The Effect of Copper-Free, Low-Metal Molybdenum Disulfide Friction Pads on Carbon–Ceramic Friction Pads

This study systematically investigated three types of low-metal friction pads with different molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) contents and analyzed their physicochemical properties and friction and wear performance. Test results show that the A2 specimen, containing 8% MoS2, exhibited the best overall physicochemical properties, with shear strength and compressive strength reaching 6.69 ± 0.52 MPa and 61.77 ± 1.56 MPa, respectively, while also demonstrating the best hydrophobicity. Under braking conditions, the A2 specimen exhibited the lowest coefficient of friction (0.41) and a significantly reduced wear rate; compared to the A0 specimen without MoS2 addition, wear was reduced by 50%. In summary, MoS2 shows great application potential and is expected to become one of the core solid lubricants for automotive brake pads.