Features of pulsed laser ablation of MoS2 and MoSe2 targets and their influence on the tribological properties of the deposited low friction films

Laser-initiated modification of the structure and morphology of the MoS2 and MoSe2 targets used to obtain antifriction thin-film coatings by pulsed laser deposition were studied. Significant differences were revealed in the ablation mechanism of these materials that caused important differences in the structure formation of MoSx/Mo and MoSex/Mo coatings containing submicro- and nano-scaled Mo particles. Results of the study of structure, morphology and tribological properties of these coatings (coefficient of friction, wear resistance) when testing by the technique of sliding the ball over the covered disk under different air humidity and temperatures are presented. Comparative studies have revealed the superiority of the MoSex/Mo coatings over the MoSx/Mo coatings during sliding friction under varying conditions of applications in frictional unites.