Improving high-temperature wear resistance of NiCr matrix self-lubricating composites by controlling oxidation and surface texturing

•NiCr matrix composites with WS2 as lubricant suffer severer wear degradation at high temperatures.•NiCr-WS2-Ti composite with heterostructure is prepared by spark plasma sintering.•The composite NiCr-WS2-Ti exhibits low friction coefficient and high wear resistance at elevated temperatures.•Ti is preferentially oxidized, forming abundant TiO2 protrusions and constructing in situ a special surface texture.•By controlling oxidation and surface texturing, a protective glaze layer formed at surface, leading to excellent tribological properties.