Session: Next-Generation Coatings: Predictive Strategies for Service Life, Durability, and Sustainable Performance
COMPARATIVE CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF ELECTROLESS NICKEL COATINGS ON BEARING STEEL IN ACIDIC AND ALKALINE ENVIRONMENTS. (C2026-00270)
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM Central
Location: 372 BC
Earn .5 PDH
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lizeth sanchez, Tyler Fremon, Vikram Bedekar, Henry Allen
Electroless nickel coatings are valued in industrial applications for their wear resistance, hardness, and corrosion protection, with advantages such as uniform application on complex geometries and excellent adhesion. These coatings are particularly beneficial in harsh environments like food and beverage processing, where materials face challenges such as abrasion, thermal cycling, and exposure to acidic degreasers and alkaline cleaning agents. While electroless nickel coatings' wear resistance and corrosion behavior have been studied, their performance in cleaning solutions remains poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the corrosion behavior of electroless nickel coatings with varying phosphorus levels. Electrochemical tests, including potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were conducted under both low and high pH conditions to simulate exposure to acidic beverages and aggressive cleaning agents. Additional surface properties like adhesion, nanohardness, morphology, elemental composition, and coating thickness were also measured. Wear resistance was evaluated using a Plint (TE-77) bench test. Preliminary results show the coating's strong resistance to corrosion in alkaline environments, with lower corrosion rates in comparison to acidic environments. High-phosphorus coatings demonstrated superior corrosion resistance across all conditions. These findings offer valuable insights into the behavior of electroless nickel coatings in chemically aggressive environments, highlighting their applications and limitations.
