Space environmental effects on MoS and diamond-like carbon lubricating films; Atomic oxygen-induced erosion and its effect on tribological properties

Tagawa, Masahito*; Yokota, Kumiko*; Matsumoto, Koji*; Suzuki, Mineo*; Teraoka, Yuden; Kitamura, Akira*; Belin, M.*; Fontaine, J.*; Martin, J. M.*

Effects of 5 eV atomic oxygen beam on MoS and diamond-like carbon (DLC) lubrication films are evaluated relevance to space environmental effects in the low Earth orbit. X-ray photoelectron spectra indicate that the loss of S atoms and Mo oxidation at the atomic oxygen irradiated MoS is significant. Depth profiles of S and Mo indicate that the oxidation is restricted within 3 nm from the surface. This is due to the fact that Mo oxide plays as a protective layer against further oxidation. The surface oxidation affects the friction coefficient. However, due to the delamination of oxide layer, wear-life of the film is reduced in some conditions. In contrast, no sever oxidation states of C atoms are detected at DLC surface. However, the loss of DLC itself is measured by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. It is concluded that the protection of DLC film is mandatory for the use of DLC in the LEO space applications.