Corrosion behaviors and mechanism of electroless Ni-Cu-P/n-TiN composite coating

Abstract

In the present investigation, electroless Ni-Cu-P/n-TiN composite coating was prepared using alkaline citrate-based bath. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), electrochemical measurements, weight loss tests and Raman spectrometer were used to character the properties of the coating. As the Cu content increased from 7.3 wt% to 24.8 wt%, the corrosion current density of the Ni-Cu-P/n-TiN coating decreased from 10.80 to 4.34 μA. And the inclusion of Cu in Ni-P alloy resulted in refinement and less porosity in microstructure. The addition of TiN resulted in a slight decline in anti-corrosion property of the coating. As the mass loss test showed, Ni-24.8%Cu-P exhibited perfect corrosion resistance. Studies by Raman spectroscopy on coatings proved that Cu(II)₃(PO₄)(OH)₃, Cu(OH)₂ and CuO were examined while no compound of nickel was found, and Cu exhibited preferred corrosion in saline solution, providing cathodic protection to Ni alloy.

Keywords

Cu content / TiN content / corrosion resistance / corrosion mechanism / cathodic protection

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