Title: Improved mechanical, wear and corrosion behaviour of nano-alumina reinforced electrodeposited Ni-P-Mo alloy coatings on HSLA steel

Authors: Rabeeka Ferdous; Humaira Kausar; Nabeel Ahmad; Muhammad Siyar; Malik Adeel Umer; Khuram Shahzad; Rana Abdul Shakoor; Muhammad Irfan

Addresses: School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 4400, Pakistan ' School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 4400, Pakistan ' School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 4400, Pakistan ' School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 4400, Pakistan ' School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 4400, Pakistan ' School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 4400, Pakistan ' Centre for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar ' School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 4400, Pakistan

Abstract: Nanoparticle reinforced ternary alloy coatings offer significant advancement in surface engineering applications. We hereby report on a unique system comprising alumina nanoparticle reinforced ternary Ni-P-Mo composite coatings electrodeposited onto HSLA steel substrates. Detailed characterisation showed exceptional enhancement of the mechanical, wear and corrosion resistant properties. An optimised alumina nanoparticle addition (0.3 g/L) drastically improved hardness up to 35.5% and reduced wear rate by around 11.52% compared to pure Ni-P-Mo coatings. Moreover, a significant reduction in corrosion rate in Ni-P-Mo/Al₂O₃ (0.3 mils/yr) was observed compared to Ni-P-Mo (4.8 mils/yr). However, the introduction of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles at concentrations exceeding 0.3 g/L seemed to have a detrimental effect on the coating morphology, leading to compromised mechanical strength, wear resistance and corrosion resistant properties.

Keywords: Ni-P-Mo; corrosion; composite coatings; wear; nano-indentation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2026.151876

International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering, 2026 Vol.20 No.1, pp.25 - 49

Received: 14 Apr 2025
Accepted: 09 Jul 2025
Published online: 24 Feb 2026 *

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