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.