The Effects of Additives, Particles Load and Current Density on Codeposition of SiC Particles in NiP Nanocomposite Coatings

Donya Ahmadkhaniha,Caterina Zanella

doi:10.3390/coatings9090554

Abstract

In this study, electrodeposition of NiP composite coatings with the addition of SiC 100 nm was carried out on low carbon steel studying the effect of additives (sodium dodecyl sulfate, saccharin), particles load (10 or 20 g/L) and current density (1, 2 and 4 A/dm2). As a benchmark, coatings from an additive-free bath were also deposited, despite additives being essential for a good quality of the coatings. The coating’s morphology and composition were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). It was shown that by addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), pure NiP coating with a higher P content was achieved, and their morphology changed to nodular. SDS also reduced the codeposited fraction of SiC particles, while saccharin increased it. SiC loading and current density had less impact respect to the additives on codeposition of SiC particles. Finally, the microhardness of NiP coatings did not increase linearly by codeposition of SiC particles.

Highlights

Nickel-based alloy coatings and composites have been studied as substitutes for hard chromium coating, in which the production is currently restricted by Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations [1]
This paper focuses on the comparison of the SiC codeposition in the presence of different additives, commonly used in industrial processes, under different deposition parameters
This paper focused on the codeposition of SiC nanoparticles in Nickel high phosphorous (NiP) coatings produced by

Summary

Introduction

Nickel-based alloy coatings and composites have been studied as substitutes for hard chromium coating, in which the production is currently restricted by Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations [1]. NiB and NiP coatings are two alternative coatings due to their properties. NiB coatings have high hardness, wear and abrasion resistance but are limited to applications within microelectronic industries and have much higher running costs. NiP coatings have a more comprehensive industrial application due to their high corrosion resistance [2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. NiP coatings can be categorized into three groups according to phosphorous content: Low phosphorous, from 2 wt.% to 5 wt.%; medium phosphorous, from 6 wt.% to 9 wt.%; and high phosphorous, between 10 wt.% and 13 wt.%. By increasing the P content of the coatings, corrosion resistance improves while the hardness and wear resistance of the coatings decrease [3,7].

Methods

Results

Conclusion