Electrochemical deposition of composite coatings

Metal matrix composite coatings are widely used to cover metallic components. It is a relatively cheap solution to enhance the resistance of metallic parts to aggressive working conditions and to increase the component service life. Electrolytic codeposition is used to produce composite coatings by embedding particles, intentionally added to the plating bath, into a metal matrix in the course of an electrolytic deposition process. Following a brief overview of the history of electrochemical deposition of composite coatings, the principles of the codeposition process are considered, and then, mainly accepted mechanisms are reported. The main categories of composite coatings obtained by electrodeposition are briefly described, and the influence of the process parameters to the composition and structure of the obtained composite deposits are illustrated using examples.