Effect of TMAB and ZrC concentration on mechanical and morphological properties of Ni–B/ZrC composite electrodeposition

Abstract Coating of metal or nonmetallic materials made conductive can be achieved by electrodeposition method. Metals with low conductivity and cost, such as copper or steel, can be coated with materials with higher hardness, corrosion, and wear resistance, such as nickel and boron, and can meet the relevant requirements according to their usage areas. In this study, the impact of trimethylamine borane complex (TMAB) and zirconium carbide (ZrC) contents added to the bath concentrate in the Ni–B/ZrC composite coating applied on copper on the surface properties of electroplating was investigated. Electroplated specimens were examined with regard to mechanical, morphological, and corrosion resistance. The highest microhardness value was obtained in the coatings obtained with 6 g L −1 TMAB and 4 g L −1 ZrC bath concentration, and this value was found to be 1,020.4 H V. When examined in terms of coating morphology, it was seen that as the amount of TMAB increased, the ZrC content decreased over time. In the nanocomposite coating with 4 g L −1 ZrC concentration, which showed the best corrosion performance, the corrosion current decreased by 70 % compared to the Ni–B alloy.