Effect of plating parameters on microstructure and tribological properties of Co-BN(hexagonal) nano composite coatings

Effects of current density, duty cycle and frequency on microstructure and particles content of electrodeposited Co-BN (hexagonal) nano composite coatings were analyzed by SEM, FESEM, EDS, AFM and XRD techniques. The microhardness, tribological behavior and wear mechanism were also investigated. Generally, as the current density and frequency increased, the particles content and microhardness of the coatings increased firstly and then decreased. Moreover, by reducing duty cycle, more particles were incorporated and higher microhardness was obtained. The best tribological behavior was achieved under the conditions: duty cycle of 10%, frequency of 50 Hz and current density of 100 mA/cm2.