What is Lubrication

The chapter presented a short review related to the factors that dictate the wear and friction behavior of various coatings obtained by PVD techniques used for various applications. An important parameter with high impact on the final properties of the coatings prepared by cathodic arc evaporation is the reactive atmosphere. The friction and wear performance of the carbide coatings were strongly dependent on the carbon content which can be controlled by varying the C2H2 mass flow rate and the arc current on the cathode. Regarding the carbonitrides coatings, the ratio of C/N plays an important role; the coating with a low C/N ratio showed reduced friction coefficients, while for the coatings with a high C/N ratio the wear was improved. For biomedical applications, the magnetron sputtering deposition technique was employed to enhance the tribological performance of Ti6Al4V alloy in Ringer solution using various types of coatings such as carbonitrides, carbide, or hydroxyapatite.