Synthesis and Performance Evaluation of Pulse Electrodeposited Ni-AlN Nanocomposite Coatings

This research work presents the microscopic analysis of pulse electrodeposited Ni-AlN nanocomposite coatings using SEMand AFM techniques and their performance evaluation (mechanical and electrochemical) by employing nanoindentation andelectrochemical methods. The Ni-AlN nanocomposite coatings were developed by pulse electrodeposition. The nickel matrix wasreinforced with various amounts of AlN nanoparticles (3, 6, and 9 g/L) to develop Ni-AlN nanocomposite coatings. The effect ofreinforcement concentration on structure, surface morphology, and mechanical and anticorrosion properties was studied. SEMand AFM analyses indicate that Ni-AlN nanocomposite coatings have dense, homogenous, and well-defined pyramid structurecontaining uniformly distributed AlN particles. A decent improvement in the corrosion protection performance is also observedby the addition of AlN particles to the nickel matrix. Corrosion current was reduced from 2.15 to 1.29𝜇A cm−2by increasing theAlN particles concentration from 3 to 9 g/L. It has been observed that the properties of Ni-AlN nanocomposite coating are sensitiveto the concentration of AlN nanoparticles used as reinforcement