Improvement in the corrosion resistance of electrodeposited Ni-W alloy by MWCNT co-deposition and prevention of metal-carbon interfacial corrosion by carbide formation

Abstract

Composite plating is an effective method which can enhance the properties of conventional metal plating by co-deposition of composite materials. In this study, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as a composite material to improve the corrosion resistance of Ni-W alloys, and the effect of the MWCNTs addition on the anti-corrosion properties was discussed. The corrosion current density of the Ni-W/MWCNTs composite decreased approximately 4 times from 16.6 to 4.6 μA·cm-2 in 3 wt% NaCl solution compared to the pristine Ni-W; this showed that the co-deposition of MWCNTs was effective for improvement in the corrosion resistance. However, the interfacial corrosion between the metal matrix and MWCNTs occurred in the high potential region and degraded the passivation properties of plating. This interfacial corrosion is caused by the high O content due to the hydroxyl groups on the acid-treated MWCNTs surface and the difference in W concentration between the interface of MWCNTs and the Ni-W matrix. Heat treatment in Ar atmosphere removes these hydroxyl groups and diffuses Ni and W into MWCNTs to form metal carbide (Ni6W6C), effectively alleviating interfacial corrosion. This study presents interfacial corrosion can be effectively mitigated by forming metal carbides at the interface of carbon materials in metal/carbon composites.