Development of high performance electroless Ni–P–HNT composite coatings

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) of the dimension 50 nm × 1–3 μm (diameter × length) are utililized to fabricate the alloy composite by employing electroless/autocatalytic deposition technique. Electroless Ni–P–HNT binary alloy composite coatings are prepared successfully on low carbon steel. These nanotubes were made to get inserted/incorporated into nickel matrix and corresponding composites are examined for their electrochemical, mechanical and tribological performances and compared with that of plain Ni–P. The coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) techniques to analyze surface nature and composition correspondingly. Small amount of incorporated HNTs made Ni–P deposits appreciable enhancement and betterment in corrosion resistance, hardness and friction resistance. This drastic improvement in the properties reflects the effect of addition of HNTs into Ni–P matrix leading to the development of high performance Ni–P–HNT composite coatings.