Electroless Ni‐P coating on Cu substrate with strike nickel activation and its corrosion resistance

Electroless Ni‐P coating was successfully deposited on Cu substrate by strike nickel activation process. The specific pretreatment steps were discussed. The surface and cross‐section morphologies, phosphorus content, adhesive force, and corrosion resistance were characterized for electroless Ni‐P coating. Scanning electron microscopy shows the compact surface. Energy dispersed X‐ray shows the 11.4% phosphorus content. Adhesive test shows the qualified adhesion of electroless Ni‐P coating to substrate. Porosity test shows pores free of the coating, and immersion test in 10% HCl solution indicates the better corrosion resistance of electroless Ni‐P coating in protecting Cu substrate from the corrosion of Cl ions. Thus, strike nickel activation pretreatment is suitable for electroless Ni‐P coating on Cu substrate.     

Preparation and Performance of Electroless Nickel on AZ91D Magnesium Alloy

The corrosion of magnesium alloy in different plating solutions was researched. The results demonstrated that corrosive condition of the alloy immersed in nickel chloride solution and nickel sulfate solution is serious and in nickel acetate solution and nickel nitrate solution is less. Magnesium alloy was handled with four acid pickling formulas and two activation formulas and the effects of different pickling formulas and activation formulas were researched through comparative experiment. The experimental results indicated that after handed with pickling formula about 500 mL L^?1 H₃PO₄ (85%), 110 mL L^?1 HNO₃ (68%), room temperature for 30 s and activation formula about 375 mL L^?1 HF (40%), room temperature for 10 min, magnesium alloy could realize electroless nickel plating directly and the performance of the prepared plating was much better. The properties of the nickel-plating coating were researched by electrochemical workstation, scanning electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrated that this Ni–P coating was very uniform and meticulous; the structure of Ni–P coating was amorphous; and comparing with magnesium alloy, the corrosion potential of this plating increased about 799 V and the corrosion current density declined obviously. The nickel-plating coating effectively improved the anticorrosion performance of magnesium alloy.     

热处理对化学沉积Ni-P、Ni-Co-P合金组织及耐蚀性能的影响

研究了热处理对化学沉积Ｎｉ－Ｐ、Ｎｉ－Ｃｏ－Ｐ合金镀层的组织结构、显微硬度、常温静态腐蚀性能和热溶液腐蚀性能的影响。结果表明，Ｎｉ－Ｃｏ－Ｐ合金镀层的显微硬度高于Ｎｉ－Ｐ合金镀层；Ｎｉ－Ｃｏ－Ｐ合金镀层的耐热溶液腐蚀性能及４００℃热处理后的常温静态腐蚀性能均优于Ｎｉ－Ｐ合金。     

Exceptional Performance of Hierarchical Ni–Fe (hydr)oxide@NiCu Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting

Developing low‐cost bifunctional electrocatalysts with superior activity for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of great importance for the widespread application of the water splitting technique. In this work, using earth‐abundant transition metals (i.e., nickel, iron, and copper), 3D hierarchical nanoarchitectures, consisting of ultrathin Ni–Fe layered‐double‐hydroxide (Ni–Fe LDH) nanosheets or porous Ni–Fe oxides (NiFeO_x) assembled to a metallic NiCu alloy, are delicately constructed. In alkaline solution, the as‐prepared Ni–Fe LDH@NiCu possesses outstanding OER activity, achieving a current density of 10 mA cm^?2 at an overpotential of 218 mV, which is smaller than that of RuO₂ catalyst (249 mV). In contrast, the resulting NiFeO_x@NiCu exhibits better HER activity, yielding a current density of 10 mA cm^?2 at an overpotential of 66 mV, which is slightly higher than that of Pt catalyst (53 mV) but superior to all other transition metal (hydr)oxide‐based electrocatalysts. The remarkable activity of the Ni–Fe LDH@NiCu and NiFeO_x@NiCu is further demonstrated by a 1.5 V solar‐panel‐powered electrolyzer, resulting in current densities of 10 and 50 mA cm^?2 at overpotentials of 293 and 506 mV, respectively. Such performance renders the as‐prepared materials as the best bifunctional electrocatalysts so far.     

Enhancement of oxidation and wear resistance of Fe-based amorphous coatings by surface modification of feedstock powders

Surface oxidation of the in-flight powders during the preparation of amorphous coatings in high velocity oxygen fuel process causes the formation of oxygen-rich intersplat regions. These regions are brittle in nature and can dramatically deteriorate the mechanical performance of the coatings. To solve this problem, the starting FeCrMoCBY amorphous feedstock powders were modified by electroless plating a thin layer of Ni–W–P amorphous phase. It was found that the covering of the Ni–W–P layer can significantly reduce the oxygen content in the resultant Fe-based amorphous coatings. The wear resistance of the coatings with and without the modification of Ni–W–P thin layer was comparatively studied by ball-on-disk wear tests against Si₃N₄ counterpart in air. It revealed that the wear of two types of coatings follows the same oxidation wear mechanism but the modified coating exhibits much better wear resistance due to the improved oxidation resistance.     

Electroless deposition of Ni–W–P–B4C nanocomposite coating on AZ91D magnesium alloy and investigation on its properties

In the present work, electroless deposition of quaternary Ni–W–P–B₄C composite coatings on AZ91D magnesium alloy was investigated. The coatings were characterized to study their microstructure, crystallite size, morphology, microhardness and corrosion resistance and compared with Ni–P and Ni–P–B₄C composite coatings, prepared with the same method. The hardness of the Ni–W–P–B₄C composite coatings was around 1290 MPa which was more than that of the Ni–P and Ni–P–B₄C coatings (about 700 and 1200 MPa, respectively). According to polarization test results, the Ni–W–P–B₄C composite coating exhibits less and more corrosion rates with respect to the Ni–P–B₄C and the Ni–P coatings, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis results for the Ni–W–P–B₄C coating showed that the Ni–W–P–B₄C coating has a combination of amorphous and nanocrystalline structures. Also, Williamson–Hall analysis on the X-ray patterns revealed that the Ni–W–P–B₄C coating has an average crystallite size of 1.5 nm.     

An Ultrastable and High‐Performance Flexible Fiber‐Shaped Ni–Zn Battery based on a Ni–NiO Heterostructured Nanosheet Cathode

Currently, the main bottleneck for the widespread application of Ni–Zn batteries is their poor cycling stability as a result of the irreversibility of the Ni‐based cathode and dendrite formation of the Zn anode during the charging–discharging processes. Herein, a highly rechargeable, flexible, fiber‐shaped Ni–Zn battery with impressive electrochemical performance is rationally demonstrated by employing Ni–NiO heterostructured nanosheets as the cathode. Benefiting from the improved conductivity and enhanced electroactivity of the Ni–NiO heterojunction nanosheet cathode, the as‐fabricated fiber‐shaped Ni–NiO//Zn battery displays high capacity and admirable rate capability. More importantly, this Ni–NiO//Zn battery shows unprecedented cyclic durability both in aqueous (96.6% capacity retention after 10 000 cycles) and polymer (almost no capacity attenuation after 10 000 cycles at 22.2 A g^?1) electrolytes. Moreover, a peak energy density of 6.6 µWh cm^?2, together with a remarkable power density of 20.2 mW cm^?2, is achieved by the flexible quasi‐solid‐state fiber‐shaped Ni–NiO//Zn battery, outperforming most reported fiber‐shaped energy‐storage devices. Such a novel concept of a fiber‐shaped Ni–Zn battery with impressive stability will greatly enrich the flexible energy‐storage technologies for future portable/wearable electronic applications.     

Mikrostruktur‐Untersuchungen zum Schwingungsverschleißverhalten von Nickelkomposit‐ und Ni‐P‐Schichten

Microstructural and oscillating sliding wear studies of nickel composites and electroless Ni‐P layers In many industrial applications, oscillating sliding wear leads to serious damage of construction components. To avoid this, different layers of electroplated nickel and nickel composites as well as chemically deposited nickel phosphorus layers are used and/or tested. The performance of these layers under oscillating sliding wear was characterized. Additionally microstructure characterisations took place regarding grain size, particle content and distribution as well as concerning crystallization and development of tetragonal phase nickel phosphide. These results correlate well with the Martens hardness of the layers and contribute to understand the oscillating sliding wear characteristics of the examined layers. Heat treated Ni‐P layers achieve twice the hardness of nickel dispersion layers; however, fail under oscillating sliding stress by embrittlement, cracking and debonding. On the other hand dispersion‐hardening nano composites with TiO₂ clearly exhibit a more favourable tribological behaviour. A solid content of approx. 3 vol‐% leads to dispersion and fine grain hardening effects, which cause good protection against oscillating sliding wear; thereby the Ni‐matrix remains ductile. The incorporation of very hard particles (SiC) intensifies the oscillating sliding wear process due to the abrasive effect of the particles.     

An investigation on corrosion resistance of as-applied and heat treated Ni–P/nanoSiC coatings

EN–SiC coatings are recognized for their hardness and wear resistance. In this work electroless Ni–P coatings containing nano SiC particles were co-deposited on St37 tool steel substrate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrum (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to analyze morphology, structure and corrosion resistance of the coatings. The results showed that SiC nano-particles co-deposited homogeneously, and the structure of Ni–P–SiC nano-composite coatings as deposited was amorphous. Heat-treatment at 400 °C for 1 h induced crystallization of the electroless Ni–P coatings. Microhardness of electroless Ni–P–SiC composite coatings increased due to the existence of nano-particles, and reached to a maximum value after heat-treatment. Corrosion tests showed that both electroless nickel and electroless nickel composite coatings demonstrated significant improvement of corrosion resistance in salty atmosphere. Proper post heat-treatment significantly improved the coating density and structure, giving rise to enhanced corrosion resistance.     

Effects of Cu on Microstructures,Mechanical, and Magnetic Properties of Fe–Ni–P Alloys Fabricated by Liquid Phase Sintering

The Fe–Ni–P–Cu alloys with different copper content (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 wt%) are fabricated by liquid phase sintering (LPS) at 950 °C. The nano‐Cu powder is mechanically mixed for 90 min with Fe–Ni–P composite powder using the ethanol as the medium. The microstructure, microhardness and compressive properties of Fe–Ni–P–Cu alloys are investigated. The results indicate that the copper is beneficial to improve the mechanical properties of sintered specimens. The sample contains a small amount of γ‐(Fe, Ni) phase when the copper content is 1 wt%, which results in its the highest compressive yield strength (948.1 MPa). The highest microhardness of 371 HV is accessible in Fe–Ni–P–Cu alloy with 2 wt% Cu. The fracture surface analysis indicates that sintered specimens with Cu addition exhibit a typical intergranular mode.     

镁合金硫酸镍体系化学镀镍工艺及镀层性能研究

采用酸性钼酸盐酸洗、碱性钼酸盐活化工艺,研究了AM60镁合金上硫酸镍溶液体系化学镀镍的方法.采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察镀层表面形貌,电子探针(EDX)分析镀层成分,电化学方法研究镀层腐蚀性能,锉刀试验测试镀层与基体结合力.结果表明,所得镀层为Ni-P合金镀层,磷质量分数为10%～14%;镀层均匀致密,无明显缺陷;镀层的自腐蚀电位接近-0.4 V(vs SCE),阳极极化曲线有明显的钝化区;Ni-P镀层耐蚀性好,与基体结合牢固.     

全光亮化学镀镍磷合金工艺研究

研究出了一种新型不含铅的全光亮化学镀镍工艺,获得了全光亮的镍磷合金镀层.通过试验分析镀液中添加剂、无机盐、主盐、施镀时间、pH值和施镀温度对化学镀镍磷合金层光亮度的影响;检测了有关性能.结果表明:所得化学镀镍磷合金镀层的光亮度、耐蚀性等性能优于常规化学镀镍磷合金镀层.CuSO4、TaSO4无机盐的添加使溶液稳定性(氯化钯稳定试验)从30 s提高到90 s,同时也提高了化学镀镍磷合金镀层耐蚀性,在5%NaCl溶液中的年腐蚀量从1.1 mg/cm2降为0.     

Corrosion resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy with electroless plating pretreatment and Ni–TiO2 composite coating

In this paper, a protective multilayer coating, with electroless Ni coating as bottom layer and electrodeposited Ni–TiO₂ composite coating as top layer, was successfully prepared on AZ91D magnesium alloy by a combination of electroless and electrodeposition techniques. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were employed to investigate the surface, cross-section morphologies and phase structure of coatings, respectively. The electrochemical corrosion behaviors of coatings in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solutions were evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, open circuit potential and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The results showed that the corrosion process of Ni–TiO₂ composite coating was mainly composed of three stages in the long-term immersion test in the aggressive media, and could afford better corrosion and mechanical protection for the AZ91D magnesium alloy compared with single electroless Ni coating. The micro-hardness of the Ni–TiO₂ composite coating improved more than 5 times than that of the AZ91D magnesium alloy.     

The effect of CFO nanoparticles on magnetic and erosion-corrosion behavior of CFO@Ni-P nanocomposite coating

Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CFO-NPs) were used in electroless Ni–P solution to form a Ni-P-CoFe₂O₄ composite coating (CFO@Ni-P) on copper substrate. CFO-NPs with average size of 164 nm were synthetized using solution combustion method and the size of the particles was reduced to 105 nm and 78 nm, through mechanical milling. These nanoparticles were then added to Ni-P bath to form a composite coating. Investigation of morphology, corrosion resistance, the erosion-corrosion resistance, and magnetic properties of the samples conducted. It is revealed that, addition of nanoparticles with average size of 164 nm and concentration of 2 g/l, causes an increase corrosion and tribocorrosion properties of the coating. Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles participation in the coating causes appearance of a remnant magnetization in the composite coating, which reduces with decreasing CFO granular size.     

Process and properties of electroless Ni–Cu–P–ZrO2 nanocomposite coatings

Electroless Ni–Cu–P–ZrO₂ composite coating was successfully obtained on low carbon steel matrix by electroless plating technique. Coatings with different compositions were obtained by varying copper as ternary metal and nano sized zirconium oxide particles so as to obtain elevated corrosion resistant Ni–P coating. Microstructure, crystal structure and composition of deposits were analyzed by SEM, EDX and XRD techniques. The corrosion behavior of the deposits was studied by anodic polarization, Tafel plots and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.5% sodium chloride solution. The ZrO₂ incorporated Ni–P coating showed higher corrosion resistance than plain Ni–P. The introduction of copper metal into Ni–P–ZrO₂ enhanced the protection ability against corrosion. The influence of copper metal and nanoparticles on microhardness of coatings was evaluated.     

Synthesis and characterization of functionally graded nickel‐nickel coated ZrO2 composite coating

Electroless‐nickel plated ZrO₂ (NCZ) particles have been used to produce a functionally graded nickel‐electroless‐nickel plated ZrO₂ composite coating. So, electroless‐nickel plated ZrO₂ particles concentration was continuously increased from 0 to an optimum value in the electroplating bath (Watt's bath). The substrate was ST37 steel and the thickness of the coating was approximately 50 μm. Also a uniformly distributed nickel‐electroless‐nickel plated ZrO₂ composite coating has been manufactured as comparison. The composite coatings were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. Structure and phase composition were identified by X‐ray diffraction analysis. Microhardness of the coatings was evaluated by employing a Vickers instrument. Three‐point bend test was carried out to compare the adhesion strength of the coatings. Dry sliding wear tests were performed using a pin‐on‐disk wear apparatus. The electrochemical behavior of the coatings was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The microhardness measurements showed that, with increasing the co‐electrodeposited electroless‐nickel plated ZrO₂ particle content in the nickel matrix, the microhardness increases from interface towards the surface of the functionally graded composite coating. Bend, wear and electrochemical test results confirmed that the functionally graded composite coating has higher adhesion, wear resistance and corrosion resistance as compared with the uniformly distributed coating. This has been attributed to lower mechanical mismatch between coating and substrate in functionally graded composite coating with respect to the uniformly distributed one.     

Superaerophobic Ultrathin Ni–Mo Alloy Nanosheet Array from In Situ Topotactic Reduction for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has prospect to becoming clean and renewable technology for hydrogen production and Ni–Mo alloy is among the best HER catalysts in alkaline electrolytes. Here, an in situ topotactic reduction method to synthesize ultrathin 2D Ni–Mo alloy nanosheets for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution is reported. Due to its ultrathin structure and tailored composition, the as‐synthesized Ni–Mo alloy shows an overpotential of 35 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^?2, along with a Tafel slope of 45 mV decade^?1, demonstrating a comparable intrinsic activity to state‐of‐art commercial Pt/C catalyst. Besides, the vertically aligned assemble structure of the 2D NiMo nanosheets on conductive substrate makes the electrode “superaerophobic,” thus leading to much faster bubble releasing during HER process and therefore shows faster mass transfer behavior at high current density as compared with drop drying Pt/C catalyst on the same substrate. Such in situ topotactic conversion finds a way to design and fabricate low‐cost, earth‐abundant non‐noble metal based ultrathin 2D nanostructures for electrocatalytic issues.     

Evaluation on tribological design coatings of Al2O3, Ni–P–PTFE and MoS2 on aluminium alloy 7075 under oil lubrication

The current work evaluated the friction and wear properties of tribological design surface coatings on aluminium alloy 7075 under various speed and nominal contact pressure. Hard-anodized Aluminium Oxide (Al₂O₃), burnished Refractory Metal Sulfide (MoS₂) and composite electroless nickel coatings with polytetrafluoroethylene (Ni–P–PTFE) particles were subjected to pin-on-disc sliding test against grey cast iron (GCI) under Mach 5 SL SAE 10 W-30 lubrication. The results indicated that Ni–P–PTFE composite coating possessed excellent friction–reduction capability but limited wear resistance due to low mechanical strength. Al₂O₃ coated sample showed outstanding wear resistance with high friction characteristic leading to high surface contact temperature. Furthermore, MoS₂ coating improved the wear resistance of the aluminium alloy.     

TEM Studies of High Temperature Corrosion Behaviour of TiAl Intermetallics with Surface Modifications

The oxidation/sulphidation behaviour of a Ti‐46.7Al‐1.9W‐0.5Si alloy with a TiAl₃ diffusion coating was studied in an environment of H₂/H₂S/H₂O at 850^oC. The kinetic results demonstrate that the TiAl₃ coating significantly increased the high temperature corrosion resistance of Ti‐46.7Al‐1.9W‐0.5Si. The SEM, EDX, XRD and TEM analysis reveals that the formation of an Al₂O₃ scale on the surface of the TiAl₃‐coated sample was responsible for the enhancement of the corroison resistance. The Ti‐46.7Al‐1.9W‐0.5Si alloy was also modified by Nb ion implantation. The Nb ion implanted and as received sampels were subjected to cyclic oxidation in an open air at 800^oC. The Nb ion implantation not only increased the oxidation resistance but also substantially improved the adhesion of scale to the substrate.     

Structure and phase transformation behaviour of electroless Ni–P composite coatings

This paper addresses the structural characteristics and phase transformation behaviour of plain electroless Ni–P coating and electroless Ni–P–Si₃N₄, Ni–P–CeO₂ and Ni–P–TiO₂ composite coatings. The X-ray diffraction patterns of electroless Ni–P–Si₃N₄, Ni–P–CeO₂ and Ni–P–TiO₂ composite coatings are very similar to that of plain electroless Ni–P coating, both in as plated and heat-treated conditions. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns obtained on the Ni–P matrix of Ni–P–Si₃N₄, Ni–P–CeO₂ and Ni–P–TiO₂ composite coatings exhibit diffuse ring patterns resembling the one obtained for plain electroless Ni–P coating. Phase transformation behaviour studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicates that the variation in crystallization temperature and the energy evolved during crystallization of plain electroless Ni–P coating and electroless Ni–P–Si₃N₄, Ni–P–CeO₂ and Ni–P–TiO₂ composite coatings is not significant. The study concludes that incorporation of Si₃N₄, CeO₂ and TiO₂ particles in the Ni–P matrix does not have any influence on the structure and phase transformation behaviour of electroless Ni–P coatings.