Advanced Surface Improvement of Al-Alloys Using Hard Chromum-Nano Ceramic Composite Electroplating

There are many methods to improve the surface of aluminum or aluminum alloys according to the applications, including electroplating techniques. In this study, Composite of hard chromium-Nanoceramic Co-deposit was achieved. Nanozirconia (Nano-ZrO2), Nanotitanium oxide (Nano-TiO2), and Nano-aluminum oxide (α-Nano-Al2O3) were used in the bath of hard chromium electroplating on 1050 Al-alloy. Light optical microscope with digital camera (LOM) was used for microstructure examination. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS or EDX) were employed for co-deposit analyses and thickness characterization. Micro hardness tester for hardness was evaluated. The hardness increased with increasing the content of Nanoceramic particles in the electroplating path, ZrO2, α-Al2O3 and TiO2 respectively. Moreover, the thickness was increased with increasing ZrO2, α-Al2O3 and TiO2 content. The results showed that, the maximum hardness and maximum thickness at the samples with Nanotitanium particles were 1227MPa, 17.2µm respectively.