Influence of surfactant: Using electroless ternary nanocomposite coatings to enhance the surface properties on AZ91 magnesium alloy

Magnesium (Mg) base alloy (AZ91) is widely used in various industrial, aviation, and automotive applications due to its high specific strengths. A shortcoming of Mg alloy is its poor resistance to corrosion and sub-optimal surface properties which hindered its widespread applications. Electroless Ni-P-ZnO ternary alloy nano-composite deposition is one such surface engineering technique that is likely to greatly enhance the surface properties of AZ91 magnesium alloy with addition of surfactant. Endeavour of this study is to analyze the influence of cationic surfactant (Aliquat 336) on the surface properties of electroless ternary alloy nano-composite deposits on AZ91 alloy substrate. The addition of surfactant at a concentration of 1.5 g/l in the coating reveals a significant improvement in the rate of deposition, wettability, and corrosion resistance with a sharp decline in the surface roughness (Ra) as compared to the coating obtained without presence of surfactant in solution of the bath. As-deposited samples were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (FESEM-EDAX), X-ray Diffraction (XRD).