ENHANCED SURFACE ENGINEERING OF ENB ALLOY COATINGS: TRIBO-MECHANICAL INSIGHTS INTO HEAT TREATMENT AND SODIUM BOROHYDRIDE LEVELS
Keywords:
optimization, bath composition, elastic modulus, friction resistance, nodules
Abstract
The optimization of coating parameters was the main focus of earlier research on electroless Ni-B (ENB) coatings; nevertheless, little is known about how bath composition and heat treatment temperature affect nanoindentation characteristics such scratch hardness, elastic modulus, and nanohardness. EN8 steel specimens with different concentrations of sodium borohydride (NaBH4) are coated with ENB and heated at (355, 455 and 555) °C in order to examine these aspects. The results show that a higher boron content and larger nodules, raising the concentration of NaBH4, improve nanohardness and elastic modulus. Due to the production of boride phases, which contribute to a more compact shape, these qualities are further enhanced with heat treatment. Additionally, scratch hardness rises with the concentration of NaBH4, peaking at 455 °C, where the hard Ni2B phase is most noticeable. Due to their homogenous and compact structure, the coatings show better resistance to wear and friction, even when their surface roughness decreases after being heated.
References
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27 Bonin L, Vitry V, Delaunois F. The tin stabilization effect on the microstructure, corrosion and wear resistance of electroless Ni-B coatings. Surface and Coatings Technology. 2019; 357: 353-363.
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29 Banerjee S, Sarkar P, Sahoo P. Improving corrosion resistance of magnesium nanocomposites by using electroless nickel coatings. Facta Universitatis-Series Mechanical Engineering. 2021; doi: 10.22190/FUME210714068B.
30 C. Suresh, D. R. P. Rajarathnam, A. P. Sivasubramaniam, G. Saravanan. Investigation of the wear-resistance characteristics of alumina-zirconia-titania-coated Al-6061 alloy for different processing parameters. Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology, 59(2025), 307-314.
31 D. R. P. Rajarathnam, K. Sundaramurthy, M. Makesh, R. Meiyazhagan, Assessment of Wear and Corrosion Resistance in TiC and WC Coatings applied to AISI 1040 Forged Steel via Electrospark Deposition. Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology, 59 (2025), 39-46.
32 D.R.P. Rajarathnam, Murugesan Jayaraman, Investigation of the wear behaviour of an AISI 1040 forged steel shaft with plasma-spray ceramic-oxide coatings for sugar-cane mills, Materiali in Tehnologije/Materials and Technology, 51 (2017), 95-100.
2 Wan Y, Yu Y, Cao L, Zhang M, Gao J, Qi C. Corrosion and tribological performance of PTFE-coated electroless nickel boron coatings. Surface and Coatings Technology. 2016; 307: 316-323.
3 Barman M, Barman TK, Sahoo P. Effect of borohydride concentration on tribological and mechanical behavior of electroless Ni-B coatings. Materials Research Express. 2019; 6(12): 126575.
4 Surdem S, Eseroglu C, Citak R. A parametric study on the relationship between NaBH4 and tribological properties in the nickel-boron electroless depositions. Materials Research Express. 2019; 6(12): 125085.
5 Pal S, Sarkar R, Jayaram V. Characterization of thermal stability and high-temperature tribological behavior of electroless Ni-B coating. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A. 2018; 49(8): 3217-3236.
6 Pal S, Verma N, Jayaram V, Biswas SK, Riddle Y. Characterization of phase transformation behaviour and microstructural development of electroless Ni-B coating. Materials Science and Engineering: A. 2011; 528(28): 8269-8276.
7 Mukhopadhyay A, Barman TK, Sahoo P. Co-deposition of W and Mo in electroless Ni-B coating and its effect on the surface morphology, structure, and tribological behavior. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L: Journal of Materials: Design and Applications. 2021; 235(1): 49-161.
8 Arias S, Castano JG, Correa E, Echeverría F, Gomez M. Effect of heat treatment on tribological properties of Ni-B coatings on low carbon steel: wear maps and wear mechanisms. Journal of Tribology. 2019; 141(9): 091601.
9 Balaraju JN, Priyadarshi A, Kumar V, Manikandanath NT, Kumar PP, Ravisankar B. Hardness and wear behaviour of electroless Ni-B coatings. Materials Science and Technology. 2016; 32(16): 654-665.
10 Yildiz RA, Genel K, Gulmez T. Effect of heat treatments for electroless deposited Ni-B and Ni- W-B coatings on 7075 Al alloy. International Journal of Materials, Mechanics and Manufacturing. 2017; 5(2): 83-86.
11 Vitry V, Bonin L. Increase of boron content in electroless nickel-boron coating by modification of plating conditions. Surface and Coatings Technology. 2017; 311: 164-171.
12 Dominguez-Rios C, Hurtado-Macias A, Torres-Sanchez R, Ramos MA, Gonzalez-Hernandez J. Measurement of mechanical properties of an electroless Ni-B coating using nanoindentation. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 2012; 51(22): 7762-7768.
13 Hosseini MG, Ahmadiyeh S, Rasooli A, Khameneh-Asl S. Pulse plating of Ni-W-B coating and study of its corrosion and wear resistance. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A. 2019; 50(11): 5510-5524.
14 Nemane V, Chatterjee S. Scratch and sliding wear testing of electroless Ni-B-W coating. Journal of Tribology. 2020; 142(2): 021705.
15 Radwan AB, Shakoor RA, Popelka A. Improvement in properties of Ni-B coatings by the addition of mixed oxide nanoparticles. International Journal of Electrochemical Science. 2015; 10(9): 7548-7562.
16 Niksefat V, Ghorbani M. Mechanical and electrochemical properties of ultrasonic-assisted electroless deposition of Ni-B-TiO2 composite coatings. Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 2015; 633: 127-136.
17 Dellasega D, Russo V, Pezzoli A, Conti C, Lecis N, Besozzi E, Beghi M, Bottani CE, Passoni M. Boron films produced by high energy pulsed laser deposition. Materials & Design. 2017; 134: 35-43.
18 Mukhopadhyay A, Barman TK, Sahoo P. Effect of operating temperature on tribological behavior of as-plated Ni-B coating deposited by electroless method. Tribology Transactions. 2018; 61(1): 41-52.
19 Bulbul F. The effects of deposition parameters on surface morphology and crystallographic orientation of electroless Ni-B coatings. Metals and Materials International. 2011; 17(1): 67-75.
20 Biswas P, Samanta S, Dixit AR, Sahoo R. Investigation of mechanical and tribological properties of electroless Ni-P-B ternary coatings on steel. Surface Topography: Metrology and Properties. 2021; 9(3): 035011.
21 Pancrecious JK, Deepa JP, Jayan V, Bill US, Rajan TPD, Pai BC. Nanoceria induced grain refinement in electroless Ni-B-CeO2 composite coating for enhanced wear and corrosion resistance of aluminium alloy. Surface and Coatings Technology. 2018; 356: 29-37.
22 Pal S, Jayaram V. Effect of microstructure on the hardness and dry sliding behavior of electroless Ni-B coating. Materialia. 2018; 4: 47-64.
23 Liu X, Fuping Y, Yueguang W. Grain size effect on the hardness of nanocrystal measured by the nanosize indenter. Applied Surface Science. 2013; 279: 159-166.
24 Madah F, Dehghanian C, Amadeh AA. Investigations on the wear mechanisms of electroless Ni-B coating during dry sliding and endurance life of the worn surfaces. Surface and Coatings Technology. 2015; 282: 6-15.
25 Bonin L, Vitry V, Delaunois F. Inorganic salts stabilizers effect in electroless nickel-boron plating: Stabilization mechanism and microstructure modification. Surface and Coatings Technology. 2020; 401: 126276.
26 Yunacti M, Megret A, Staia MH, Montagne A, Vitry V. Characterization of electroless nickel-boron deposit from optimized stabilizer-free bath. Coatings. 2021; 11(5): 576.
27 Bonin L, Vitry V, Delaunois F. The tin stabilization effect on the microstructure, corrosion and wear resistance of electroless Ni-B coatings. Surface and Coatings Technology. 2019; 357: 353-363.
28 Bonin, L, Vitry V, Delaunois F. Replacement of lead stabilizer in electroless nickel-boron baths: synthesis and characterization of coatings from bismuth stabilized bath. Sustainable Materials and Technologies. 2020; 23: e00130.
29 Banerjee S, Sarkar P, Sahoo P. Improving corrosion resistance of magnesium nanocomposites by using electroless nickel coatings. Facta Universitatis-Series Mechanical Engineering. 2021; doi: 10.22190/FUME210714068B.
30 C. Suresh, D. R. P. Rajarathnam, A. P. Sivasubramaniam, G. Saravanan. Investigation of the wear-resistance characteristics of alumina-zirconia-titania-coated Al-6061 alloy for different processing parameters. Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology, 59(2025), 307-314.
31 D. R. P. Rajarathnam, K. Sundaramurthy, M. Makesh, R. Meiyazhagan, Assessment of Wear and Corrosion Resistance in TiC and WC Coatings applied to AISI 1040 Forged Steel via Electrospark Deposition. Materiali in tehnologije / Materials and technology, 59 (2025), 39-46.
32 D.R.P. Rajarathnam, Murugesan Jayaraman, Investigation of the wear behaviour of an AISI 1040 forged steel shaft with plasma-spray ceramic-oxide coatings for sugar-cane mills, Materiali in Tehnologije/Materials and Technology, 51 (2017), 95-100.
Published
2025-09-30
How to Cite
1.
Rajarathnam DRP, Senthil BabuS, Firdous NikhatF, Selvaraj M, Ajaykarthik RT. ENHANCED SURFACE ENGINEERING OF ENB ALLOY COATINGS: TRIBO-MECHANICAL INSIGHTS INTO HEAT TREATMENT AND SODIUM BOROHYDRIDE LEVELS. MatTech [Internet]. 2025Sep.30 [cited 2025Nov.18];59(5):717–727. Available from: https://mater-tehnol.si/index.php/MatTech/article/view/1469
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