Effect of SiC nanoparticles on microstructure and wear behavior of Cu-Ni-W nanocrystalline coating

Highlights: • Cu-Ni-W/SiC nano composite coatings were electrodeposited on steel. • Effects of the concentration nano SiC particles, stirring rate and current density on incorporation of nano SiC particles were investigated. • Effects of incorporation SiC particles in the coatings on microstructure and mechanical properties of the nano composite coatings were investigated. • The incorporation of nano SiC particles in the coatings leads to increasing wear resistance and microhardness of the coatings. - Abstract: In this work Cu-Ni-W/SiC nanocomposite coatings were prepared by electrodeposition method and the effects of incorporation of silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles on microstructure and wear resistance of Cu-Ni-W coatings were investigated. In this regard, the effects of various parameters such as concentration of SiC nanoparticles, stirring rate and current density on incorporation of SiC nanoparticles were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to reach the optimum composition for the bath. In addition, the effects of SiC nanoparticles on the wear resistance of the coatings was examined by pin on disk wear technique. It was found that in comparison with other coatings, the coating electrodeposited from the bath containing 15 g/L SiC nanoparticles at a current density of 20 mA.cm⁻² and stirring rate of 400 rpm has the highest microhardness and wear resistance