Controllable fabrication of self-organized nano-multilayers in copper–carbon films

In order to clarify the influence of methane concentration and deposition time on self-organized nano-multilayers,three serial copper-carbon films have been prepared at various methane concentrations with different deposition times using a facile magnetron sputtering deposition system. The ratios of methane concentration(CH4/Ar+CH4) used in the experiments are 20%, 40%, and 60%, and the deposition times are 5 minutes, 20 minutes, and 40 minutes, respectively.Despite the difference in the growth conditions, self-organizing multilayered copper-carbon films are prepared at different deposition times by changing methane concentration. The film composition and microstructure are investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), x-ray diffraction(XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM). By comparing the composition and microstructure of three serial films, the optimal growth conditions and compositions for self-organizing nano-multilayers in copper-carbon film are acquired. The results demonstrate that the self-organized nano-multilayered structure prefers to form in two conditions during the deposition process. One is that the methane should be curbed at low concentration for long deposition time,and the other condition is that the methane should be controlled at high concentration for short deposition time. In particular, nano-multilayered structure is self-organized in the copper-carbon film with copper concentration of 10-25 at.%.Furthermore, an interesting microstructure transition phenomenon is observed in copper-carbon films, that is, the nanomultilayered structure is gradually replaced by a nano-composite structure with deposition time and finally covered by amorphous carbon.

Vacuum current-carrying tribological behavior of MoS2-Ti films with different conductivities

Current-carrying sliding is widely applied in aerospace equipment,but it is limited by the poor lubricity of the present materials and the unclear tribological mechanism.This study demonstrated the potential of MoS_(2)-based materials with excellent lubricity as space sliding electrical contact materials by doping Ti to improve its conductivity.The tribological behavior of MoS_(2)-Ti films under current-carrying sliding in vacuum was studied by establishing a simulation evaluating device.Moreover,the noncurrent-carrying sliding and static current-carrying experiments in vacuum were carried out for comparison to understand the tribological mechanism.In addition to mechanical wear,the current-induced arc erosion and thermal effect take important roles in accelerating the wear.Arc erosion is caused by the accumulation of electric charge,which is related to the conductivity of the film.While the current-thermal effect softens the film,causing strong adhesive wear,and good conductivity and the large contact area are beneficial for minimizing the thermal effect.So the moderate hardness and good conductivity of MoS_(2)-Ti film contribute to its excellent current-carrying tribological behavior in vacuum,showing a significant advantage compared with the traditional ones.