Enhancement of mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of electrodeposited Ni-P-TiC composite coatings

Osama Fayyaz; Adnan Khan; R A Shakoor; Anwarul Hasan; Moinuddin M Yusuf; M F Montemor; Shahid Rasul; Kashif Khan; M R I Faruque; Paul C Okonkwo

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-84716-6

Enhancement of mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of electrodeposited Ni-P-TiC composite coatings

Sci Rep. 2021 Mar 5;11(1):5327. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-84716-6.

Authors

Osama Fayyaz^{1

2}, Adnan Khan¹, R A Shakoor³, Anwarul Hasan², Moinuddin M Yusuf¹, M F Montemor⁴, Shahid Rasul⁵, Kashif Khan⁶, M R I Faruque⁷, Paul C Okonkwo⁸

Affiliations

¹ Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University, 2713, Doha, Qatar.
² Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, 2713, Doha, Qatar.
³ Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University, 2713, Doha, Qatar. shakoor@qu.edu.qa.
⁴ Departamento de Engenharia Química, Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisboa, Portugal.
⁵ Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK.
⁶ School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Coventry University, Coventry, UK.
⁷ Space Science Centre, Institute of Climate Change of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Malaysia.
⁸ Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, College of Engineering, Dhofar University, Salalah, Oman.

Abstract

In the present study, the effect of concentration of titanium carbide (TiC) particles on the structural, mechanical, and electrochemical properties of Ni-P composite coatings was investigated. Various amounts of TiC particles (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 g L^-1) were co-electrodeposited in the Ni-P matrix under optimized conditions and then characterized by employing various techniques. The structural analysis of prepared coatings indicates uniform, compact, and nodular structured coatings without any noticeable defects. Vickers microhardness and nanoindentation results demonstrate the increase in the hardness with an increasing amount of TiC particles attaining its terminal value (593HV₁₀₀) at the concentration of 1.5 g L^-1. Further increase in the concentration of TiC particles results in a decrease in hardness, which can be ascribed to their accumulation in the Ni-P matrix. The electrochemical results indicate the improvement in corrosion protection efficiency of coatings with an increasing amount of TiC particles reaching to ~ 92% at 2.0 g L^-1, which can be ascribed to a reduction in the active area of the Ni-P matrix by the presence of inactive ceramic particles. The favorable structural, mechanical, and corrosion protection characteristics of Ni-P-TiC composite coatings suggest their potential applications in many industrial applications.