Preparation and characterization of reactively sintered Ni3Al-hBN-Ag composite coating on Ni-based superalloy

Ni3Al-hBN-Ag intermetallic matrix composite coating was prepared on Ni-based superalloy by reactive sintering. The crystalline phase and microstructure of the coating were examined by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed that the hBN particles pretreated by electroless nickel plating and hot-dip aluminizing and Ag particles with a size of several micrometers were homogeneously dispersed in the Ni3Al matrix, and the composite coating had strong interfacial bonding with a fine and dense microstructure. During the reactive sintering, an exothermic reaction between Ni and Al associated with a transient liquid phase occurred, leading to in situ synthesis of the densified Ni3Al matrix in the coating with a high tensile strength of more than 70 MPa. The high-temperature tribological properties evaluated on a ball-on-disc test rig showed that the coating possessed self-lubricating properties from room temperature to 800 °C due to a synergetic lubricating action of Ag and hBN.