The aim of the present study is to investigate the influence of Nickel–Hexagonal Boron Nitride (Ni-hBN) nanocomposite coatings, deposited using the pulse reverse current electrodeposition technique. This experimental study focuses on assessing the tribological and corrosion properties of the produced coatings on the SS304 substrate. The microhardness of the as-deposited (AD) sample and heat-treated (HT) sample were 49% and 83.8% higher compared to the control sample. The HT sample exhibited a grain size which was approximately 9.7% larger than the AD sample owing to the expansion–contraction mechanism of grains during heat treatment and sudden quenching. Surface roughness reduced after coating, where the Ni-hBN-coated sample measured a roughness of 0.43 µm compared to 0.48 µm for the bare surface. The average coefficient of friction for the AD sample was 42.4% lower than the bare surface owing to the self-lubricating properties of nano hBN. In particular, the corrosion rate of the AD sample was found to be 0.062 mm/year, which was lower than values reported in other studies. As such, findings from the present study can be particularly beneficial for applications in the automotive and aerospace industries, where enhanced wear resistance, reduced friction, and superior corrosion protection are critical for components such as engine parts, gears, bearings and shafts.

This work aims in developing carboxyl functionalised graphene based PP nanocomposites by using melt mixing method to enhance the mechanical and thermal properties. Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene was used as a compatibilizer to achieve better compatibility between the non-polar polymer and polar nanofiller. FTIR study confirms the presence of functional groups at corresponding absorption levels. TEM and SEM image shows the uniform distribution of COOH-Gr onto the PP matrix with the addition of MA-g-PP onto it. The tensile strength and young’s modulus of PMG5 depicts better improvement of 62% and 20% compared to neat sample. The increase in storage modulus of 19.02% was obtained for PG and 43.48% for PMG samples. The reduction in tan δ peak confirms the minimum heat buildup and as a result, leads to better damping characteristics of the nanofiller incorporated PP matrix.

Nickel-nano titanium oxide (Ni-TiO₂) composite coatings were developed on stainless steel 304 substrate using pulsed electro-deposition technique. Experiments were carried out employing L 27 orthogonal array, taking current density, frequency, and duty cycle as prime parameters. Coating characterization was done using FESEM with EDAX and XRD. Applying the Response Surface Methodology optimization method, the optimized values of the parameters were identified as duty cycle, frequency and current density with values of 24%, 10 Hz and 0.6 A cm⁻² respectively. Vickers micro-hardness, surface roughness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance were measured initially for the as-coated sample. The sample that yielded the optimum parameters was then heat treated for an hour at 400 °C in a closed furnace and quenched in SAE 40 grade oil. Test results of post heat-treated sample produced maximum micro-hardness of 446.45Hv, reduced surface roughness of 0.292 μm, superior wear rate of 3.20E⁻⁰⁷ mm³ N⁻¹-m⁻¹ and corrosion protection efficiency of 94.52% of Ni-TiO₂ coating at low frequency, along with enhanced wear and corrosion resistance as compared with the as-coated sample.