Electrostatic spraying enhances pesticide droplet deposition on crop surfaces by inductively charging droplets, which then move toward target crops under an electrostatic field. Copper plates are key components in electrostatic systems due to their excellent conductivity. However, their insufficient corrosion resistance leads to electrochemical corrosion and surface oxidation when chronically exposed to humid, pesticide-laden, weakly acidic environments. This degradation reduces conductivity and charge transfer efficiency, causing uneven droplet distribution and pesticide drift pollution. To address these issues, Ni-TiN nanocoatings with varying TiN concentrations are fabricated on copper plates via electrodeposition. A T2 copper cathode and a nickel anode (>99.9% purity) are used at a cathode-to-anode area ratio of 1∶2 and an electrode gap of 60 mm. TiN nanoparticles average 43 nm in diameter. The surface morphology, microstructure, phase composition, electrochemical performance, hydrophobicity, and corrosion resistance of the coatings are systematically analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Phenom XL G2), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD, Rigaku SmartLab SE), microhardness testing (HV-1000A), contact angle measurement (JY-PHb), electrochemical workstation (CHI660E), and salt spray test chamber. The results show that the incorporation of TiN nanoparticles refines the cellular structure of the Ni layer and reduces its porosity, significantly improving grain refinement, achieving uniform element distribution, and ensuring good adhesion between the coating and the substrate. Only face-centered cubic (fcc) Ni and TiN phases are detected in the coating, with no intermetallic compounds or oxide impurity peaks observed, indicating high phase purity of the surface coating. When the TiN nanoparticle concentration is insufficient, the reduced quantity of TiN particles decreases adsorption efficiency on the cathode surface, leading to diminished TiN incorporation in the coating. This weakens the pinning effect on Ni grain growth and reduces the matrix nucleation density. Conversely, excessive TiN nanoparticle concentration induces clustering on the coating surface, where coarsened grains disrupt the homogeneous nucleation environment. The coating exhibits optimal overall performance at a TiN concentration of 6 g/L. It possesses a thickness of 120 μm, displays the densest surface morphology, and achieves a maximum microhardness of 743.62HV. The mean grain sizes of Ni and TiN are 67.28 nm and 35.84 nm, respectively. The TiN-nanoparticle-modified coating exhibits a larger capacitive loop diameter in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The diameter initially increases but subsequently decreases with rising TiN concentration, indicating a corresponding decrease followed by an increase in corrosion rate. The Nyquist plots exhibit an expanded capacitive loop diameter, signifying low corrosion rate, high impedance, and superior corrosion resistance of the coatings. The corrosion potential (Ecorr) shifts positively to -0.23 V (vs. SCE), while the corrosion current density (Jcorr) decreases to 6.07×10-9 A/cm2. The interfacial contact resistance (ICR) reaches a minimum of 6.4 mΩ·cm2, and the contact angle attains a maximum value of 132.82°. In addition, after 24 h of continuous salt spray testing, only a few tiny corrosion pits appear on the coating surface, with no signs of looseness or delamination, further confirming the excellent corrosion stability of the coating. Rational regulation of TiN concentration in Ni-TiN nanocomposite coatings can significantly enhance the comprehensive coating properties (including densification, hardness, corrosion resistance, conductivity, and hydrophobicity), providing a reference for the application of composite electrodeposition technology in protecting copper electrode plates for electrostatic spraying nozzles.
Key words
copper electrode plate /
electrodeposition /
Ni-TiN nanocomposite coating /
corrosion resistance /
hydrophobicity
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Funding
Heilongjiang Province's Outstanding Young Teacher Basic Research Support Program (YQJH2023019); Scientific Research Startup Project for Xuecheng Introduced Talents of Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University (XYB202308); Heilongjiang Provincial "Double First-Class" Discipline Collaborative Innovation Achievement Cultivation Project (LJGXCG2025-P25)
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