Synthesis of nanocomposite coating of Cu and MgO particles by electrodeposition method

The properties of Cu based coatings have led to their wide range of applications during the lastdecades. Recently, numerous studies have been done to synthesize composite Cu basedcoatings with various nanoparticles, which have opened new horizons in obtaining appropriateproperties in different fields such as corrosion, tribology, and antimicrobial applications. In thepresent research, Cu-MgO nanocomposite coatings were prepared through theelectrodeposition method on A۳۱۶ stainless steel substrates. The plating process wasconducted at room temperature using a sulfate bath. After the optimization of the depositionparameters, MgO nanoparticles with a concentration of ۴ g/l were dispersed in the bath usingultrasonic vibration; and imbedded in the copper matrix. To synthesize the nanoparticles, thecoprecipitation method with magnesium nitrate as the precursor was used. The formation ofcrystalline magnesium oxide nanoparticles was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD)analysis. The morphology of the coating and the integration of MgO nanoparticles in thecoating were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersivespectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The results revealed that a defect free coating with a uniformdistribution of MgO nanoparticles was achieved. The corrosion resistance of Cu-MgO coatingwas evaluated by the linear polarization method with determination of the Tafel slope. Theachieved corrosion current density of Cu and Cu-MgO coatings were icorr =۳.۱ and icorr =۶.۱(μA/cm۲), respectively. It can be deduced that the corrosion resistance of the studied coatingwas at an acceptable level compared with electrodeposited pure Cu and those reported inprevious publications about nanocomposite Cu coatings.

Keywords:

nanocomposite coating , electrodeposition , co-precipitation synthesis , Cu-MgO , A۳۱۶ stainless steel , corrosion resistance