Zirconium phenylphosphonate reinforced Ni–B composite coatings: comprehensive analysis of enhanced mechanical properties and corrosion resistance

In this work, pulsed electrodeposition was utilized to successfully create Ni–B/ZrPP composite coatings on N80 steel plates. Investigations were conducted into how zirconium phenylphosphonate (ZrPP) nanosheets affected the mechanical characteristics, corrosion resistance, and surface morphology of Ni–B metal coatings. The results show that the surface of Ni–B/ZrPP nanocomposite coating is dense, and the defects of the original Ni–B coating are improved by ZrPP. In particular, with a flatter wear trajectory and a smaller wear volume, the composite coating containing 1.0 g/L of ZrPP had the maximum microhardness (1043 Hv) and an average COF of 0.350. At this point in time, the composite coating had the biggest total impedance (64,500 Ω⋅cm²), the lowest corrosion rate (0.0256 mm/year), the highest corrosion potential (− 0.332 V), the lowest corrosion current density (2.18 µA/cm²), and the best corrosion resistance.