Picosecond laser surface texturing assisted electroless Ni-P plating on binderless WC: process-structure-property correlation for precision glass molding

TY - JOUR

T1 - Picosecond laser surface texturing assisted electroless Ni-P plating on binderless WC

T2 - process-structure-property correlation for precision glass molding

AU - Khan, Muneeb

AU - Zhou, Tianfeng

AU - Yu, Qian

AU - He, Yupeng

AU - Yang, Xuanzhe

AU - Gao, Liheng

AU - Zhao, Bin

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

PY - 2026/8

Y1 - 2026/8

N2 - Binderless tungsten carbide (WC) is an attractive mold material for precision glass molding (PGM) owing to its high hardness and thermal stability; however, limited machinability and poor plating adhesion restrict its tribological reliability. In this study, a picosecond Nd: YAG laser-assisted electroless Ni-P plating approach is developed to enhance the interfacial integrity and tribological performance of binderless WC surfaces. Three laser-induced surface textures grid-like, honeycomb-like, and micro-dimpled were fabricated to tailor surface topography and mechanical interlocking prior to Ni-P deposition. Among these, the honeycomb-like texture enabled uniform deposition of a high-phosphorus Ni-P plating (∼190 μm thick), which was subsequently polished to an ultra-smooth surface (∼10 nm Ra). Heat-treatment at 400°C transformed the amorphous Ni-P layer into a crystalline Ni/Ni3P composite, increasing hardness from ∼540 HV to ∼940 HV and significantly improving load-bearing capacity. Adhesion tests (VDI 3198, HF3 grade) confirmed strong interfacial bonding without plating delamination. Dry sliding tests against a steel counter-body demonstrated stable friction behavior, with coefficients of friction of 0.63 at 5 N and 0.59 at 20 N, together with exceptionally low wear rates on the order of 10−6 mm3/Nm. Wear was governed by a mild volume-loss mechanism assisted by the formation of a transferred Ni-P-O-rich tribofilm. The practicality of the engineered surface was demonstrated through ultra-precision machining of high-fidelity V-grooves with a 10 μm pitch and their accurate replication onto infrared glass via PGM. The results demonstrate that the proposed surface engineering strategy effectively enhances the durability and tribological reliability of binderless WC molds.

AB - Binderless tungsten carbide (WC) is an attractive mold material for precision glass molding (PGM) owing to its high hardness and thermal stability; however, limited machinability and poor plating adhesion restrict its tribological reliability. In this study, a picosecond Nd: YAG laser-assisted electroless Ni-P plating approach is developed to enhance the interfacial integrity and tribological performance of binderless WC surfaces. Three laser-induced surface textures grid-like, honeycomb-like, and micro-dimpled were fabricated to tailor surface topography and mechanical interlocking prior to Ni-P deposition. Among these, the honeycomb-like texture enabled uniform deposition of a high-phosphorus Ni-P plating (∼190 μm thick), which was subsequently polished to an ultra-smooth surface (∼10 nm Ra). Heat-treatment at 400°C transformed the amorphous Ni-P layer into a crystalline Ni/Ni3P composite, increasing hardness from ∼540 HV to ∼940 HV and significantly improving load-bearing capacity. Adhesion tests (VDI 3198, HF3 grade) confirmed strong interfacial bonding without plating delamination. Dry sliding tests against a steel counter-body demonstrated stable friction behavior, with coefficients of friction of 0.63 at 5 N and 0.59 at 20 N, together with exceptionally low wear rates on the order of 10−6 mm3/Nm. Wear was governed by a mild volume-loss mechanism assisted by the formation of a transferred Ni-P-O-rich tribofilm. The practicality of the engineered surface was demonstrated through ultra-precision machining of high-fidelity V-grooves with a 10 μm pitch and their accurate replication onto infrared glass via PGM. The results demonstrate that the proposed surface engineering strategy effectively enhances the durability and tribological reliability of binderless WC molds.

KW - Binderless tungsten carbide

KW - Electroless Ni-P plating

KW - Heat-treatment

KW - Interfacial adhesion

KW - Picosecond laser texturing

KW - Precision glass molding

KW - Wear resistance

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105041253513

U2 - 10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.06.150

DO - 10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.06.150

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105041253513

SN - 0272-8842

VL - 52

SP - 36475

EP - 36493

JO - Ceramics International

JF - Ceramics International

IS - 20

ER -