Characterization and compressive properties of Ni/Mg hybrid foams

In this study, Ni/Mg hybrid foams were fabricated by depositing electroless Ni-P coatings on open-cell Mg foams. The microstructure, composition and phases of Ni-P coatings were observed and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The compressive properties of the Ni/Mg hybrid foams were evaluated by compressive tests. The results show that the compressive strength, specific strength and energy absorption capacity of open-cell Mg foams are improved by electroless plating. However, compared with open-cell Mg foams, the Ni/Mg hybrid foams exhibit more brittleness characteristics. It was found that the different compressive properties between the Mg foams and Ni/Mg hybrid foams were attributed to the diverse failure mechanisms confirmed by fractography observation.