The Effect of Heat Treatment on Properties of Ni–P Coatings Deposited on a AZ91 Magnesium Alloy

The present study reports the effect of phosphorus content in deposited electroless nickel (Ni–P) coatings, the heat treatment on the microhardness and its microstructural characteristics, and the influence of the temperature on the microstructure of the Mg alloy substrate during the heat treatment. The deposition of Ni–P coatings was carried out in the electroless nickel bath, and the resulting P content ranged from 5.2 to 10.8 wt.%. Prepared samples were heat-treated in the muffle furnace at 400 °C for 1 h after the coating deposition. The cooling of the samples to room temperature was proceeded in the air. For as-deposited and heat-treated samples, it was determined that with the increasing P content, the microhardness was decreasing. This may be caused by the changes in the structure of the Ni–P coating. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the as-deposited Ni–P coatings showed that the microstructure changed their nature from crystalline to amorphous with the increasing P content. The heat treatment of prepared samples led to the significant increase of microhardness of Ni–P coatings. All the heat-treated samples showed the crystalline character, regardless of the P content and the presence of hard Ni3P phase, which can have a positive effect on the increase of microhardness. The metallographic analysis showed changes of substrate microstructure after the heat treatment. The prepared coatings were uniform and with no visible defects.