Morphological, mechanical, corrosion and hydrogen permeation characteristics of Ni-nano-TiO2 composite coating compared to Ni electrodeposited on low carbon steel

Ni and Ni-nano-TiO₂ composite coatings with various amounts of TiO₂ in electrolyte, on low carbon steel, have been prepared from Watts-bath using electrodeposition process. The morphological, mechanical, corrosion and hydrogen permeation characteristics of Ni and Ni-nano-TiO₂ coatings were studied and compared with each other. The results revealed that, existence of nano-TiO₂ particles in Ni matrix improved the microstructure as well as microhardness, whereas increasing particle incorporation from 4.33 to 7.62 vol % concluded to microhardness enhancement. The corrosion behavior of Ni and Ni-nano-TiO₂ composite coatings with various amount of particle content was studied by the anodic polarization curves in 5% H₂SO₄ solution at room temperature. It was seen Ni-nano-TiO₂ composite coatings exhibited higher corrosion resistances comparing to pure Ni coating and corrosion protection improved with increasing nano-TiO₂ in coatings. In addition to the corrosion and engineering properties, comparison of hydrogen permeation characteristics of the Ni coating was made with Ni-nano-TiO₂ composite coating through Devanthan-Stachurski hydrogen permeation test. From the resulting data analysis, Ni-nano-TiO₂ composite coating was seen not only to provide longer life under corroding media, but also reduces greatly the risk of the substrate being exposed to hydrogen permeation when compared to electrodeposited Ni coating.     

磁场辅助激光熔覆制备Ni60CuMoW复合涂层

采用磁场辅助激光熔覆技术,在Q235钢表面制备了Ni60CuMoW复合涂层,借助SEM,EDS 和XRD 等表征手段对涂层进行了微观组织和物相分析,利用维氏硬度计测试了复合涂层截面的显微硬度分布,通过摩擦磨损实验和电化学测试系统研究了复合涂层的磨损性能和耐腐蚀性能。研究结果表明:涂层主要由-Ni,Cu）固溶体、硅化物和硼化物组成,Cr3Si晶粒细化且均匀致密;磁场辅助作用下,激光熔覆涂层平均显微硬度达到913HV0.5,为无磁场辅助涂层的1.5 倍,磨损失重仅为无磁场涂层的36%,自腐蚀电位上升了100 mV,腐蚀电流密度降低了70%,耐磨耐蚀性能得到了显著改善。     

Reduction of core loss in non-oriented (NO) electrical steel by electroless-plated magnetic coating

An important issue in development of electrical steels for core-laminated products is to reduce core loss to improve energy conversion efficiency. This is usually obtained by tailoring the composition, microstructure, and texture of electrical steels themselves. A new technique to reduce core loss in electrical steel has been investigated. This technique involves electroless plating of magnetic thin coating onto the surface of electrical steel. The material system was electroless Ni–Co–P coatings with different thicknesses (1, 5, and 10 μm) deposited onto the surface of commercially available Fe–3% Si electrical steel. Characterization of deposited Ni–Co–P coating was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometer. The deposited Ni–Co–P coatings were amorphous and composed of 56–59% Ni, 32–35% Co, and 8–10% P by mass. The effect of coatings on core loss of the electrical steel was determined using single sheet test. A core loss reduction of 4% maximum was achieved with the Ni–Co–P coating of 1 μm thickness at 400 Hz and 0.3 T.     

Nanocomposite of polypyrrole and alumina nanoparticles as a coating filler for the corrosion protection of aluminium alloy 2024-T3

Aluminium (Al) alloys such as 2024-T3 are widely used in industry as low weight construction materials with excellent mechanical properties. Until recently corrosion protection of Al alloys was carried out with coatings containing hexavalent chromium (Cr⁶⁺). However, Cr⁶⁺ is a health and environmental hazard and has to be replaced. Intrinsically conducting polymer (ICP) technology is the promising alternative to chromate coating technology because of good corrosion protection properties of ICPs, their moderate cost and good environmental compatibility. In this paper we report successful attempt of making nanocomposite comprised of alumina nanoparticles modified by polypyrrole for the purpose of corrosion protection of Al alloy. Modified nanoparticles were used as coating filler. Coating was designated to perform as an active barrier to electrolyte diffusion. Properties of the coating were examined by adhesion test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, X-rays elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.     

Corrosion properties of aluminium coatings deposited on sintered NdFeB by ion-beam-assisted deposition

Pure Al coatings were deposited by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering to protect sintered NdFeB magnets. The effects of Ar⁺ ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) on the structure and the corrosion behaviour of Al coatings were investigated. The Al coating prepared by DC magnetron sputtering with IBAD (IBAD-Al-coating) had fewer voids than the coating without IBAD (Al-coating). The corrosion behaviour of the Al-coated NdFeB specimens was investigated by potentiodynamic polarisation, a neutral salt spray (NSS) test, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The pitting corrosion of the Al coatings always began at the voids of the grain boundaries. Bombardment by the Ar⁺ ion-beams effectively improved the corrosion resistance of the IBAD-Al-coating.     

水性丙烯酸聚氨酯涂料中反应性缓蚀剂掺入及其耐蚀性能

利用磷酸和双酚A环氧树脂反应得到功能性缓蚀剂羟基环氧磷酸酯(HEP). 将其添加到水性羟基丙烯酸树脂中,再与水性异氰酸酯固化剂交联,制备了水性羟基环氧磷酸酯/丙烯酸聚氨酯复合涂层(HEP-APU). 由于磷酸酯基团可以与金属基体发生反应,在金属表面形成一层磷化膜,极大的提升了金属的抗闪蚀能力. 利用电化学阻抗谱和极化曲线研究HEP-APU复合涂层对Q235碳钢在3.5wt% NaCl溶液中耐蚀性能. 结果表明,HEP-APU涂料对Q235碳钢具有优越的钝化和耐腐性能,且当HEP在水性丙烯酸聚氨酯涂料中质量分数为0.5%时,所得到的复合涂层的防腐性能最佳.     

A corrosion resistant cerium oxide based coating on aluminum alloy 2024 prepared by brush plating

Cerium oxide based coatings were prepared on AA2024 Al alloy by brush plating. The characteristic of this technology is that hydrogen peroxide, which usually causes the plating solution to be unstable, is not necessary in the plating electrolyte. The coating showed laminated structures and good adhesive strength with the substrate. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed that the coatings were composed of Ce(III) and Ce(IV) oxides. The brush plated coatings on Al alloys improved corrosion resistance. The influence of plating parameters on structure and corrosion resistance of the cerium oxide based coating was studied.     

Studies on corrosion protection of Al2024 T6 alloy by electropolymerized polyaniline coating

Aqueous electropolymerized polymer coatings on aluminum alloys can replace the carcinogenic chromate coating. In this work, the corrosion protection ability of electropolymerized polyaniline coating on Al2024 T6 alloy has been found out. The polyaniline coatings on aluminum were formed by galvanostatic and potentiostatic methods from a bath of 0.5 M oxalic acid containing 0.1 M aniline. The corrosion protection ability of the coating was found out by Tafel polarization and EIS in 1% NaCl solution. It has been found that polyaniline coated aluminum alloy has exhibited higher corrosion activity due to the presence of pores in the coating. However, the corrosion resistant property of polyaniline coated aluminum has been found to be improved to 90% by post-treatment in cerium containing solution at 60 °C.     

Deposition of duplex Al2O3/aluminum coatings on steel using a combined technique of arc spraying and plasma electrolytic oxidation

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is a cost-effective technique that can be used to prepare ceramic coatings on metals such as Ti, Al, Mg, Nb, etc., and their alloys, but this promising technique cannot be used to modify the surface properties of steels, which are the most widely used materials in engineering. In order to prepare metallurgically bonded ceramic coatings on steels, a combined technique of arc spraying and plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) was adopted. In this work, metallurgically bonded ceramic coatings on steels were obtained using this method. We firstly prepared aluminum coatings on steels by arc spraying, and then obtained the metallurgically bonded ceramic coatings on aluminum coatings by PEO. The characteristics of duplex coatings were analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The corrosion and wear resistance of the ceramic coatings were also studied. The results show that, duplex Al₂O₃/aluminum coatings have been deposited on steel substrate after the combined treatment. The ceramic coatings are mainly composed of α-Al₂O₃, γ-Al₂O₃, θ-Al₂O₃ and some amorphous phase. The duplex coatings show favorable corrosion and wear resistance properties. The investigations indicate that the combination of arc spraying and plasma electrolytic oxidation proves a promising technique for surface modification of steels for protective purposes.     

Physical and electrochemical characterizations of Ni-SiO2 nanocomposite coatings

Advances in materials performance often require the development of composite system. In the present investigation, SiO₂-reinforced nickel composite coatings were deposited on a mild steel substrate using direct current electrodeposition process employing a nickel acetate bath. Surface morphology, composition, microstructure and crystal orientation of the Ni and Ni-SiO₂ nanocomposite coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. The effect of incorporation of SiO₂ particles in the Ni nanocomposite coating on the microhardness and corrosion behaviour has been evaluated. Smooth composite deposits containing well-distributed silicon oxide particles were obtained. The preferred growth process of the nickel matrix in crystallographic directions <111>, <200> and <220> is strongly influenced by SiO₂ nanoparticles. The average crystallite size was calculated by using X-ray diffraction analysis and it was ~23 nm for electrodeposited nickel and ~21 nm for Ni-SiO₂ nanocomposite coatings. The crystallite structure was fcc for electrodeposited nickel and Ni-SiO₂ nanocomposite coatings. The incorporation of SiO₂ particles into the Ni matrices was found to improve corrosion resistance of pure Ni coatings. The corrosion potential (E _corr) in the case of Ni-SiO₂ nanocomposite coatings had shown a negative shift, confirming the cathodic protective nature of the coating. The Ni-SiO₂ composite coatings have exhibited significantly improved microhardness (615 HV) compared to pure nickel coatings (265 HV)     

Microstructure-electrochemical property correlation in electrodeposited CuFeNiCoCr high-entropy alloy-graphene oxide composite coatings

This study investigates the microstructure-electrochemical property correlation in high-entropy alloy-graphene oxide (HEA-GO) composite coatings. HEA coating containing Cu, Fe, Cr, Co, and Ni was electrodeposited over mild steel. Graphene oxide (GO) content in the coating was varied by changing the amount of GO in the electrolyte bath during the electrodeposition. Corrosion behaviour of the coatings was examined through potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods. It was observed that with an increase in the GO amount, the corrosion resistance of HEA-GO composite coatings progressively increased. Microstructural charaterisation, using the transmission electron microscopy technique, revealed that the addition of GO enhanced the amount of Cr in the coatings and also produced a layered microstructure with Cu and Cr-rich layer covering the coating surface. Both these factors along with the impermeability of GO facilitated enhancement in the corrosion resistance. Major application areas that require protective coatings over mild steel are oil and gas pipe lines, structural components exposed to marine environments, automobiles, industrial cleaning, etc.     

Nanocrystalline soft ferromagnetic Ni-Co-P thin film on Al alloy by low temperature electroless deposition

Soft ferromagnetic ternary Ni-Co-P films were deposited onto Al 6061 alloy from low temperature Ni-Co-P electroless plating bath. The effect of deposition parameters, such as time and pH, on the plating rate of the deposit were examined. The results showed that the plating rate is a function of pH bath and the highest coating thickness can be obtained at pH value from 8 to10. The surface morphology, phase structure and the magnetic properties of the prepared films have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and vibrating magnetometer device (VMD), respectively. The deposit obtained at optimum conditions showed compact and smooth with nodular grains structure and exhibited high magnetic moments and low coercivety. Potentiodynamic polarization corrosion tests were used to study the general corrosion behavior of Al alloys, Ni-P and Ni-Co-P coatings in 3.5% NaCl solution. It was found that Ni-Co-P coated alloy demonstrated higher corrosion resistance than Ni-P coating containing same percent of P due to the Co addition. The Ni-Co-P coating with a combination of high corrosion resistance, high hardness and excellent magnetic properties would be expected to enlarge the applications of the aluminum alloys.     

Effect of coating thickness on modifying the texture and corrosion performance of hot-dip galvanized coatings

Hot-dip galvanized zinc coating is the most frequently used among coatings to protect steel against corrosion. When coated steel sheets are subjected to a corrosive environment, its corrosion behaviour is affected by texture and microstructure variations. The aim of this research work was to study the texture and corrosion resistance of hot-dip galvanized zinc coatings affected by the coating thickness and chemical composition of the zinc bath. Texture of the coatings was evaluated employing X-ray diffraction whilst its corrosion behaviour was analyzed using Tafel polarization test. Experimental results showed that (00.2) basal texture component would be weakened by increasing the lead content of the zinc bath and coatings with strong (00.2) texture component have lower corrosion current density than the coatings with weak (00.2) texture component. Furthermore, it was inferred that by increasing the thickness of the coatings with the same content of lead in the zinc bath, the relative intensity of (00.2) texture component and corrosion resistance of the coatings would be decreased and conversely, relative intensity of (20.1) high angle pyramidal planes and (10.0) prism planes would be increased due to establish a balance between surface and strain energies. Besides, five types of morphology were observed on the surface of hot-dip galvanized coatings in dull and bright spangles. Finally, it was recognized that the main corrosion product of the salt spray test is Simonkolleite.     

Effect of deformation on the electrochemical behavior of hot-dip galvanized steel sheets

The main purpose of employing pre-coated steel sheets is to minimize corrosion of steel. However, coatings can be severely affected by forming processes. In the forming processes, due to the different modes of deformation, the strain levels are different and so can affect the properties of the coatings to a varying degree. Special attention has to be paid to the influence of deformation conditions on the performance of the coating, as regards protection against corrosion. The adhesion of the coating must remain good, and the surface should not be damaged during forming. Therefore, it is necessary to study the behavior of its corrosion resistance against the deformation.In this work, effect of strain path on the corrosion behavior of hot-dip galvanized steel sheets has been studied. Corrosion behavior of hot-dip galvanized steel sheets at various strain levels has been evaluated under four different strain paths namely, biaxial, plane strain, uniaxial (drawing) and tensile modes. The sheets were deformed by a limiting dome height test (LDH) set-up. A correlation between the degree of deformation and the loss in extent of corrosion protection offered by the coating has been established by carrying out electrochemical studies such as potentiodynamic polarization and impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.5% NaCl solution. The present study shows that increase in deformation increases the extent of delamination of the coating for all the modes of deformation. The severity of deformation on delamination, however, has been found to vary in the order of, tensile < uniaxial < plane < biaxial.     

镍基非晶复合涂层激光制备及其纳米压痕测试

采用大功率半导体激光熔覆和重熔的工艺在低碳钢表面制备Ni-Fe-B-Si-Nb合金非晶复合涂层,并对所得涂层进行了纳米压痕性能测试。研究结果表明,当激光熔覆时激光功率为0.8kW,熔覆速度为0.36m/min,送粉速度为12g/min,重熔时激光功率为3.5kW,熔覆速度为8m/min,在低碳钢表面成功制备了Ni40.8Fe27.2B18Si10Nb4非晶复合涂层,涂层主要由非晶相和NbC颗粒相组成。纳米压痕测试结果表明经激光重熔后所得非晶复合涂层的显微硬度和弹性模量远远大于未重熔的熔覆层,并且也大于同成分大块非晶。     

Alloying of cold-sprayed Al-Ni composite coatings by post-annealing

A new cold spray coating technique for thick Al coating with finely dispersed Al-Ni intermetallic compounds was tested. For easy powder preparation and high yield, rather than using of Al/compound mixture feed stock, the spraying of pure Al and Ni powders mixture followed by post-annealing was suggested. The powder composition of Al and Ni was 75:25, and 90:10 (wt.%) to expect full consumption of pure Ni into intermetallic compounds. After Al-Ni composite coatings, the Ni particles were finely dispersed and embedded in the Al matrix with a good coating yield. Above 450 °C of post-annealing temperature, the Al₃Ni and Al₃Ni₂ phases were observed in the cold-sprayed Al-Ni coatings. The Ni particles in the Al matrix were fully consumed via compounding reaction with Al at 550 °C of the annealing temperature.     

Formation of titania composite coatings on carbon steel by plasma electrolytic oxidation

Titania composite coatings were prepared on carbon steel by plasma electrolytic oxidation in silicate electrolyte and aluminate electrolyte with titania powers doping in the electrolytes. The microstructure of the coatings was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The properties of the coatings including bond strength, thickness, thermal shock resistance and corrosion resistance varying with the quantities of titania powers in the electrolytes were studied. Investigation results revealed that the coating obtained in silicate electrolyte was composed of anatase-TiO₂, rutile-TiO₂ crystal phases and some Fe, Si, P elements; coating obtained in aluminate electrolyte consisted of anatase-TiO₂, Al₂TiO₅ and some Fe, P elements. Coatings obtained in two types of electrolytes show porous and rough surface. With increasing the concentration of titania powers in the electrolytes, the coating surface first became more compact and less porous and then became more porous and coarse. The bond strength and thickness were not strongly affected by concentration of titania powers in electrolytes. The valves were 23 MPa and for 66 μm for coatings obtained in aluminate electrolyte, and 21 MPa and 35 μm for coatings obtained in silicate electrolyte. Coatings obtained in silicate electrolyte showed a little better thermal shock resistance than those obtained in aluminate electrolyte and the best coatings were obtained with middle concentration of titania powers in the electrolytes. All coated samples showed better corrosion resistance than the substrate in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The best coatings were also obtained with middle concentration of titania powers doping in both electrolytes whose corrosion current density was decreased by 2 orders of magnitude compared with the substrate.     

Heat treatment induced intermetallic phase transition of arc-sprayed coating prepared by the wires combination of aluminum-cathode and steel-anode

A method to prepare intermetallic composite coatings employing the cost-efficient electric arc spraying twin wires assistant with suitable heat treatment was developed. In this study, a Fe-Al composite coating was produced by spraying twin wires, i.e. a carbon steel wire as the anode and an aluminum wire as the cathode. The inter-deposited Fe-Al coating was transformed in-situ to Fe-Al intermetallic composite coating after a post annealing treatment. The effect of annealing treatment conditions on phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of the coating was investigated by using XRD, SEM, EDS and OM as well as microhardness tester. The results show that the desirable intermetallic phases such as Fe₂Al₅, FeAl and Fe₃Al are obtained under the annealing condition. The main oxide in the coating is FeO which can partially transform to Fe₃O₄ up to the annealing condition.     

Electrofabrication of multilayer Fe–Ni alloy coatings for better corrosion protection

Electrofabrication of multilayer Fe–Ni alloy coatings were accomplished successfully on mild steel and their corrosion behaviors were studied. Multilayer comprised of alternatively formed ‘nano-size’ layers of Fe–Ni alloy of different composition have been produced from a single bath having Fe²⁺and Ni²⁺ ions using modulated (i.e. periodic pulse control) current density (cd). The deposition conditions were optimized for both composition and thickness of individual layers for best performance of the coatings against corrosion. The deposits were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Hardness Tester, electrochemical AC and DC methods respectively. The multi layered deposits showed better corrosion resistances compared to the monolayer Fe–Ni (CR = 3.77 mm year^?1) coating deposited using DC from the same bath; the maximum corrosion resistance being shown by the coating having 300 layers, deposited at cyclic cathodic current densities of 2.0 and 4.0 A dm^?2 (CR = 0.03 mm year^?1). Drastic improvement in the corrosion performance of multilayer coatings were explained in the light of changed kinetics of mass transfer at cathode and increased surface area due to modulation and layering.     

Corrosion resistance of cerium-based conversion coatings on alumina borate whisker reinforced AA6061 composite

Cerium-based conversion coatings on Al₁₈B₄O₃₃w/6061Al composite surface were obtained by immersing the composite into a solution containing various concentrations of CeCl₃. Results indicate that the susceptibility to pitting for the conversion-coated composites was much lower than that of the untreated composite, and the corrosion resistance of the coated composites was improved markedly; moreover, the concentration of CeCl₃ in the cerium solution affects significantly the corrosion behaviors of the coated composites. The coating obtained from a solution containing 7.5 g CeCl₃ into 1000 ml produced better corrosion resistance on the composite due to the surface being almost covered by conversion coating. EDX and XPS experimental results indicated that the coatings were made up of oxygen, cerium, and aluminum.