Effect of current density and agitation modes on the structural and corrosion behavior of Ni/diamond composite coatings

In this work, Ni/diamond composite coatings have been synthesized by electrodeposition in direct current mode. The effects of mechanical and ultrasonic agitations on the microstructural, surface characteristics and electrochemical properties have been comparatively investigated by various methods. Results show that diamond nanoparticles have been evenly dispersed in Ni metallic matrix, which could reinforce their performances. The coatings prepared under ultrasonic and mechanical agitation both exhibit compact, dense and hill-valley like morphology with pyramid-like nickel crystallite grains. The relative texture coefficient (RTC) values show that the preferred orientation of the Ni/diamond coating was (200) texture. From 3 to 5 A dm−2, the crystallite sizes of ultrasonic conditions were 59.2–81.7 nm, which were smaller than 76.3–83.2 nm of magnetic agitations. The average roughness (Ra = 78.9–133 nm) of ultrasonic-assisted coatings were lower than 103–139 nm of magnetic conditions. The mechanism of the co-electrodeposition process was proposed. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results illustrate that the ultrasonic-assisted electrodeposited Ni/diamond coating has better corrosion resistance than that prepared under mechanical stirring conditions. The Ni/diamond composite coatings could be applied as protective materials in harsh mediums.