Environmentally Safe Self-Lubricating Materials for Automotive Applications

We plan to develop and evaluate a non-toxic self-lubricating composite coating for high power, low heat rejection automotive engines. This material consists of chromium silicide (Cr(3)Si(2)) covered with tungsten disulfide (WS(2)) and silver. The components of this material are all readily available and can be easily manufactured into various automotive components for temperature applications from -60 Celsius to 650 Celsius. Cr(3)Si(2) is a hard lubricant with a low wear property to protect the substrate material. WS(2) is a soft lubricant with a very low coefficient of friction. silver with the highest thermal conductivity among all metals is effective in conducting heat especially at high sliding velocities. It is also a low friction noble metal with high oxidative stability. In Phase I, we will prepare the above-mentioned self-lubricating coating and evaluate its efficiency and tribological characteristics, using pin-on-disk, energy dispersive spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. In Phase II, this material will be used to produce the prototype components for automotive application as well as be evaluated by interested government users and commercial manufacturers.