Preparation and Characterization of Pulse Electrodeposited Ni/W-SiC Nanocomposite Coating on Mild Steel Substrate

In order to improve the performances of metal containers, furnace bodies and agricultural tools manufactured by mild steels, Ni/W-SiC nanocomposites are prefabricated on mild steel substrate by the pulse electrodeposition (PED) method. The morphology, texture, microstructure, microhardness, and wear performances of Ni/W-SiC nanocomposites are examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), hardness tester, and friction wear testing. The results indicate that the SiC size in nanocomposites is similar to 32.4 nm when its concentration in electrolytes is 7 g/L. The S1 and S4 nanocomposites' microstructures (the S1 composite was prefabricated at 4 g/L, and the S4 composite was deposited at 13 g/L) reveal many large cauliflower-shaped grains. However, the S2 nanocomposite (the S2 composite was obtained at 7 g/L) demonstrates the homogeneous, finest and smoothest surface morphology. The diffraction angles of S1 nanocomposite are 41.2 degrees, 51.7 degrees, and 71.2 degrees depicting the sharpest diffraction peaks, corresponding to the (1 1 1), (2 0 0), and (2 2 0) crystal planes of Ni-W grains, respectively. Moreover, the S2 nanocomposite exhibits the lowest wear depth and width of 34.2 mu m and 5.5 mm, respectively. Some shallow and fine scratches on the as-described nanocomposites' surface indicate its excellent tribological performance. However, the S4 nanocomposite exhibits a wear depth of 86.3 mu m and a width of 11.9 mm.