PDA Functionalized ZrO2 improves corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of electroplated Ni-W plating

The development of environmentally friendly anticorrosion coatings is of great significance for pipeline corrosion protection and marine environmental protection. The introduction of nontoxic inorganic nanomaterials into the Ni-W plating layer has great potential for enhancing corrosion resistance. However, the application of traditional Ni-W/ZrO 2 plating layer is limited by the large mass of ZrO 2 particles, easy to settle, poor dispersion in the plating solution, and insufficient corrosion resistance. In this study, polydopamine-functionalized ZrO 2 composite particles were prepared by surface modification of ZrO 2 with dopamine. These particles were embedded into Ni-W plating to form a new environmentally friendly anticorrosive Ni-W/P-ZrO 2 plating, and the PDA modification effectively improved the dispersion stability of ZrO 2 in the Ni-W plating solution. Owing to the synergistic effect of the physical barrier effect of ZrO 2 and the chemical corrosion inhibition of PDA, the Ni-W/P-ZrO 2 plating exhibits excellent corrosion resistance in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, with a corrosion rate as low as 0.0466 mm/y, which is 64.83 % lower than that of Ni-W plating (0.1325 mm/y) and 22.55 % lower than that of Ni-W/ZrO₂ plating. Tribological tests showed that the Ni-W/P-ZrO 2 plating had a lower average coefficient of friction (COF = 0.343) and a smaller wear area (7.23E-5 mm 2 ). These results confirm that the introduction of P-ZrO 2 significantly improved the corrosion protection and wear resistance of the Ni-W coatings.