Research Projects

Tribo-systems used in Lunar rovers and robots face extreme environments, including high temperatures, vacuum pressure, and regolith dust. To reduce tribological failures and increase service life, researchers have developed smart materials and coatings. These include composite coatings, self-lubricating coatings, high-temperature coatings, and adaptive coatings. The use of hard and soft materials can improve oxidation resistance and wear resistance. However, low-temperature tribological studies are challenging due to inconsistent deposition techniques and lack of comprehensive data. Further theoretical and experimental tribological studies are necessary to design and develop smart composite coatings for tribosystems for space applications. Further detailed theoretical and experimental tribological studies are necessary to overcome limitations and improve the performance of these coatings. The Indo-Russian Joint Research project aims to develop self-adaptive MoS2 coatings with hard and soft materials for space applications. The research will involve design, development, theoretical and experimental tribological studies under simulated extreme environments. The coatings will be applied to hard steel using a multitarget PVD magnetron sputter coating system. The project will utilize expertise from Indian and Russian faculty members and facilities, aiming to improve the space industry's space applications.