Effect of Aging on Wear Life of Sputtered MoS₂ Films

Sputtered MoS₂ films deposited on SUS440C stainless steel disks were stored in a desiccator or in a vacuum of 10⁻⁵Pa to examine the effect of aging on their tribological performance. Five years’ storage in a desiccator (25%±5%RH, room temperature) elongated the wear life in a vacuum of sputtered MoS₂ films in average by a factor of four. A sputtered MoS₂ film stored in a vacuum for seven years showed tenfold increase in wear life when tested in a vacuum.