The effect of group 5 metal elements addition to ta-C coating on tribological properties in dry friction
Carbon-based hard coatings are ideal for mechanical materials due to their high hardness. However, maintaining low friction in air requires suppressing oxidation by atmospheric oxygen to protect the graphite structure, known for its low friction properties. This study introduced Group 5 elements (vanadium, niobium, tantalum) into the coatings to safeguard the graphite structure and enhance wear resistance through oxidation and reduction reactions. Using an ta-C coating with a high sp<sup>3</sup> carbon structure, the effects of these elements were analyzed. The ta-C:Ta coating, containing tantalum, achieved the lowest average friction coefficient of 0.043 in air, followed by ta-C:Nb at 0.067, demonstrating the potential of Group 5 elements to improve coating performance.
Authors
- Asato TANIGAWA
- Noritsugu Umehara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6604-2922)
- Motoyuki Murashima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5080-6828)
- Kosuke Suzuki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1661-5240)
- Takayuki TOKOROYAMA (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5741-6782)
- Jae‐Il Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5869-8814)
- Young-Jung Jang
- Jong-Kok Kim
- Ruixi Zhang
- Lulu Li
Publication Details
- Journal
- Friction
- Published
- 2026-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.26599/frict.2026.9441264
- Primary Topic
- Tribology and Wear Analysis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Division of Human Resource Development