Comparative Study Between Monolayered and Multilayered Electroless NI-CO-P-PTFE Coatings on Mild Carbon Steel

Abstract

Electroless Nickel (EN) plating is one of the practical solutions considered, as it produces coatings with good corrosion and wear resistance, good adhesion, and uniform thickness. Owing to the versatility of the EN technique, co-depositing nanoparticles such as cobalt and Polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) can enhance the properties of the protective coating. Therefore, this research project will focus on the systemization of the EN-Co-PTFE monolayered and multilayered coatings on mild carbon steel (AISI 1018), as well as the inspection of the post heat treatment effect for 1hr at 400℃. The physical, mechanical, tribological, and electrochemical properties are also examined in reference to the pure EN coating. It was found that the multilayered coating was stiffer and exhibited higher scratch hardness due to the cobalt content in the bottom layer. After annealing however, the monolayered coating exhibited better corrosion resistance than the multilayered coating due to the microstructure difference between the two configurations.