Influence of Aliquat 336 on tribological properties of electroless ternary nanocomposite coatings on AZ91 alloy

Incorporation of fine nanoparticles and cationic surfactant (Aliquat 336) within an ENi–P matrix has given a new dimension to the field of nanocomposite coatings. It describes the surface engineering processes currently used for the protection of AZ91 magnesium alloy surface against wear, including electroless nano-composite coatings. The present work aims to investigate the influence of Aliquat 336 cationic surfactant on the microhardness and tribological properties of electroless (Ni–P–ZnO) ternary alloy nanocomposite coatings on AZ91 magnesium alloy substrate from acidic bath. The results revealed that there was a significant improvement in the microhardness and wear resistance of the coated surface by the addition of cationic surfactant at a concentration of 1.5 g/L as compared to the coating obtained without the addition of cationic surfactant in the chemical bath. These results are thus clearly indicative of the fact that the component of life of members made from substrate subjected to nanocomposite coatings with varying the concentration of surfactant can be greatly improved, thereby preventing early or regular failures, and increasing service life.