Preparation and properties of Ni-P/CNT composite surface layers produced by chemical reduction method
Marta Gostomska, Maria Trzaska
Quarterly No. 1, 2013 pages 3-6
DOI:
keywords: carbon nanotubes, Ni-P layers, chemical reduction method, Ni-P/CNT composite layers
abstract The chemical reduction method, as one of the processes very often applied in surface engineering, allows one to obtain materials with good performance properties. Electroless Ni-P layers have been extensively applied in industry, microelectronics and materials engineering due to their unique and exceptional properties. Thanks to the addition of carbon nanotubes as a dispersion phase, it is possible to obtain layers with improved properties. Solid particles in a nickel matrix have been developed to achieve better wear resistance, corrosion resistance, microhardness and tribological properties. The study is concerned with composite layers consisting of a nickel-phosphorus (Ni-P) matrix and a dispersed carbon nanotube (CNTs) phase. The Ni-P layers and composite layers were deposited on a S235JR carbon steel substrate by the chemical reduction method. The process of manufacturing both layers was carried out by means of sediment electroless depositions in a nickel sulfate bath. The paper describes the technique of manufacturing Ni-P/CNT layers, the methods of CNT identification in the Ni-P layer, and presents the results of examinations of the mechanical properties (micro-hardness examinations) of the layers of the final products. The CNTs introduced into the Ni-P matrix improve the properties of the Ni-P layers and thereby the useful properties of the products covered by Ni-P/CNT coatings.