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

Abstract

Metal matrix composite coatings have attracted scientific and engineering interest because of their excellent mechanical properties. Nano-Si₃N₄ reinforced nickel coatings with different ceria contents were fabricated by electrodeposition. The microstructures, hardness, and tribological properties as well as corrosion behaviors of the composite coatings were studied in detailed. The results show that incorporation of ceria nanoparticles into the nickel matrix can decrease the grain size and facilitate the (111) texture of the coatings, leading to a smooth surface, compact microstructure, and dispersion-strengthening composites. The 6CeO₂ coating with the highest hardness of 520 HV_50g demonstrates the best wear resistance, while the 3CeO₂ coating shows the best corrosion resistance with the smallest i_corr value of 0.0972 μA/cm². The study suggests a significant improvement in mechanical and anti-corrosion properties by incorporation with the ceria nanoparticles, which has important implications for the surface protection of engineering materials.

KEYWORDS:

• Composite coating
• corrosion
• X-ray diffraction
• wear
• cerium oxide

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The authors are grateful for the finance support by National Natural Science Foundation of China (51001069), Shanghai Sailing Program [grant number 20YF1416400], the Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Ship Intelligent Maintenance and Energy Efficiency under [grant number 20DZ2252300] and Shanghai Engineering Technology Research Centre of Deep Offshore Material [19DZ2253100].