Study on the Wear and Seawater Corrosion Resistance of Ni–Co–P Alloy Coatings with Jet Electrodeposition in Different Jet Voltages and Temperatures of Plating Solution

Abstract

In order to improve the wear and seawater corrosion resistance of metals, Ni–Co–P alloy coatings were fabricated on 45 steel substrates with jet electrodeposition in different jet voltages and temperatures of plating solution. The cross-section morphology, chemical composition, crystalline structure, microhardness, wear, and seawater corrosion resistance of the samples were analyzed and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness tester, friction wear tester, and electrochemical workstation, respectively. The results showed that the contents of Co in Ni–Co–P alloy coatings changed with the variation of jet voltages and temperature of plating solution. The content of Co in Ni–Co–P alloy coatings reached a maximum value of 47.46 wt·% when the jet voltage was 12 V and the temperature of the plating solution was 60 °C. The XRD patterns of Ni–Co–P alloy coatings showed that there was an obvious preferred orientation in the (111) plane. With an increase in the jet voltages and temperature of the plating solution, the microhardness of Ni–Co–P alloy coatings first increased and then decreased, with the maximum value obtained being 634.9 HV0.1. When the jet voltage was 12 V and the temperature of the plating solution was 60 °C, the wear scar width of the Ni–Co–P alloy coatings reached a minimum value of 463.4 µm. In addition, the polarization curves in the electrochemical test indicated that the samples deposited at 60 °C and 12 V exhibited the lowest corrosion current density (Icorr) of 1.72 µA/cm2 and highest polarization resistance (Rp) of 19.61 kΩ·cm−2, which indicated that the coatings had better seawater corrosion resistance.