Fabrication of the ZrC reinforced Ni W composite coating and exploration of its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance

Abstract Herein, zirconium carbide (ZrC) nanoparticles (NPs) dispersion strengthening Ni W composite coatings were fabricated through pulse electrodeposition technology with an adoptive current density of 5 A·dm−2. The chemical composition, crystal properties, microstructure and micromorphology of coatings were analyzed by XRD, XPS, SEM and EDS in detail. Mechanical properties such as hardness, wear resistance, surface wettability, and apparent roughness were performed by Vickers hardness tester, reciprocating friction test, water contact angle test and AFM, respectively. Corrosion resistance was investigated by potentiometric polarization, electrochemical impedance and scanning electrochemical microscopy. The results showed that the addition of ZrC NPs significantly optimized the surface integrity and improved the mechanical properties of Ni W coatings, the corrosion resistance of Ni-W/ZrC composite coating is far superior to the original coating. In addition, the addition of enhanced particles was discussed in detail. When the amount of ZrC NPS in the electroplating solution was 2 g/L, the fabricated composite coating had the best mechanical properties (the microhardness value was 723.36 HV and the average coefficient of friction was 0.235) and corrosion resistance properties (the corrosion potential was −0.200 V and the value of charge transfer resistance is 55.112 KΩ).