Characteristics of microstructure and performance of laser-treated electroless Ni-P/Ni-W-P duplex coatings

Characteristics of microstructures of electroless Ni-P/Ni-W-P duplex coatings were investigated using SEM/EDX and XRD analysis techniques. Microhardness and wear behaviour of the coatings before and after laser crystallization were evaluated by measurements of hardnesses of coating surface and cross-section, and by unlubricated friction and wear experiments. The results indicate that it is possible to prepare electroless Ni-P/Ni-W-P duplex coatings by sequential immersion in two different plating baths. After laser crystallization, the microstructures of electroless Ni-P/Ni-W-P duplex coatings present the characteristics of higher degree of crystallization and larger grain size for outer layer Ni-W-P than inner Ni-P, but outer layer has a higher hardness. The wear resistance of laser-treated duplex coatings in a given process parameter conditions is superior to the as-plated ones. Laser treatment was performed directly in air without argon protection, which provides the possibility for application of industrialized production.

Evaluation of residual stress and corrosion behaviour of electroless plated Ni-P/Ni-Mo-P coatings

Single Ni-P and Ni-Mo-P coatings as well as duplex Ni-P/Ni-Mo-P coatings with the same compositions were prepared by electroless plating.The residual stresses of the coatings on the surface and cross sections were measured by nanoindentation and AFM analysis,and the corrosion behaviour of the coatings in10%HCl solution was evaluated by electrochemical methods,to establish the correlation between the residual stresses and corrosion behaviour of the coatings.The results showed that the single Ni-P and duplex Ni-P/Ni-Mo-P coatings presented residual compressive stresses of241and206MPa respectively,while the single Ni-Mo-P coating exhibited a residual tensile stress of257MPa.The residual compressive stress impeded the growth of the pre-existing porosity in the coatings,protecting the integrity of the coating.The duplex Ni-P/Ni-Mo-P coatings had better corrosion resistance than their respective single coating.In addition,the stress states affect the corrosive form of coatings.

Synthesis and Characterization of Electroless Ni-P/Ni-Mo-P Duplex Coating with Different Thickness Combinations

In this work, a novel duplex Ni-P/Ni-Mo-P coating upon the aluminum（Al） substrate was synthesized via an electroless plating, i.e., the binary Ni-P coating as a transition layer and the ternary Ni-Mo-P coating on the top. It was found that the duplex coating was of a high hardness,large elastic modulus,low porosity and excellent corrosion resistance. In addition, experimental results revealed that for a total 20 μm coating thickness, the duplex coating with a 7 μm of the Ni-Mo-P coating exhibited the best corrosion resistance in 0.5 mol/L sulfuric acid solution, which was attributed to its compact structure and low porosity. This duplex Ni-P/Ni-Mo-P coating with a thin ternary Ni-Mo-P layer is expected to solve the problem of low deposition rate of ternary alloy coating and thereby may expand applications of Al and its alloys in the fields of machine manufacture and corrosion environment.