Production of tib2 coatings on graphite substrates by electrophoretic deposition in NaF-AlF3 melt

In this paper a novel method for fabrication of TiB2 coatings on graphite substrates by electrophoretic deposition of TiB2 nanoparticles in NaF-AlF3 melt at 980?C has been explored. With an applied cell voltage of 1.2 V (i.e. electric field 0.6 V/cm), a flat and dense TiB2 coating with a thickness of around 50 ?m has been prepared. It was found that the surface consisted of TiB2 flakes with a nanoscale size. In addition, the average value of hardness of the TiB2 coating was determined as 3585 ? 139 HV0.1 (36.6 ? 1.4GPa) measured by a Vickers micro-hardness tester.