Articles
  • Evaluation of scratch resistant properties of electroless Ni-P-Al2O3 composite coatings
  • Gobinda Gyawalia, Dhani Ram Dhakalb, Bhupendra Joshia, Jin-Hyuk Choic and Soo Wohn Leeb,*
  • aDivision of Basic Engineering, Sun Moon University, Asan, Korea bDepartment of Environmental and Biochemical Engineering, Sun Moon University, Asan, Korea cResearch Center for Eco Multi-Functional Nano Materials, Sun Moon University, Asan, Korea
Abstract
Ni-P-Al2O3 composite coatings were prepared from electroless plating method on copper substrate with different contents of Al2O3 powder. Thus obtained composite coatings were heat treated at 400 oC for 1 h in an inert environment and subjected to scratch tests. Compared to Ni-P coating, codeposition of Al2O3 exhibited the nodular structure and slightly increased surface roughness of the composite coatings. Low P nickel coating with approximately 4 wt% of codeposited Al2O3 into the deposit was obtained with 10 g/L Al2O3 concentration into the plating bath. Enhanced Vickers microhardness of the composite coating was due to the synergistic effects of the precipitation hardening by Ni3P phase and co-deposited hard Al2O3 particles. Furthermore, Ni-P-Al2O3 composite coatings have shown considerable improvement in load-bearing capacity of the coating matrix, thereby, enhancing the scratch resistant properties of the composite coating.

Keywords: Electroless plating, Ni-P-Al2O3, Composite, Scratch testing

This Article

  • 2019; 20(1): 84-89

    Published on Feb 28, 2019