ZnO-Doped gC₃N₄ Nanocapsules for Enhancing the Performance of Electroless NiP Coating-Mechanical, Corrosion Protection, and Antibacterial Properties

A carbon nitride(C3N4) nanomaterialhassuperior mechanical, thermal, and tribological properties, which makethem attractive for various applications, including corrosion-resistantcoatings. In this research, newly synthesized C3N4 nanocapsules with different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 wt%) of ZnO as a dopant were incorporated into the NiP coating usingan electroless deposition technique. The nanocomposite coatings eitherZnO-doped (NiP-C3N4/ZnO) or undoped (NiP-C3N4) were heat-treated at 400 degrees C for 1 h. Theas-plated and heat-treated (HT) nanocomposite coatings were characterizedby their morphology, phases, roughness, wettability, hardness, corrosionprotection, and antibacterial properties. The results indicated thatthe microhardness of as-plated and heat-treated nanocomposite coatingswas significantly improved after the incorporation of 0.5 wt % ZnO-dopedC(3)N(4) nanocapsules. The outcomes of electrochemicalstudies revealed that the corrosion resistance of the HT coatingsis higher than the corresponding as-plated ones. The highest corrosionresistance is achieved on the heat-treated NiP-C3N4/1.0 wt % ZnO coatings. Although the presence of ZnO in theC(3)N(4) nanocapsules increased its surface areaand porosity, the C3N4/ZnO nanocapsules preventedlocalized corrosion by filling the microdefects and pores of the NiPmatrix. Furthermore, the colony-counting method used to evaluate theantibacterial behavior of the different coatings demonstrated superiorantibacterial properties, namely, after heat treatment. Therefore,the novel perspective C3N4/ZnO nanocapsulescan be utilized as a reinforcement nanomaterial in improving the mechanicaland anticorrosion performance of NiP coatings in chloride media, togetherwith providing superior antibacterial properties.