Effect of TiO2 Sol and PTFE Emulsion on Properties of Cu–Sn Antiwear and Friction Reduction Coatings

The aim of this paper is to obtain Cu–Sn composite coatings incorporated with PTFE and TiO2 particles, which have superior antiwear and friction reduction properties. Electrodeposition was carried out in a pyrophosphate electrolyte, and the electrochemical behavior of the plating solutions was estimated. PTFE emulsion and TiO2 sol were prepared and used, of which the average particle sizes were less than 283 and 158 nm, respectively. Then, four different types of coatings, Cu–Sn, Cu–Sn–TiO2, Cu–Sn–PTFE and Cu–Sn–PTFE–TiO2, were electroplated with a pulsed power supply. Their microstructure, composition, microhardness, corrosion resistance and tribological properties were then analyzed and compared in detail. The results show that both PTFE and TiO2 are able to improve coating structure and corrosion resistance, while they have different effects on hardness and tribological properties. However, the presence of both PTFE and TiO2 in the deposited coating leads to a lower friction coefficient of 0.1 and higher wear and corrosion resistance.