Electrodeposition and mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of Ni–W/SiC nanocomposite coatings

Ni–W/SiC nanocomposite coatings with various contents of SiC nano-particulates were prepared by electrodeposition in Ni–W plating bath containing SiC particulates. The influences of the SiC nano-particulates concentration, current density and stirring rate of the plating bath on the composition of the nanocomposite coatings were investigated. The surface morphologies of the Ni–W alloy and Ni–W/SiC nanocomposite coating were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The morphology of Ni–W/SiC nanocomposite coating is smoother than that of Ni–W alloy coating. The microhardness of composite coatings increases with the increasing content of the SiC nano-particulates in the coatings. The corrosion behavior of Ni–W alloy and Ni–W/SiC nanocomposite coatings was evaluated by the anodic polarization curves in 0.5 mol/L NaCl solution at room temperature. It shows that Ni–W/SiC nanocomposite coating has better corrosion resistance than the Ni–W alloy coating.