Compositionally modulated Ni-W multilayer coatings: A facile approach to enhance the tribological performance

Ni-W multilayer coatings consisting of alternate soft (similar to 2.6 GPa) and hard (similar to 8.5 GPa) layers with individual layer thickness (lambda) ranging from similar to 0.05 to 2.5 mu m were deposited using the pulse reverse current electrodeposition. These multilayer coatings demonstrated a significant reduction in the residual stresses while retaining high hardness. The residual stresses generated within the multilayer coatings were found to be effectively accommodated by the soft Ni-W layers as per deconvoluted XRD analysis. Ni-W multilayer coating with lambda similar to 0.1 mu m exhibited superior sliding wear resistance compared to its homogeneous counterparts. The improved wear resistance was attributed to low residual stresses and effective thermal diffusion through soft layer.

Automated summary

Ni-W multilayer coatings consisting of alternate soft and hard layers with varying individual layer thickness were deposited using pulse reverse current electrodeposition. These coatings showed reduced residual stresses and maintained high hardness. The soft Ni-W layers effectively accommodated the generated residual stresses. The Ni-W multilayer coating with a specific thickness exhibited improved sliding wear resistance due to low residual stresses and effective thermal diffusion.