On the Distinctive Hardness, Anti-Corrosion Properties and Mechanisms of Flame-Deposited Carbon Coating with a Hierarchical Structure in Contrast to a Graphene Layer via Chemical Vapor Deposition

Two carbonaceous (amorphous carbon and graphene) coatings were catalytically grown on bulk Ni plates. It was found that the flame-deposited carbon (FDC) layers exhibited a unique hierarchical structure with the formation of FDC/Ni nano-interlocking interface. The effect of the flame coating time on its corrosion protective efficiency (PE) was studied and compared with that of graphene coating produced via chemical vapor deposition. The FDC grown for 10 min exhibited a PE of 92.7%, which was much greater than that of the graphene coating (75.6%). The anti-corrosive mechanisms of both coatings were revealed and compared. For graphene coatings, the higher reaction temperature than that for FDC resulted in large grain boundaries inherent in the coating. Such boundaries were weak points and easily initiated grain boundary corrosion. In contrast, corrosion started at only certain local defects in FDC layers, whose unique interface structure likely promoted its PE as well. Moreover, after the coating process, the hardness of FDC-coated Ni remained almost unchanged, in contrast to that of graphene-coated samples (reduced by ~30%). This is suggested to be related to the crystal structure evolution of the Ni substrate caused by the heat treatment accompanying the coating process.