Effect of Cu addition on the microstructure, thermal stability, and corrosion resistance of Ni–P amorphous coating

Ni–P and Ni–Cu–P amorphous coatings were prepared by electroless plating. The effect of Cu addition on the microstructure, thermal stability, and corrosion resistance of Ni–P amorphous coating was investigated. Results showed that Ni–Cu–P coating has higher corrosion resistance and thermal stability than Ni–P coating. Although the ordered cluster size of Ni–Cu–P amorphous coating is larger than that of Ni–P coating, the corrosion resistance of Ni–Cu–P is superior to that of Ni–P binary coating. This result indicates that aside from cluster size, the composition also affects the corrosion resistance of amorphous materials.