Spectroscopic Study of Strain, Oxidation, and Formation of Few-Layer Graphene at Steel Surfaces Tribologically Tested against MoS₂ Films

MoS2 not only has unique optoelectronic properties realizing photonic and semiconductor applications but also serves as a promising solid lubricant in tribological three-body contacts due to its advantageous friction and wear behavior. Its functionality is defined by elementary processes including strain, oxidation processes, and material mixing. However, these mechanisms were not elucidated for MoS2 having transferred from the MoS2 film synthesized at the main body to a steel counter body during tribological ball-on-disk tests. Using spatially and spectrally high-resolved Raman spectroscopy, we study the compressive and tensile strain within the MoS2 transfer material and analyze the oxidation of molybdenum, sulfur, and iron. In addition, we elaborate on the impact of transition metals modifying the MoS2 films on the strain distribution and oxidation processes. Decreasing intensities of the MoS2 Raman lines are accompanied with enhanced intensities of sulphur and molybdenum oxide Raman signatures which are particularly agglomerated at the edges of the tribological track. The formation of tribochemical oxides, including Mo4O11 in the Magnéli-phase, depends weakly on the type of modifying element, and an oxidation of a modification element itself is not detected. We also identified a tribologically induced formation of disordered few-layer graphene at counter-body surface areas which experienced weak thermo-mechanical tribological load. Our results characterize structural and chemical features of the MoS2 transfer material, thus predicting material failure at the microscopic level.