Effect of Dehydrogenation and Heat Treatments on the Microstructure and Tribological Behavior of Electroless Ni-P Nanocomposite Coatings

-reinforced coatings demonstrated improved wear resistance, and wear tests revealed that dehydrogenation is fundamental for lowering the coefficient of friction (-14%) and wear rate (-97%) when performed before annealing at 400 °C for 1 h. The analysis of the wear tracks showed that the non-dehydrogenated samples failed by complete coating delamination from the substrate, with abrasion identified as the predominant wear mechanism. Conversely, the dehydrogenated samples demonstrated better resistance due to the formation of a protective oxide layer, leading to an overall increase in the coating wear resistance.