Wear resistance and corrosion resistance of Ti-Al-(C, N) composite coating in artificial seawater

Ti-Al-(C, N) composite coatings were prepared in this study using laser cladding on TC4 substrate. The electrochemical properties and friction and wear properties of the coating in simulated seawater environment were tested by electrochemical workstation and friction and wear tester, and the corrosion and wear mechanisms of the coating in simulated seawater environment were explored. The results show that the reinforcement particles of the composite coating can effectively reduce the corrosion reaction area of the substrate and prolong the path of corrosive ion diffusion into the material. The self-corrosion potential of the composite coating is −0.14 V, and the corrosion current density is 9.75×10−8 A/cm2, showing excellent corrosion resistance. In the process of immersion for 30 days, the composite coating and passive film on TC4 surface will diffuse through the inherent defects of the material surface due to the adsorption of corrosive ions, resulting in the ability of passive film to block the invasion of external corrosive ions and the charge transfer at the interface double layer gradually weakened. The uniform and dense composite coating has better friction reduction performance than TC4, and its average friction coefficient is only 0.28. The wear mechanism of composite coating is mainly abrasive wear and a small amount of adhesive wear, the total volume loss is 15.2% lower than that of TC4. © 2023 Central South University of Technology. All rights reserved.