Cu, Cu-SiC functionally graded coating for protection against corrosion and wear

This work presents the performance of the Copper (Cu) based functionally graded coatings (FGCs) when subjected to corrosion in the 3.5 wt% NaCl aqueous solution and sliding wear under the different loads (2, 5, 8 and 10 N). The Cu FGC, with three layers of Cu (each 20 μm thick), has a gradual decrement in the crystallite size from bottom to the top surface. The Cu, Cu-SiC FGC consists of three-layered Cu FGC (each Cu layer 12 μm thick) followed by two layers of Cu-SiC nanocomposite (each 12 μm thick) with a steep increase in the amount of reinforced SiC nanoparticles from 2 to 7 vol% towards the top. A comparison is made among the equally thick (60 μm) electrodeposited FGCs, i.e., Cu FGC and Cu, Cu-SiC FGC, single-layered Cu coating with the finest microstructure (smallest crystallite size) and Cu-SiC nanocomposite coating with 7 vol% SiC. A drastic reduction in the corrosion and wear rate is observed in the Cu and Cu, Cu-SiC FGCs when compared with the same of single-layered Cu and Cu-SiC nanocomposite coatings, respectively. It is also observed that the Cu, Cu-SiC FGC has higher corrosion resistance than the Cu FGC. The Cu, Cu-SiC FGC is found to be more wear resistant than the Cu FGC at high load, while the latter shows lower specific wear rate at low loads.