Investigation of electro-thermal property of Cu-MWCNT-coated 316L stainless steel

Stainless steel is a material with high toughness, high ductility and easy formability but it suffers from low electrical and thermal conductivity. In this paper, an attempt has been made for deposition of copper-based multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composite coatings on the surface of stainless steel plate by the direct current electrodeposition method to enhance the electrical and thermal properties. Cetyl tri-methyl ammonium bromide, a cationic dispersing agent, is applied in the electrolytic bath to prevent aggregation of carbon nanotubes. The microstructure and compositional analysis of the developed Cu-MWCNT coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The electrical conductivity of Cu-MWCNT composite-coated stainless-steel specimen is found to be 183% greater than the uncoated stainless-steel specimen and 58% high compared with the copper-coated stainless steel specimen. Thermal conductivity of Cu-MWCNT composite-coated stainless-steel specimen also improved compared with copper-coated and uncoated stainless-steel.