TY - JOUR
T1 - Defect-mediated atomic reconstruction of nickel-phosphorus via multi-cycle Ti implantation
AU - Zhou, Tianfeng
AU - Sun, Xiuwen
AU - Wang, Gang
AU - Sun, Tao
AU - Zhou, Zhikang
AU - Gao, Liheng
AU - Yang, Xuanzhe
AU - Guo, Weijia
AU - Hu, Yao
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2026/1/1
Y1 - 2026/1/1
N2 - Nickel-Phosphorus (Ni-P) alloys are widely employed in precision molding because of their excellent machinability, hardness, and corrosion resistance. Nevertheless, their high-temperature performance is often limited by nickel diffusion, grain precipitation, and coating delamination, which lead to rapid surface degradation. In this work, a multi-cycle titanium (Ti) ion implantation method was developed to regulate the surface structure of Ni-P coatings. The influence of implantation cycles and subsequent annealing was investigated in terms of microstructure, mechanical behavior, adhesion, and tribological performance. The results show that Ti implantation generates a modified surface layer of about 90 nm, within which annealing promotes the formation of a dense TiO2 layer and a nickel-rich interfacial zone. This stratified structure effectively suppresses Ni3P precipitation, stabilizes grain refinement, and improves oxidation resistance. Both Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations were quantitatively correlated with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results, confirming the vacancy-assisted Ti diffusion mechanism. With increasing implantation cycles, the coatings exhibited a hardness enhancement of up to 43 %, reduced scratch penetration depth to 40–45 nm, and superior wear resistance. These improvements highlight the potential of defect-engineered Ti-Ni-P coatings for extending service life and maintaining stability of molds under demanding thermal conditions.
AB - Nickel-Phosphorus (Ni-P) alloys are widely employed in precision molding because of their excellent machinability, hardness, and corrosion resistance. Nevertheless, their high-temperature performance is often limited by nickel diffusion, grain precipitation, and coating delamination, which lead to rapid surface degradation. In this work, a multi-cycle titanium (Ti) ion implantation method was developed to regulate the surface structure of Ni-P coatings. The influence of implantation cycles and subsequent annealing was investigated in terms of microstructure, mechanical behavior, adhesion, and tribological performance. The results show that Ti implantation generates a modified surface layer of about 90 nm, within which annealing promotes the formation of a dense TiO2 layer and a nickel-rich interfacial zone. This stratified structure effectively suppresses Ni3P precipitation, stabilizes grain refinement, and improves oxidation resistance. Both Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations were quantitatively correlated with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results, confirming the vacancy-assisted Ti diffusion mechanism. With increasing implantation cycles, the coatings exhibited a hardness enhancement of up to 43 %, reduced scratch penetration depth to 40–45 nm, and superior wear resistance. These improvements highlight the potential of defect-engineered Ti-Ni-P coatings for extending service life and maintaining stability of molds under demanding thermal conditions.
KW - Crystallization inhibition
KW - Ion implantation
KW - Mechanical properties enhancement
KW - Nickel-phosphorus coating
KW - Surface engineering
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105022713351
U2 - 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2025.132986
DO - 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2025.132986
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105022713351
SN - 0257-8972
VL - 519
JO - Surface and Coatings Technology
JF - Surface and Coatings Technology
M1 - 132986
ER -