted with a colour without sacrificing its structural integrity.