Laser Cladding Induced Spherical Graphitic Phases by Super-Assembly of Graphene-Like Microstructures and the Antifriction Behavior

[Image: see text] Laser cladding coatings with excellent wear resistance behaviors are prepared on a titanium alloy substrate with a new precursor material system comprising nanoscale B(4)C and Ni60A self-fluxing alloy powder. Structural analysis reveals the existence of micron-size spherical or nearly spherical graphitic phases in the prepared coatings, which are composed of graphene-like microstructures closely associated with other reinforcement phases of high hardness such as TiC and CrB. The formation mechanism of these graphitic phases involves in situ superassembly of uncombined C atoms via repeated growth and reorientation of the graphene-like microstructures and is closely related to the laser processing parameters as well as the precursor compositions. The coexistence of these heterogeneous phases enable the obtained coatings with high wear resistance and low friction coefficient. It was found that the wear resistance of the coating has a remarkable 43.67 times enhancement than that of the titanium alloy while simultaneously showing a low friction coefficient (∼0.35). The understanding of the formation mechanism on the graphene-related novel microstructures with significantly improved mechanical properties is expected to lay the foundation for future developments and applications of graphene and its related carbon materials, such as large-scale production and further incorporation into composite materials with desired local structures.