Enhanced wear resistance in Nickel-graphene-PTFE composite coatings: Fabrication and characterisation

Mechanical sliding contacts often experience high wear rates due to significant friction. Recently, self-lubricating coatings, particularly metal matrix composites (MMCs), offer promising solutions with adaptable microstructures incorporating solid lubricants. This study investigates the tribological performance of hybrid multilayer Nickel-graphene coatings with a PTFE or Nickel top coating. The wear tests performed reveal the superior performance of PTFE-containing coatings attributed to enhanced lubrication and load support; in a 300-meter sliding test, this composite exhibits exceptional durability, maintaining low friction coefficients and outperforming pure Nickel coatings by reducing the friction coefficient of 47% during the whole distance run. These findings underscore the potential of multilayer coatings to optimise tribological performance of components for mechanical applications. The study sheds light on the efficacy of novel coating strategies in addressing the pressing challenges of friction and wear in modern engineering systems. © The Author(s) 2025.