Preparation and Characterization of Electrodeposited Ni-CeO2 Nanocomposite Coatings with High Current Density

Nanocomposite coatings have been widely used in various engineering applications. At present, direct current electrodeposition is still a widely used method for preparing nanocomposite coatings. However, in previous studies, the maximum current density for preparing Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite coatings was only 5.4 A dm-2 because of the limiting current density. In this study, a high current density of 8 A dm-2 was used to prepare Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite coatings by direct current electrodeposition. Flushing with a strong electrolyte thinned the diffusion layer and increased the limiting current density. The properties of the electrodeposited Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite coatings were characterized. Increasing the bath concentration of the CeO2 nanoparticles increased the weight percent of CeO2 particles in the nanocomposite coatings, and improved the microhardness, and the friction, corrosion, and wear behavior of the coatings. However, excessive CeO2 nanoparticle loadings were detrimental to the coating properties. Furthermore, incorporating CeO2 particles into the coatings altered the morphology and preferred orientation of the composite coatings.