Fabrication of CoNiMnP-BaFe12O19 nanocomposite coatings by electrodeposition

There is an increasing interest in the preparation of magnetic composite coatings for application in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuators. In this paper, the CoNiMnP-BaFe12O19 nanocomposite coatings have been electrodeposited from an aqueous bath containing BaFe12O19 nanoparticles. The influence of BaFe12O19 nanoparticles concentration in the bath on the incorporated nanoparticles fraction, element content fraction, surface morphology, preferred orientation, coercivity, retentivity, and the maximum energy density of the nanocomposite coatings has been investigated. The results indicate that the incorporation of BaFe12O19 nanoparticles favours the electrodeposition of Co and Mn while depressing the deposition of Ni and P. The maximum embedded BaFe12O19 nanoparticles fraction of similar to 21.8 wt-% is achieved. The incorporation of BaFe12O19 nanoparticles may refine the grain size and change the preferred orientation within the nanocomposite coatings structure. CoNiMnP-BaFe12O19 nanocomposite coatings with maximum magnetic energy density of 17.68 kJ m(-3) and maximum coercivity of 1342 Oe have been obtained.