Brush plated of Cu/Ni multilayer coating from a single sulfate electrolyte was prepared. The influence of applied voltage on the composition of the deposit and deposition rate was investigated to optimize the plating parameters. Wear tests were carried out in ball-on-plate geometry unlubricated. Wear scar morphology was observed using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. It was found that the brush plated multilayer coating was highly dense and free from porosity. The multilayer coating showed less wear than Ni coating brush plated from the same solution. The increase in the wear resistance of the multilayer coating was attributed to lubricating effect of the transform film formed by Cu wear particles.

Pb/Ni multilayer coatings, with either Pb or Ni as the top layer, were brush plated on ANSI 304 stainless steel to improve its performance as bipolar plates in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). Surface morphology and cross-sectional microstructure of the coatings were characterized with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscope, respectively. The corrosion resistance of brush plated coatings in a simulated PEMFC environment was investigated using both three-electrode method and immersion of 300 h. Coating surfaces after the immersion were characterized with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The results show that the multilayer coatings were smooth, dense, and small in grain size with clear layered structure. In the simulated PEMFC environment, the corrosion of multilayer coatings was mainly uniform corrosion. Coatings with different top layers exhibit different corrosion behaviors. Ni layer was corroded preferentially as the anode while the Pb layer was protected.