LECAD Researchers publish an article in the prestigious scientific journal Polymer Testing

Researchers from the LECAD Laboratory have published a paper titled “High cycle fatigue and wear behavior of ta-C and a-C:H coated PEEK polymer spur gears under dry contact conditions” in the renowned scientific journal Polymer Testing, which is currently ranked #1 in the SCI-Expanded category “Materials Science, Characterization & Testing.

Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coatings represent a promising solution for improving the service life of polymer gears. The authors of the paper — Bor Mojškerc, Aleš Durjava, and Nikola Vukasinović — investigated the performance of PEEK polymer spur gears coated with ta-C and a-C:H films. The gears were subjected to high-cycle fatigue testing in contact with a steel mating gear. The researchers analyzed the damage mechanisms in DLC-coated gears in detail and compared their lifetime performance.

The results contribute to a deeper understanding of the behavior of coated polymer components and represent an important step toward the development of more durable, lightweight, and environmentally friendly mechanical systems.

The article is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.109009