Mechanical and opto-electrical response of embedded smart composite coating produced via electrodeposition technique for embedded system in defence application

The emergence of nanocomposite particulate with the increasing demand for opto-electrical properties for defence application has necessitated this study. In this work, an attempt was made to develop Zn-CeO₂/Zn-CeO₂-Al₂SiO₅ thin film composite on A356 mild steel using electrodeposition technique. The developed coating was attained in 2 V for 10 min at a constant current density of 1.5 A/cm² and pH of 4.5. The mass concentration of Al₂SiO₅ was varied, ranging from 0 to 15 g. The composite coatings were characterized using Scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS). The corroding properties of the coated and uncoated sample were examined through potentiodynamic polarization technique via Autolab PGSTAT 101 Metrohm potentiostat/galvanostat with NOVA software of version 2.1.2 in 3.65% NaCl. The electrical characterization was carried out using voltage-ammeter meter and Keithley 2400 series source meter application tester. The opto-electrical investigation was done using a solar simulator with maximum intensity of 1000 W/m² under an air mass of 1.5 at a working intensity of 750 W/m². The outcome of various test and characterizations revealed that the electrodeposited Zn-CeO₂/Zn-CeO₂-Al₂SiO₅ possessed good stability, improved microstructural qualities, better electrical conductivity and outstanding corrosion resistance.