Enhanced Wear Resistance of AISI-316 Steel by Low-Temperature Molybdenum Cathodic Cage Plasma Deposition

The austenitic stainless steels are extensively used in industrial applications owing to their outstanding corrosion resistance. However, their use is limited in several applications due to their poor tribological properties and the need to be upgraded. This study investigates the tribological behavior of molybdenum oxide coating on AISI-316 steel deposited by low-temperature cathodic cage plasma deposition (CCPD). The wear behavior is investigated by a ball-on-disc wear tester which reveals the outstanding friction reducing capability and wear resistance of molybdenum oxide film. The film deposited by keeping on floating potential only contains the MoO₃ phase, while mixed phases of MoO₃ and Fe₂O₃ are found on the film deposited by cathodic potential. This is also supported by Raman analysis. Moreover, the successful deposition of MoO₃ on floating potential reveals this system efficiency to deposit this coating on insulators. This study shows that MoO₃ coating by CCPD can enhance tribological features and act as a solid lubricant coating. The CCPD system exhibits high deposition efficiency; no complicated equipment is required in this system; the deposited film is quite homogeneous, the low processing temperature is required, the rough vacuum is required, and this system compatibility with industry makes this study more effective to fulfill industrial needs.