Investigation of wettability of copper plate with nickel-graphene oxide coating produced by electroplating method

One of the ways to strengthen and prevent damage to the copper tube mold in continuous steel casting is to cover its inner surface. In this research, the surface of the copper plate is coated with nickel and graphene oxide by the electroplating method. Investigation of the mechanical properties of the coated plates showed that the addition of 30 cc of graphene oxide colloidal solution to the electrolyte solution, with the formation of 30 nm nanoparticles and cauliflower structure, achieved the highest hardness of 780 Vickers. In this sample, the adhesive and sheet abrasion mechanism was dominant and the lowest value of friction coefficient was obtained compared to other samples. In order to evaluate the performance of the coatings, the wetting angle and surface tension of the coatings in contact with the molten drops of aluminum and steel were calculated and compared. This study showed that in the sample containing 30 cc of graphene oxide colloidal solution, the aluminum drop had an angle of 130° with the surface tension of 24 × 10–6 N/m and a steel drop of an angle of 120° with the surface tension of 120 × 10–6 N/m.