Oxidation Characteristics of MoS2and Other Solid Lubricants

Abstract

Thermogravimetric oxidation data are presented for fifteen refractory metal dichalcogenides. Interpretation of these data is supported by oxidation thermograms of the chalcogens and the refractory metals and by X-ray diffraction analysis of the oxidized products. The effects of humidity, heating rate, and particle size on oxidation of the dichalcogenides are presented. Thermogravimetric analysis is shown to be helpful in detecting impurities, such as unreacted elements, in commercial samples. Some dichalcogenides are shown to retain the same relative oxidation stability, when bonded in thin films with a ceramic, as for pure powder samples. A table is presented summarizing these oxidation characteristics together with information from the literature on crystal structures, electrical resistivities, and densities.