Preparation and oxidation behaviour of electrodeposited Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite coatings

Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite coatings with different CeO2 contents were prepared by codeposition of Ni and CeO2 nanoparticles with an average particle size of 7 nm onto pure Ni surfaces from a nickel sulfate. The CeO2 nanoparticles were dispersed in the electrodeposited nanocrystalline Ni grains (with a size range of 10-30 nm). The isothermal oxidation behaviours of Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite coatings with two different CeO2 particles contents and the electrodeposited pure Ni coating were comparatively investigated in order to elucidate the effect of CeO2 at different temperatures and also CeO2 contents on the oxidation behaviour of Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite coatings. The results show that the as-codeposited Ni-CeO2 nanocomposite coatings have a superior oxidation resistance compared with the electrodeposited pure Ni coating at 800 °C due to the codeposited CeO2 nanoparticles blocking the outward diffusion of nickel along the grain boundaries. However, the effects of CeO2 particles on the oxidation resistance significantly decrease at 1050 °C and 1150 °C due to the outward-volume diffusion of nickel controlling the oxidation growth mechanism, and the content of CeO2 has little influence on the oxidation.