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Lubricants
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Advanced Protective Composite Coatings and Films: Tribological Mechanisms and Applications
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Advanced Protective Composite Coatings and Films: Tribological Mechanisms and Applications

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 2728

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Huatang Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: coatings; surface engineering; tribology; advanced manufacturing; materials degradation; materials characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wear is one of the three principal failure modes (wear, corrosion, fatigue) of engineering components, causing substantial national economic losses in engineering applications. Therefore, technologies such as coatings, surface strengthening, and high-energy beam remanufacturing are crucial for overcoming wear-related issues in modern industries. Functional protective coating technology offers low input and high yield, and is highly environmentally friendly, making it it an indispensable component bridging new surface remanufacturing technologies and industry, thereby generating enormous economic and social benefits. The tribological characteristics of functional coatings are not inherent properties; rather, they depend on the entire tribological system and are influenced by numerous factors, including preparation methods, substrates, interlayers design, working environments (temperature, humidity, loads, oxygen, irradiation, vacuum, etc.).

In recent years, researchers have conducted numerous experiments on coatings to better understand the fundamental principles of tribocoatings for reducing friction and providing lubrication. The key to the research lies in the preparation methods, tribological characteristics, coating functionality, and degradation mechanisms of the advanced friction-reducing and lubricating coatings. These aspects not only enhance the lubricating and friction-reducing performance of the coatings but also extend the service life of coated parts, thereby reducing economic losses caused by friction and wear.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in tribological coatings and provide researchers with a platform to publish their latest findings, reviews, methodologies, and engineering applications. Our goal is to advance the research landscape and tackle challenges related to wear reduction and lubrication in coatings. We welcome high-quality original research papers and reviews. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Preparation for tribological coatings (such as PVD, CVD, and high energy beam surface modification);
  • Classification of tribological coatings;
  • Microstructure, tribological behavior, and mechanical properties of friction-reducing and lubricating coatings;
  • Lubrication mechanisms of tribological coatings;
  • Wear mechanism of tribological coatings;
  • Materials characteristics of tribological coatings;
  • Functionality of tribological coatings (self-lubricating, self-adaptive, self-healing, self-organized);
  • Application of tribological coatings.

We thank you for your interest and look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Huatang Cao
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Lubricants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coatings
  • wear
  • friction
  • lubrication
  • surface modification
  • composites
  • materials degradation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 13697 KB  
Article
Effect of Cr Doping Content on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Cr-C/DLC Films on ACM Rubber Surfaces
by Kanghai Chen, Nini Zhen, Huatang Cao, Qiaoyuan Deng and Feng Wen
Lubricants 2026, 14(4), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants14040148 - 31 Mar 2026
Viewed by 541
Abstract
Recently, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been considered for enhancing the wear resistance of rubber because rubber exhibits a high coefficient of friction and is prone to wearing out. However, the significant difference in thermal expansion coefficients between DLC films and rubber often [...] Read more.
Recently, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been considered for enhancing the wear resistance of rubber because rubber exhibits a high coefficient of friction and is prone to wearing out. However, the significant difference in thermal expansion coefficients between DLC films and rubber often leads to high residual stresses and poor interfacial adhesion, which limits their application in dynamic seals. In this study, Cr-C/DLC composite films were prepared using magnetron sputtering, and the effects of varying Cr contents (0.8 at.%, 1.4 at.%, 4.3 at.%, and 7.0 at.%) on interfacial adhesion and tribological properties were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed no distinct demarcation lines in the composite films, indicating strong adhesion to the substrate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis revealed that chromium doping promoted the conversion of sp3 bonds to sp2 bonds. Adhesion and tribology tests revealed that introducing a Cr-C layer with higher Cr content within the range of 0.8 at.% to 7.0 at.% enhanced the film’s adhesion, reducing the CoF value of the composite film to 0.13–0.14. Specifically, the RF80 sample (4.3 at.% Cr) exhibited excellent interfacial adhesion and optimal tribological performance, with a CoF value reduced to 0.13 and wear rate of 3.1 × 10−4 mm3/(Nm). In summary, modulating the Cr doping content can significantly enhance the interfacial adhesion strength and tribological properties of Cr-C/DLC composite films on rubber surfaces, providing an effective solution for optimizing rubber seals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Protective Composite Coatings and Films: Tribological Mechanisms and Applications)
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17 pages, 13660 KB  
Article
Study on the Synergistic Lubrication Mechanism of Nickel and Magnesium Silicate Hydroxide in Molybdenum Disulfide-Based Composite Coatings
by Hanzhi Yao, Yuting Zhao, Bo Gao, Ruizhe Li, Tianxu Gao, Xiang Liu, Xianhao Gu, Zhongnan Wang and Qiuying Chang
Lubricants 2026, 14(3), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants14030114 - 6 Mar 2026
Viewed by 566
Abstract
Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)-based composite systems are widely used as solid lubricating coatings. However, further optimization towards lower friction and higher wear resistance remains necessary to meet the extreme operating conditions and high reliability requirements of next-generation aerospace equipment. This study investigated [...] Read more.
Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)-based composite systems are widely used as solid lubricating coatings. However, further optimization towards lower friction and higher wear resistance remains necessary to meet the extreme operating conditions and high reliability requirements of next-generation aerospace equipment. This study investigated the tribological performance of MoS2/epoxy composite coatings by comparing the effects of individual and combined additions of nano nickel (Ni) and magnesium silicate hydroxide (MSH). The coating preparation process adopted in this study is the bonding method. Experimental results showed that, under a load of 2 N and a rotational speed of 500 r/min, the coating containing 0.3 g Ni and 0.1 g MSH (labeled W03Ni01MSH) achieved a 22% reduction in wear scar width compared to the coating with only Ni, demonstrating a distinct synergistic effect. This is attributed to the complementary roles of the two additives: Ni promotes the formation of flaky wear debris, facilitating rapid formation and stabilization of a transfer film, thereby reducing friction; MSH enhances the load carrying capacity of the coating and suppresses wear propagation, thereby improving wear resistance. Furthermore, this composite coating exhibited optimal performance under the conditions of 500 r/min and 2 N. The results of this study significantly improved the friction-reducing and wear-resistant properties of the MoS2/epoxy composite coating. This provides a new strategy for the formulation design of high-performance solid lubricating coatings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Protective Composite Coatings and Films: Tribological Mechanisms and Applications)
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17 pages, 2309 KB  
Article
A Real-Time Dynamic Temperature Prediction Method for Double-Steel Plates in Wet Clutches
by Zhigang Zhang, Yongle Liu and Xiaoxia Yu
Lubricants 2025, 13(10), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13100425 - 23 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1139
Abstract
Wet clutches are extensively employed in automotive transmission systems due to their benefits of smooth shift and stable operation. However, existing methodologies have not yet thoroughly analyzed the real-time dynamic temperature distribution of wet clutches, and the heating and heat transfer mechanisms during [...] Read more.
Wet clutches are extensively employed in automotive transmission systems due to their benefits of smooth shift and stable operation. However, existing methodologies have not yet thoroughly analyzed the real-time dynamic temperature distribution of wet clutches, and the heating and heat transfer mechanisms during the sliding friction process of friction pairs remain underexplored. To address these gaps, this study proposes a real-time dynamic temperature prediction model for wet clutches and investigates the heat generation and transfer mechanisms in the friction pair sliding process. Specifically, the heat production and exchange dynamics of the wet clutch friction pair are systematically analyzed, followed by an examination of the real-time temperature variation of the separator plate under both high-slip and low-slip speed conditions. In the numerical simulations, the predicted temperature values from the proposed model demonstrate excellent agreement with experimental measurements, with dynamic peak temperature discrepancies remaining within ±2 °C. Furthermore, the validated temperature evolution laws are corroborated by experimental results obtained from a dedicated wet clutch performance test rig, thereby providing comprehensive empirical verification of the proposed real-time dynamic temperature prediction framework for wet clutch separator plates. In summary, the model can accurately capture the temperature variation characteristics of wet clutches under different operating conditions, providing a reliable basis for real-time thermal management of transmission systems. It holds significant practical value for optimizing cooling system design, extending clutch service life, and ensuring shifting quality in vehicles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Protective Composite Coatings and Films: Tribological Mechanisms and Applications)
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