Low friction coatings tech news
On October 19, 2026, researchers from Chungbuk National University published a study detailing an optimized tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta--C) low--friction coating architecture engineered for cemented--carbide (WC–Co) cutting tools used in lithium--ion battery electrode manufacturing. Utilizing filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition with a functionally graded Cr/CrCₓ interlayer, the team demonstrated that tailoring substrate bias voltage (specifically to −250 V) balances sp²/sp³ carbon bonding ratios and compressive residual stress. Although this regime exhibits a moderate sp³ fraction (56.14%) and hardness (66.5 GPa), it mitigates coating delamination and achieves an ultra--low dry--sliding coefficient of friction of 0.082 alongside superior high--cycle wear resistance against abrasive battery active materials.