COIMPLANTATION OF MO+ AND S+ IN AL2O3 AND ZRO2 AND THEIR TRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

Al2O3 and ZrO2 substrates were coimplanted with 175 keV Mo+ and 74 keV S+ at doses of 1 x 10(21) m-2 and 2 x 10(21) m-2, respectively. The energies of Mo+ and S+ ions were chosen to provide nearly overlapping depth profiles in both substrates. Rutherford backscattering (RBS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques were used for the characterization of the implanted surfaces. The as implanted surface of Al2O3 became amorphous while the as implanted ZrO2 surface remained crystalline. The MoS2 phase was observed in the implanted region of Al2O3 and ZrO2 after furnace annealing at 700-degrees-C. The friction and wear properties of implanted and unimplanted surfaces were measured in a reciprocating pin-on-plate machine at room temperature in air. Ion implanted MoS2 synthesized ZrO2 surfaces show a reduction in both friction and wear as compared to unimplanted surfaces. No appreciable effect was found for ion-implanted Al2O3.