Cobalt-nickel-iron Nanoparticles Coated on Stainless Steel Substrate

Over the past two decades, nanoparticle materials have been the subject of enormous interest. These materials get their name from the extreme small particle size of their microstructure. By changing the particle into nanosize, it is an effective way to enhance the mechanical and physical behavior of nanoparticle materials. The corrosion resistance of nanoparticle materials in aqueous solutions is also of great importance in assessing a wide range of potential applications such as steam generator tubes and components, etc. In this paper, Co-Ni-Fe nanoparticles were coated on the stainless steel substrate using an electrodeposition technique. Different deposition times of 30, 60, and 90 mins (minutes) were performed during the process in order to study the variation in the particles formation. The working temperature of electrodeposition was constant at 500C in an acidic environment of pH 3. The effect of deposition time towards physical properties (composition, surface morphology and surface roughness), corrosion behaviour and mechanical property (microhardness) of Co-Ni-Fe nanoparticles were investigated in comparison with pure Cobalt nanoparticles. Co-Ni-Fe nanoparticles deposited at 30 mins produced the smallest particle size and the highest microhardness of 40.19 nm and 333 HV, respectively. The nanoparticles also experienced the slowest corrosion rate at 30 mins as compared to others. The increase of the deposition time led to an increment of particle size and surface roughness. The smooth surface obtained at 30 mins shows good corrosion resistance and higher microhardness than the others. It was observed that the decrement of deposition time improved the surface roughness, mechanical and corrosion properties.