Evaluation of Ni-Co/TiO₂-CeO₂ nanocomposite coatings fabricated by electro-co-deposition

Abstract

Multiarticulate metal matrix composites have recently attracted the attention of many researchers. In this study, the efficacy of two reinforcement particles, TiO2 and CeO2, on the Ni-Co alloy coating was investigated. This coating is formed via the electro-co-deposition method on the copper substrate. The coated copper was examined and identified using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) system, an electrochemical workstation, surface roughness measuring instruments, and a microhardness machine. Findings showed that adding TiO2 and CeO2 nanoparticles into Ni-Co makes better the morphology of the surface, decreases the crystalline size, and improves the corrosion resistance, wear resistance and microhardness of the Ni-Co alloy coating. For Ni-Co /TiO2-CeO2 coating, the average surface roughness value was estimated at 85 nm, which is almost twice the roughness of Ni-Co alloy coating.