Electroplated Co-Ni/WS₂ Composite Coating with Excellent Tribological and Anticorrosion Performance

Abstract

High-performance coatings with self-lubrication, superior wear, and corrosion resistance are sought after in modern industry. Here we reported a cobalt–nickel/tungsten disulfide (Co-Ni/WS₂) composite coating fabricated by a pulse electrodeposition approach. The codeposition of WS₂ significantly affects the microstructure, hardness, and tribological and electrochemical behaviors of the Co-Ni/WS₂ composite coating. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses show that the Co-Ni/WS₂ composite coating is characterized by a hierarchical “cactus-like” structure with WS₂ embedded and distributed uniformly in the Co-Ni matrix. Tribological and electrochemical tests reveal that the Co-Ni/WS₂ composite coating exhibits a low coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate sliding against a GCr15 steel ball under dry sliding conditions and remarkable corrosion resistance in 5.0 wt% NaOH solution under room temperature and is thus a promising composite coating for practical applications.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Co-Ni/WS₂
• pulse electrodeposition
• microstructure
• wear
• corrosion

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 51805089 and the Training Programs of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Undergraduates under Grant xj202011845451.