Influence of Element Penetration Region on Adhesion and Corrosion Performance of Ni-Base Coatings

In this study, Ni–P/Ni–P–SiC coatings were prepared on pretreated 45 steel substrates by scanning electrodeposition. Prior to the electrodeposition, the substrates were subjected to two types of pretreatments: polishing and sandblasting. The 3D morphology of the pretreated substrates was characterized by laser scanning confocal microscopy. The micromorphology and section morphology of the coating surface were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The section element composition was characterized using an EDS energy spectrum analyzer. The adhesion and corrosion resistance of 15 coatings were analyzed using an automatic scratch tester and CS350 electrochemical workstation. The results showed the presence of an element penetration region between the coating and the substrate. The sandblasting pretreatment and SiC nanoparticle addition helped widen the penetration region of the elements. The Ni–P–SiC coating prepared by scanning electrodeposition on the sandblasted substrate exhibited the thickest penetration region, up to 28.39 µm. A scratch test conducted on this coating showed that it exhibits the best adhesion force, up to 36.5 N. In electrochemical corrosion experiments, its corrosion potential was found to be the highest, reaching −0.30 V, and the corrosion current density was the lowest, reaching 8.45 × 10−7 A·cm−2. The presence of the element penetration region increased the coating adhesion and improved the corrosion resistance.