Fabrication of low friction bronze–graphite nano-composite coatings

This paper addresses the fabrication of bronze–nano-graphite coatings containing 30 nm sized graphite particles. Addition of Poly Vinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP) and dispersing the suspension by ultrasound was utilized to stabilize the electroplating solution. Pulsed current electrodeposition was used and the deposits were characterized in terms of graphite content, particle dispersion in coating and morphology. The wear behavior of the coating was compared to bronze–micro-graphite coatings prepared with the same experimental conditions. The present coating showed improved wear resistance in comparison to bronze–micro-graphite coatings at the same graphite content.

Research highlights
► A combination of PVP and sonication leads to dispersion of the graphite particles.
► A decrease in pulse duty cycle leads to less agglomerated composite.
► Wear weight loss decreased as pulse duty cycle decreased.