Ni-SiC Composite Coatings with Good Wear and Corrosion Resistance Synthesized Via Ultrasonic Electrodeposition

Abstract

Ni-SiC composite coatings with good wear and corrosion resistance could be obtained by the ultrasonic electrodeposition (UED) method in this study. The microstructure, microhardness, corrosion and abrasion resistance, and sectional composition distribution of the composite coatings were investigated employing atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrochemical workstation, Vickers microhardness testing, and wear testing. In addition, the statistical distributions of Ni grains in Ni coating and Ni-SiC composites were counted by using a “Nano Measurer” software. The outcome of AFM and HRTEM revealed a compact surface structure of Ni-SiC composite coating made by the UED. The mean diameter of Ni crystals was 68.4 nm, whereas that of SiC nanoparticles present within the composite was 26.7 nm. According to the XPS data, the content of Si in the Ni-SiC composite coating prepared via UED was approximately 23.7 at.% whereas that of Ni was about 46.8 at.%. The Ni-SiC composite coating deposited via UED method was found to have the largest value for microhardness (715.7 HV) compared to other coatings, although the nickel coating had a mean microhardness of 485.8 HV only. The Icorr and Ecorr values of the Ni-SiC composite coating deposited via UED were 1.13 × 10−3 mA/cm2 and − 0.311 V, respectively, indicating an optimal level corrosion resistance. Besides, the surface morphological analysis of the coating revealed that it was glossy with only minor surface scratches, and it exhibited the best resistance to wear.