Solid Lubrication with MoS$_2$: A Review

TL;DR

This review comprehensively discusses MoS₂ as a solid lubricant, covering its structure, synthesis, applications, mechanisms, and future research directions, emphasizing its importance in various industries including aerospace.

Contribution

It provides an extensive overview of the fundamental mechanisms, doping effects, and environmental influences on MoS₂'s lubricative properties, integrating key theoretical and experimental studies.

Findings

MoS₂'s structure and synthesis influence its lubrication performance.

Doped MoS₂ shows enhanced tribological properties.

Environmental and temperature factors significantly affect MoS₂ lubrication.

Abstract

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS$_2$) is one of the most broadly utilized solid lubricants with a wide range of applications, including but not limited to those in the aerospace/space industry. Here we present a focused review of solid lubrication with MoS$_2$ by highlighting its structure, synthesis, applications and the fundamental mechanisms underlying its lubricative properties, together with a discussion of their environmental and temperature dependence. An effort is made to cover the main theoretical and experimental studies that constitute milestones in our scientific understanding. The review also includes an extensive overview of the structure and tribological properties of doped MoS$_2$, followed by a discussion of potential future research directions.