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 -