Enhanced mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of nickel and nickel-phosphorous coatings fabricated by electrodeposition embedding with TiB₂ ceramic particles

Abstract

Pure nickel (Ni), TiB2 reinforced nickel (Ni-TiB2), nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P), and TiB2 reinforced nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P-TiB2) composite coatings were deposited on AISI-1045 steel substrates from Watts bath and phosphorous-containing solution, respectively. The composition and microstructure of these coatings were analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The properties of these coatings, including hardness, were assessed and compared. The electrochemical performance of these coatings was investigated in a 3.5 wt. % sodium chloride solution using electrochemical spectroscopy (EIS) and the potentiodynamic polarization technique at room temperature. The effect of TiB2 on the microstructure, phase, and properties of the coatings was investigated. The results indicate that the incorporation of TiB2 particles in the nickel matrix greatly increased the hardness and anti-corrosion properties of the nickel coatings by refining of the microstructure and reducing the defects. The enhancement effect of TiB2 on Ni-P coating is not as significant as that of TiB2 on nickel coating. However, with the incorporation of TiB2 ceramic particles, the corrosion resistance and hardness of the Ni-P-TiB2 coating increased by about 50% and 10%, respectively, compared with the original Ni-P coating. The present study provides insight into the potential applications of novel TiB2 ceramic particle-reinforced nickel composite coatings in the areas of wear and corrosion resistance.

The effect of TiO2concentration on morphology, wear and corrosion properties of NiB-TiO2composite coatings by ultrasonic-assisted pulse electrodeposition

“…The friction coefficient decreased from approximately 0.38 μ to 0.25 μ, 0.23 μ, 0.19 μ and 0.18 μ, respectively. As the reasons for this decrease in the friction coefficient; It can be stated that the cauliflower structure and the ceramic particles embedded in the coating layer reduce the actual contact area/ metal-to-metal contact area and increase hardness values [13,[39][40][41]. It is also known that the cauliflower structure provides lubrication and thus contributes to the reduction of the friction coefficient [42][43][44].…”

Improvement in comprehensive properties of nanocomposite coatings electro-codeposited with nitride and ceria

“…A number of reinforcing particles were added into the nickel matrix to synthesise composite coatings with specific functions and applications. For instance, hard ceramic particles such as carbides [7,8], carbon nanotubes [9], oxides [10,11], borides [12], and nitrides [13] are selected as enhancing phases for MMCs to gain better mechanical and wear properties. Self-lubricating particles like graphene [14], sulphides [15,16], h-BN [17,18], etc.…”