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Article

Effect of Ni Interlayer on Microstructure and Properties of C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel Cladding Plates

by
Lin Lv
1,2,
Mingfang Wu
1,
Fei Long
3,
Mingkuan Zhou
1 and
Juan Pu
4,*
1
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China
2
Gallianz (Anhui) New Materials Co., Ltd., Luan 237000, China
3
Institute of Materials, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450046, China
4
School of Intelligent Manufacturing and Control Engineering, Shanghai Polytechnic University, Shanghai 201209, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Coatings 2026, 16(4), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16040425
Submission received: 6 March 2026 / Revised: 24 March 2026 / Accepted: 28 March 2026 / Published: 2 April 2026
(This article belongs to the Section High-Energy Beam Surface Engineering and Coatings)
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Abstract

C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates were prepared by vacuum-sealed hot rolling (VSHR) with a small hole. The effects of different Ni interlayers on the macro-morphology, microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the cladding plates were systematically investigated. The results indicated that without an interlayer, a large number of Mo-rich white M6C particles formed near the C276 Hastelloy side, along with the formation of black Cr-Mn oxides at the interface. The addition of the Ni interlayer suppressed the diffusion of the C element from the Q235 Steel toward the C276 Hastelloy, consequently reducing the precipitation of M6C carbides and Cr-Mn oxides. When the Ni interlayer thickness was 0.5 mm, the M6C carbides on the Hastelloy side disappeared completely. The incorporation of a Ni interlayer increased the hardness of the C276 Hastelloy side and the interface layer, as well as the shear strength of the cladding plate. This was mainly because the Ni interlayer acted as a barrier to suppress the development of a Mo/Cr-depleted zone adjacent to the C276 Hastelloy and decrease interfacial Cr-Mn oxides, thus enhancing interfacial bonding. Under all three conditions, the cladding plates were bent without cracking. Moreover, the addition of a Ni interlayer also improved the corrosion resistance of the cross-section of the C276 Hastelloy. XPS analysis of the passive film revealed that the corrosion resistance was primarily attributed to the formation of Mo- and Cr-containing oxides on the surface. The corrosion resistance reached the optimal with the Ni interlayer thickness of 0.5 mm, in which Mo and Cr played a crucial role.

1. Introduction

C276 Hastelloy, as a kind of Ni-based alloy, which contains elements W, Ni, Cr, Mo and so on, is called the “Universal Corrosion-Resistant Alloy” due to its corrosion resistance across a wide temperature range from 200 °C to 1090 °C. It is widely used in the chemical processing industry, such as reactors, heat exchangers and columns handling acidic media, as well as in environmental engineering applications, including flue gas desulfurization, acidic oil and natural gas recovery, together with coal-fired power plant flue gas treatment systems and wastewater treatment facilities [1,2,3,4]. However, the cost of C276 Hastelloy is too high to prohibit its standalone use in such equipment. A cost-effective strategy involving the fabrication of C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates is demonstrated, which combines the superior corrosion resistance of C276 Hastelloy with the high strength and lower cost of Q235 Steel [5,6,7]. Actually, the effective implementation of this approach depends on the successful preparation of C276/Q235 cladding plates.
Currently, the methods for manufacturing cladding plates include explosive bonding, explosive + rolling bonding and rolling bonding [8,9,10,11]. Some researchers have reported that the fabrication of Ni-based alloy/Steel cladding plates can be achieved by explosive bonding [12,13,14]. They pointed out that the Ni/steel interface exhibited a vortex-like wavy structure with inhomogeneous grain formation. Meanwhile, the work hardening at the interface led to a reduction in the corrosion resistance of the Ni layer. It required the cladding plate to be normalized at 1100 °C to diminish the precipitation of secondary phases in the Ni layer and improve the bonding quality of the interface. Overall, explosive bonding suffers from low production efficiency and is susceptible to weather and process conditions. Additionally, the transportation of explosives poses safety hazards and leads to environmental pollution. Most importantly, the detonation wave generated by the explosives has limited energy, resulting in cladding plates with restricted dimensions [15]. Explosive + rolling bonding first produced a cladding billet by explosive bonding and then fabricated the final cladding plate by hot rolling. The cladding plate exhibited good surface quality, high dimensional accuracy and large dimensions, but it still suffered from the drawbacks of explosive bonding [16,17].
Rolling is the dominant method for fabricating cladding plates, which exhibits high efficiency and strong interfacial bonding. Among these, cold rolling is carried out below the recrystallization temperature of the metal. It is commonly used to produce cladding strips/foils, as it avoids interfacial oxidation caused by heating. However, this method requires a high-performance rolling mill, and a first-pass reduction of 60% is necessary to achieve effective interfacial bonding. Furthermore, annealing is required after cold rolling to relieve residual stress at the cladding plate interface [18,19]. In contrast, hot rolling is especially suitable for the preparation of thick cladding plates, where it demonstrates distinct advantages [20,21,22]. Actually, given the high recrystallization temperature of Ni-based alloys, hot rolling is a more appropriate method for producing Ni-based alloy/Steel cladding plates [23,24]. A small amount of research on the fabrication of Ni-based alloy and steel has been carried out by scholars [25,26,27]. Ma et al. [28] successfully prepared N08825 (Ni-based alloy)/X65 Steel cladding plates by hot rolling, achieving a strong bonded interface with a shear strength of 400 MPa. However, a diffusion distance of the C element exceeding 90 μm may promote the formation of a C element-enriched layer at the interface, ultimately leading to interfacial embrittlement. Jiang et al. [29] prepared Inconel 625/X65 Steel cladding plates by vacuum assembly and subsequent hot rolling, which effectively prevented interfacial oxidation. The cladding plates exhibited a shear strength of 397.2 MPa. However, a Cr/Ni-depleted layer approximately 3 μm in thickness formed on the side of Inconel 625, compromising the corrosion resistance of the Inconel 625 cladding layer.
Based on the above, the following challenges arise during the hot rolling of Ni-based alloy/Steel cladding plates: (1) preserving the vacuum degree of the assembled billet to enhance interfacial bonding; (2) suppressing the development of a Cr/Ni-depleted zone on the Ni-based alloy side to maintain its corrosion resistance after rolling and (3) restricting C element diffusion from the Q235 Steel substrate into the Ni-based alloy to limit the decarburized layer thickness, alleviate interfacial stress concentration and guarantee interfacial integrity.
At present, two methods are widely used to ensure interfacial bonding strength, namely, vacuum-sealed hot rolling (VSHR) with a vacuum electron beam and with a small hole. The former is too costly, and the preparation process for C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates is still in the exploratory and developmental stage. Thus, this work presents the fabrication of C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates by VSHR with a small hole. Meanwhile, the Ni layer is believed to act as an effective barrier against the diffusion of the C element; thus, by comparing experimental groups without an interlayer and with pure Ni interlayers of various thicknesses, the effect of the Ni interlayer on the microstructural evolution, interfacial bonding characteristics, and corrosion resistance of the C276 cladding layer after rolling was studied. The research aims to elucidate the influence mechanism of the Ni interlayer during the rolling process of C276/Q235 cladding plates, ultimately providing theoretical guidance for industrial production.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Materials

In this paper, the selected substrates were C276 Hastelloy, with dimensions of 120 mm × 70 mm × 12 mm, and Q235 Steel, with dimensions of 150 mm × 100 mm × 28 mm. Different thicknesses of the pure Ni interlayer, including 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm, were designed to prepare C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates. The chemical composition of the substrates is listed in Table 1, and their physical and mechanical properties are presented in Table 2.

2.2. C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel Vacuum Rolling Process

C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates were prepared by VSHR with a small hole. The symmetrical billet assembly method was adopted to prevent warping deformation and improve the production efficiency of the cladding plate. The structural form of Q235 Steel–pure Ni plate–C276 Hastelloy–isolation agent–isolation agent–C276 Hastelloy–pure Ni plate–Q235 Steel was used in the process of billet assembly and rolling. Firstly, the substrate was polished and cleaned to remove impurities. The Ni foil, which was polished with a wire brush to remove surface oxide scales, oil stains and impurities, achieved a surface roughness of Ra 1.6~3.2 μm to facilitate mechanical interlocking at the interface. A BN-T40 boron nitride spacer with a thickness of 0.3~0.4 mm was applied between the C276 Hastelloy and C276 Hastelloy to complete the billet assembly, which aimed at preventing adhesion during hot rolling. Secondly, the two steel plates on the upper and lower surfaces were sealed and welded along the edges by using submerged arc welding (SAW); meanwhile, a welded pipe was reserved to evacuate the interior of the billet and maintain the vacuum level below 1 Pa. The welded pipe was flattened and sealed by using flame heating, and the angle steel was welded at the seal to avoid collision during transportation. Finally, the billet was placed into a desktop resistance furnace and then was heated with a holding time of 4 h. The rolling temperature was set to 1050 ± 10 °C. The rolling pass was 9 times, and the overall compression rate was about 85%. The cladding plate was completed with a thickness of 2 mm for C276 Hastelloy and with a thickness of 4 mm for Q235 Steel after hot rolling. The schematic diagram of the hot rolling process is shown in Figure 1 [30].

2.3. Analysis and Testing of C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel Cladding Plates

The interfacial microhardness of the C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates was measured by using a KB30s automatic Vickers hardness tester with a test load of 100 g. The hardness was tested at intervals of 0.2 mm from the direction of the C276 Hastelloy cladding plate, across the interface, to the Q235 Steel plate. Three hardness measurements were taken at each position, and the final result was taken as the average.
The interface bonding strength is an important indicator for measuring the hot rolling quality of cladding plates. According to GB/T 6396-2008 <Clad steel plates-Mechanical and technological test>, C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates were subjected to tensile and shear tests on a CMT 5205 microcomputer-controlled electronic universal testing machine at a rate of 1 mm/min. The specimen size of tensile shear is shown in Figure 2. Five tensile shear specimens were cut from the cladding plate parallel to the rolling direction, and the average value was taken as the final result.
Bending property is also one of the important indicators for evaluating the bonding quality of cladding plates. According to GB/T 6396-2008 and GB/T 232-2010 <Metallic materials—Bend test>, the three-point bending test was used to evaluate the interfacial bonding quality of the C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates by performing face bending and root bending separately. The dimensions of the bending specimen and a schematic diagram of the bending test are illustrated in Figure 3. Each cladding plate was tested in three groups, and the final result was taken as the average.
Metallographic specimens were cut from the cladding steel plates parallel to the hot rolling direction. Each sample was corroded with a 5% nitric acid alcoholic solution after grinding and polishing. The interface morphology of the cladding plate was observed by using a ZEISS Axio Vert. A1m optical microscope and JSM-6480 scanning electron microscope (SEM, JEOL, Tokyo, Japan), and characteristic points at the interface were analyzed using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS, Carl Zeiss, Jena, Germany). The C276 Hastelloy cladding layer was detached along the interface, and then a phase analysis of the interface was conducted using an XRD-6000 X-ray diffractometer (XRD, Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) with a scanning rate of 6°·min−1, a step width of 0.02° and an angle of 10°~90°.
The corrosion resistance of the C276 Hastelloy cladding layer was tested using an EG&G M283 electrochemical workstation (EG&G Princeton Applied Research, Princeton, NJ, USA) with a three-electrode system, with the cladding layer as the working electrode, a saturated calomel electrode as the reference electrode and a platinum electrode as the auxiliary electrode. The electrochemical experiments were conducted in a 3.5% NaCl solution to obtain the polarization curve and the AC impedance spectrum of the samples. During the testing, the parameters were determined with a scanning frequency range of 10 mHz to 100 kHz, an amplitude of 0.01 V and a scanning rate of 1 mV/s. The scanning range was from −1.5 V to 1.5 V.
To further investigate the effect of different Ni interlayers on the corrosion resistance mechanism of the cross-section of the C276 Hastelloy cladding plate, the specimens were immersed in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, and a stable passive film was formed on the specimen surface with potentiostatic polarization at 0.3 V for 2 h. At the same time, the current-time curve was recorded. The composition of the passive film was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). The XPS analysis utilized a monochromatic Al Kα X-ray source. All element peaks were calibrated against the standard peak (C 1s, 284.8 eV). Finally, the experimental data were fitted by using Avantage 6.9 software.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Morphology and Microstructure Analysis

Figure 4 shows the morphology of the C276 Hastealloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates with Ni interlayers of different thicknesses. It can be seen from Figure 4(a1,a2) that with no interlayer, the cladding plate consisted of a C276 Hastelloy substrate, an interface layer, a decarburized layer and Q235 Steel. The thickness of the decarburized layer was about 65 μm at the interface of the cladding plate, both at the edge and in the middle.
After adding a Ni interlayer with a thickness of 0.1 mm, the cladding plate consisted of the Ni interlayer in addition to the four zones mentioned above, as shown in Figure 4(b1,b2). The interface of the cladding plate was highly uneven. The thinnest Ni interlayer thickness at the edge was approximately 26 μm, while the thickest thickness in the middle reached approximately 65 μm. This was attributed to the fact that the longitudinal elongation of the cladding plate was greater than the transverse elongation during the hot rolling process. The excessive elongation rate and thin Ni interlayer caused uneven deformation between the C276 Hastelloy and Q235 Steel, resulting in an inconsistent thickness of the Ni interlayer. Consequently, this can deteriorate the bonding quality of the cladding plate. Moreover, the thickness of the decarburized layer decreased to 41 μm.
When the thickness of the Ni interlayer was 0.5 mm, the interface bonding of the cladding plate was flat and neat at the edge and middle parts (see Figure 4(c1) and Figure 4(c2), respectively). In this case, the interface layer thickness of the cladding plate was uniform, which improved the interfacial bonding strength. At this point, the decarburized layer thickness increased to 28 μm. Notably, the decarburized layer consisted mainly of light gray ferrite, while the Q235 Steel matrix consisted of light gray ferrite and dark pearlite.
In order to analyze the role of the Ni interlayer in cladding plates, the microstructure composition of the interface was observed using SEM, and the results are shown in Figure 5. Without an interlayer, it can be clearly seen from Figure 5(a1,a2) that white irregularly shaped particles precipitated in the area of the C276 Hastelloy. The number of white particles increased with proximity to the interface. Enlarged observation of regions A, B, C and D in Figure 5(a1,a2) revealed that in regions A and C, black oxide particles were intermittently distributed at the interface, with sizes ranging from 1 to 4 μm. Meanwhile, in regions B and D, a diffusion layer approximately 3.5 μm thick was present along the interface on the steel side.
After adding a Ni interlayer with a thickness of 0.1 mm, the bonding quality at the edge part of the cladding plate was superior to that at the middle part as shown in Figure 5(b1,b2). A gap approximately 18 μm wide formed between the C276 Hastelloy and the Ni interlayer at the middle part of the cladding plate, as observed in region G. This was primarily attributed to the excessive elongation rate during hot rolling and the inconsistent deformation between the C276 Hastelloy and Q235 Steel, which resulted in relative movement between the plates, leading to gap formation. As can be seen from the enlarged areas E and G, the C276 layer still exhibited white particles, but their quantity was significantly reduced. Black particles remained at the interface. The interface between the Ni interlayer and Q235 Steel showed good bonding, with no obvious gaps or pores, as illustrated in the enlarged areas F and H. Compared with the case without an interlayer, the diffusion layer between the Ni interlayer and Q235 Steel was absent.
When the Ni interlayer thickness was 0.5 mm, the interfacial quality of the cladding plate was excellent both at the edge part and at the middle part, as shown in Figure 5(c1) and Figure 5(c2), respectively. From the enlarged regions I and K in Figure 5, the white particles disappeared in the C276 layer, while the size and density of the black particles at the interface were reduced. The Ni interlayer/Q235 Steel interface showed excellent metallurgical bonding, as illustrated in the enlarged regions J and L in Figure 5. EDS analysis was performed at characteristic points P1 to P9 in Figure 5, and the results are presented in Table 3.
From Table 3, the white particles at points P1 and P5 in the C276 layer were primarily composed of the Mo element, followed by Ni, Cr and C elements, with small amounts of Fe and W elements. The phase was identified as M6C. The dark gray matrix at points P2, P6 and P8 in the C276 Hastelloy was mainly composed of the Ni element, followed by Cr and Mo elements, with minor amounts of C, Fe, W and Mn elements. This was inferred to be a solid solution of Ni. The black particles at points P3, P7 and P9 near the interface of the C276 Hastelloy, which contained Cr, Fe, Ni and O elements along with small quantities of C, Mo and Mn elements, were identified as Mn-Cr oxides. The diffusion layer at point P4, which formed near the Q235 Steel interface, mainly consisted of Fe and Ni, with small amounts of C, Cr and Mo, and was possibly an Fe-based solid solution.
Figure 6 illustrates the effect of the Ni interlayer on elemental diffusion on both sides of the C276/Q235 interface, showing the diffusion profiles of Fe, Ni, Cr, Mo and C elements. As shown in Figure 6(a1,a2), without an interlayer, the principal alloying elements, such as Ni, Cr and Mo, diffused from C276 Hastelloy toward the interface, while Fe and C migrated from the Q235 Steel in the opposite direction. Notably, C enrichment was observed at the interface, which reacted with Mo and Cr to form white carbide particles. When the Ni interlayer thickness was 0.1 mm, as shown in Figure 6(b1,b2), the C element was still detected on the C276 Hastelloy side, and a number of white carbide particles remained. This suggests that the 0.1 mm thick Ni interlayer was insufficient to block C diffusion. Concurrently, the Fe element from the Q235 Steel side diffused into the Ni interlayer over a distance of approximately 20 μm, whereas the diffusion of the Ni element into the Q235 Steel side was negligible. This behavior was attributed to the smaller atomic radius and higher diffusion coefficient of Fe compared to Ni, which facilitated preferential diffusion of Fe [31]. The pronounced diffusion of the Fe element significantly enhanced the metallurgical bonding between the Q235 Steel and the pure Ni layer. As shown in Figure 6(c1,c2), with the Ni interlayer thickness of 0.5 mm, no distinct C element peak was observed on the C276 Hastelloy side, and no white carbide particles were present. This suggested that increasing the Ni interlayer thickness to 0.5 mm effectively extended the diffusion path for the C element, thereby inhibiting its reaction with Mo and Cr elements to form white carbide particles. However, oxide phases remained present at the interface.
XRD analysis was performed to further characterize the phases in the C276/Q235 cladding plates. The results are presented in Figure 7. The XRD pattern predominantly consisted of Fe and Ni matrix peaks, along with peaks corresponding to Cr-containing phases. M6C-type carbide peaks were observed in both the sample without an interlayer and that with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer. In contrast, no C element peaks were detected in the sample with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer. This finding demonstrates that a Ni interlayer thickness of 0.5 mm effectively suppresses the interaction between C from the Q235 Steel and carbide-forming elements such as W, Mo, and Cr from the C276 Hastelloy, thereby inhibiting the formation of M6C-type carbides.

3.2. Microhardness Analysis

Figure 8 shows the microhardness profiles across the C276/Q235 cladding plates with Ni interlayers of different thicknesses. Regardless of interlayer presence, the microhardness of the C276 Hastelloy consistently exceeded that of the interface layer, which, in turn, surpassed that of the Q235 Steel. The microhardness of the Q235 Steel remained consistently at approximately 135 HV. Without an interlayer, the C276 Hastelloy and the interface layer exhibited microhardness values of 251 HV and 158 HV, respectively. With the Ni interlayer thickness increasing from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, the microhardness of the C276 Hastelloy increased from 284 HV to 349 HV, while the microhardness of the interface layer increased from 171 HV to 187 HV.
Therefore, the addition of a Ni interlayer significantly enhanced the microhardness of both the C276 Hastelloy and the interface layer, whereas the microhardness of the Q235 Steel was unaffected. This was primarily attributed to the diffusion of elements such as Cr and Mo from the C276 Hastelloy to the interface layer without an interlayer, where they reacted with C from the Q235 Steel to form M6C carbides. The formation of carbides caused Cr-depleted and Mo-depleted layers in the C276 Hastelloy, resulting in a decrease in its microhardness. After adding a Ni interlayer, the number of white carbides (rich in Cr and Mo) gradually decreased and eventually disappeared as the Ni interlayer thickness increased from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. Accordingly, the microhardness of the C276 Hastelloy gradually increased. Meanwhile, the Ni interlayer promoted interdiffusion of Ni, Mo, and Cr from the C276 Hastelloy, forming solid solutions and intermetallic compounds at the interface, which increased the microhardness of the interface layer [32]. Additionally, the microhardness at the edge and middle parts of the cladding plates showed little variation, and the fluctuation became even smaller when the Ni interlayer thickness reached 0.5 mm.

3.3. Shear Strength Analysis

To evaluate the interfacial bonding strength of the cladding plate after adding the Ni interlayer, tensile–shear tests were conducted at room temperature. According to the requirements specified in YB/T 108-1997 for Ni-based alloy/Steel cladding plates, a minimum shear strength of 196 MPa is required for practical industrial application. Figure 9 shows the maximum shear strength histogram of the cladding plates and the variation curves of shear strength with displacement under different Ni interlayer thicknesses.
From Figure 9a,b, the shear strength of the cladding plate was the lowest of approximately 201.3 MPa without an interlayer. When the Ni interlayer thickness increased from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, the shear strength rose from 227.1 MPa to 377.2 MPa. Without an interlayer, a large number of M6C compounds and (Cr, Mn) oxides were generated at the interface, which reduced the bonding strength of the cladding plate. After adding a Ni interlayer, on the one hand, the Ni interlayer acted as a buffer layer with better toughness, improving the interfacial shear strength. On the other hand, the M6C compounds and (Cr, Mn) oxides diminished until they disappeared as the thickness of the Ni layer increased from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, which also significantly enhanced the interfacial shear strength. Significantly, for the cladding plates with 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm Ni interlayers, the shear strength at the edge exceeded that at the middle. This was consistent with the previous microstructure analysis results. Overall, all the cladding plates can meet industry standards. Different thicknesses of interlayers can be selected to meet the varying requirements for the composite ratio and interface strength of cladding plates in different application fields.
Figure 10 shows the fracture morphologies at the edge and middle parts of the cladding plates after tensile–shear testing. For the specimen without an interlayer (Figure 10(a1,a2)), the shear fracture exhibited numerous shallow dimples along with a large number of cleavage steps, corresponding to the lowest shear strength. When the Ni interlayer was 0.1 mm in thickness (shown in Figure 10(b1,b2)), the shear fracture exhibited amounts of dimples containing particulate phases, and these dimples varied in size. When the Ni interlayer thickness was 0.5 mm, as shown in Figure 10(c1,c2), the shear fracture revealed a uniform distribution of fine dimples and pronounced tear ridges, which correlated with the highest shear strength.

3.4. Bending Strength Analysis

The bending test was designed to evaluate whether the C276 Hastelloy cladding layer and the Q235 Steel base layer would separate under a bending load, both without an interlayer and with the addition of a Ni interlayer. Figure 11 shows the macro-morphology images and corresponding bending curves of the cladding plates with different Ni interlayer thicknesses under face and root bending test. The results presented in Figure 11 demonstrate that all cladding plates exhibited satisfactory bending resistance and met the required standards, as no visible cracks, fractures or significant delamination were observed after the face and root bending tests.

3.5. Corrosion Resistance Analysis

3.5.1. Potentiodynamic Polarization Curve Analysis

To investigate the effect of Ni interlayers on the corrosion resistance of the C276 Hastelloy cladding layer, the C276/Q235 cladding plate was delaminated, and electrochemical corrosion tests were conducted on the cross-section of the C276 cladding layer. Figure 12 shows the potentiodynamic polarization curves of the C276 cladding layer with different Ni interlayers.
In the cathodic region (potentials below −0.6 V vs. SCE), the cathodic current densities of the specimens with 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm Ni interlayers were slightly higher than that of the specimen without an interlayer. This suggested that the addition of the Ni interlayer led to more active cathodic reaction kinetics. In the anodic dissolution region (ranging from −0.6 V to the passivation initiation potential of −0.4 V), the current rapidly rose and then sharply dropped as the potential increased. Notably, the sample with the 0.5 mm Ni interlayer showed the smallest peak current, which indicated that it had the lowest corrosion rate during the active dissolution stage and thus entered the passive state more readily. In the passive region (ranging from the passivation initiation potential of −0.4 V to +0.8 V vs. SCE), when the potential increased, the current density remained relatively stable. Compared to the sample without an interlayer, those with a Ni interlayer exhibited significantly lower passive currents and wider passive regions. This showed that adding a Ni interlayer improved both the compactness and stability of the passive film. In the transpassive region (potentials above +0.8 V vs. SCE), the three samples exhibited similar transpassive onset potentials. Beyond this point, the current density increased rapidly with the potential increasing. Then, the passive film was broken down, and the intense anodic dissolution of the samples occurred. There was a sharp rise in the corrosion rate. In contrast, the sample with a Ni interlayer showed a slower current growth rate in the transpassive region, so its passive film had a stronger resistance to transpassive corrosion.
The potentiodynamic polarization curves were fitted by using Cview 2 software to obtain the corrosion potential (Ecorr) and corrosion current density (Icorr), and the results are presented in Table 4. Ecorr reflects the thermodynamic tendency of the metal to corrode, and a higher corrosion potential indicates a lower susceptibility to corrosion. Icorr represents the actual corrosion rate of the metal during the corrosion process, where a lower corrosion current density corresponds to a slower corrosion rate [33,34]. From Table 4, the Ecorr of the specimens gradually rose with the increase in the Ni interlayer thickness. It obeyed the following rule: at the edge part of the specimen with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer > at the middle part of the specimen with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer > at the edge part of the specimen with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer > at the middle part of the specimen with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer > the specimen without an interlayer. However, Icorr decreased as the Ni interlayer thickness increased. These results indicated that the specimen with the 0.5 mm Ni interlayer possessed the best corrosion resistance, followed by the specimen with the 0.1 mm Ni interlayer, and the specimen without an interlayer exhibited the poorest corrosion resistance. Due to the stress exerted during the rolling process, the corrosion resistance at the edge part of the specimen was superior to that at the middle part of the specimen.
The superior corrosion resistance of the C276 Hastelloy cladding layer was primarily attributed to the formation of a passive film composed of Cr and Mo oxides on its surface. Without an interlayer, a large number of white (Cr, Mo)6C carbide precipitates formed near the interface of the C276 Hastelloy cladding layer, which resulted in the formation of Cr-depleted and Mo-depleted zones; thereby, the corrosion resistance of the specimen was the lowest. The addition of Ni interlayers inhibited the diffusion of the C element from the Q235 Steel into the C276 Hastelloy cladding layer; thus, the quantity of these white (Cr, Mo)6C carbide precipitates was reduced, and the depletion of Cr and Mo was gradually eliminated. When the Ni interlayer thickness was 0.5 mm, the depletion of Cr and Mo disappeared as a result of the (Cr, Mo)6C white carbides in the C276 Hastelloy cladding layer being eliminated. Consequently, the C276 cladding layer with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer showed the optimal corrosion resistance.

3.5.2. EIS Analysis

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was performed on the passive film, and the results are shown in Figure 13. Figure 13a presents the Nyquist diagram, which consists of a high-frequency capacitive loop and a low-frequency inductive loop. The radius of the capacitive arc reflects the rate of corrosion that occurs on the specimen surface [35,36]. Generally, the larger the radius of the capacitive arc, the better the stability of the passive film and the better the corrosion resistance. As illustrated in the figure, the corrosion resistance of the specimen improved with the increase in the Ni interlayer thickness. It reached the optimal with the Ni interlayer thickness of 0.5 mm, and the corrosion resistance at the edge part was superior to that at the middle part.
Figure 13b presents the relationship of Bode-|Z|, Bode-phase angle and frequency. In general, a higher |Z| value in the low-frequency region indicates better corrosion resistance [37]. When the Ni interlayer thickness was 0.5 mm, the specimen exhibited the highest |Z| value in the low-frequency range, which indicated that the corrosion resistance of the specimen was best. Furthermore, the phase angle reflects the current distribution state on the electrode surface; a larger phase angle indicates a more uniform current distribution and a low corrosion rate [38]. All specimens displayed phase angles exceeding 45°, which suggested balanced current distribution. The phase angle of the specimen with the 0.5 mm Ni interlayer was highest, which showed a superior corrosion resistance of the specimen.
Figure 13c shows the equivalent circuit diagram, which was used to simulate the corrosion process of the passive film, and the corresponding fitting results are listed in Table 5. In this equivalent circuit, Rs represents the resistance of the electrolyte solution between the working electrode and the reference electrode. The constant phase element Qf and its dispersion exponent n describe the capacitive characteristics of the electrode/solution interface. The charge transfer resistance Rf is a key parameter for evaluating the corrosion reaction. Generally, an increase in the Rf value correlates with a higher energy barrier for the corrosion reaction on the electrode surface, thereby reflecting the superior corrosion resistance of the specimens. From Table 5, the Rf value was highest for the sample with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer, intermediate for the one with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer, and lowest for the sample without an interlayer. This trend confirmed that adding a Ni interlayer improved the corrosion resistance of specimens. This finding was in agreement with the results of the polarization curve measurements.

3.5.3. XPS Analysis

To investigate the compositional characteristics of the passive film, XPS analysis was conducted on the cross-section of the C276 Hastelloy cladding plates with different Ni interlayers. The corresponding XPS spectra are presented in Figure 14. The results indicated that regardless of the presence or thickness of the Ni interlayer, the passive film was consistently composed of Cr, Fe, Mo, Ni and O. This suggested that the Ni interlayer did not alter the film’s chemical constitution. The observed C element peak was attributed to surface contamination from the sample preparation process.
Due to the minimal differences in the full XPS survey spectra among the specimens with various Ni interlayers, the XPS spectrum of the sample with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer was selected for detailed high-resolution analysis of O1s, Cr2p, Fe2p, Mo3d and Ni2p, as shown in Figure 15.
In Figure 15a, the O1s spectrum was fitted with three peaks, representing OH− (531.70 eV), O2− (530.78 eV) and O (532.66 eV). In Figure 15b, the Cr2p spectrum was deconvoluted into peaks for Cr (575.91 eV), Cr3+ (587.64 eV) and Cr6+ (580.69 eV), which suggested that the passive film contained Cr, Cr2O3, and Cr(OH)3. Figure 15c shows the Fe2p spectrum, which can be fitted with two peaks corresponding to Fe2+ (709.23 eV) and Fe3+ (711.07 eV). This indicated the possible presence of FeO and Fe2O3. As shown in Figure 15d, the Mo3d spectrum revealed characteristic peaks of Mo4+ (228.32 eV). The formation of Mo compounds contributed to the compactness of the passive film, thereby enhancing the corrosion resistance of the cladding plate against Cl−. From Figure 15e, a characteristic peak corresponding to Ni2+ (855.02 eV) was observed in the Ni2p spectrum. Furthermore, the Ni element is known to promote austenite formation, which elevated the corrosion potential and expanded the passive region. Consequently, this contributed to the enhanced corrosion resistance of the cladding plate.

4. Results

In this paper, C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates with different Ni interlayers were prepared by the vacuum sealing hot rolling (VSHR) method with a small hole. The effect of different Ni interlayer thicknesses on the morphology, microstructure, microhardness, shear strength and bending strength of cladding plates was investigated. Moreover, the effect of different Ni interlayers on the corrosion resistance of the cross-section of the C276 Hastelloy cladding layer was analyzed. The main conclusions were drawn as follows:
(1)
All the microstructures of the cladding plates consisted of a C276 Hastelloy substrate, an interface layer (Ni interlayer), a decarburization layer and Q235 Steel. However, the decarburized layer decreased from 65 μm to 41 μm and 28 μm with the thickness of the Ni interlayer increasing from 0 mm to 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm, respectively.
(2)
Without an interlayer, the interface of the cladding plate near the C276 Hastelloy side was composed of a dark Ni solid solution and white M6C particles. A black layer of Mn-Cr oxides was present at the interface. An Fe-based solid solution formed adjacent to the Q235 Steel side. After adding a Ni interlayer, the quantity of white M6C particles gradually decreased with increasing Ni interlayer thickness and eventually disappeared entirely.
(3)
Regardless of whether a Ni interlayer was added, the microhardness values of the cladding plate consistently followed the trend: C276 Hastelloy > interfacial zone > Q235 steel. The introduction of a Ni interlayer significantly enhanced the microhardness of both the C276 Hastelloy substrate and the C276/Q235 interface, while the microhardness of the Q235 Steel remained unchanged. When the thickness of the Ni interlayer increased from 0 mm to 0.5 mm, the shear strength of the cladding plates increased from 227.1 MPa to 377.2 MPa. Notably, the shear strength at the edge parts of the cladding plate was higher than that at the middle part. Furthermore, under all three conditions, the cladding plates could be bent without cracking.
(4)
Based on the potentiodynamic polarization curves and EIS results, the corrosion resistance of the cross-section of the C276 Hastelloy cladding plate increased with the thickness of the Ni interlayer, and it reached the optimal value with the Ni interlayer thickness of 0.5 mm. XPS analysis revealed that the formation of a large number of Cr and Mo oxides on the surface of the passive film was the primary reason for this enhanced corrosion resistance.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, L.L. and J.P.; methodology, L.L. and M.W.; investigation, J.P., F.L. and L.L.; validation, L.L. and M.Z.; writing—original draft preparation, L.L. and M.Z.; writing—review and editing, L.L., F.L. and J.P.; supervision, M.W.; project administration, L.L. and J.P.; funding acquisition, L.L. and F.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52505370), the Joint Fund of Henan Province Science and Technology R&D Program (Project No. 245200810096), the Zhongyuan Talent Program for Zhongyuan Youth Top-Notch Talents (Innovative Talents Program for Zhongyuan Young Postdoctor, Fei Long, 2024) and the High-level Talent Research Start-up Project Funding of Henan Academy of Sciences (Project No. 241820062).

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

The authors do not have permission to share the data.

Conflicts of Interest

Author Lin Lv was employed by the company Gallianz (Anhui) New Materials Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Figure 1. Rolling process flow diagram of cladding plates [30].
Figure 1. Rolling process flow diagram of cladding plates [30].
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Figure 2. Schematic diagram of tensile shear samples.
Figure 2. Schematic diagram of tensile shear samples.
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Figure 3. Specimen size and schematic diagram of bending test: (a) bending specimen size; (b) root bending; (c) face bending.
Figure 3. Specimen size and schematic diagram of bending test: (a) bending specimen size; (b) root bending; (c) face bending.
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Figure 4. Morphologies of the edge and middle part for C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates under Ni interlayers with different thicknesses: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with Ni interlayers of 0.1 mm in thickness; (c1,c2) with Ni interlayers of 0.5 mm in thickness.
Figure 4. Morphologies of the edge and middle part for C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel cladding plates under Ni interlayers with different thicknesses: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with Ni interlayers of 0.1 mm in thickness; (c1,c2) with Ni interlayers of 0.5 mm in thickness.
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Figure 5. Microstructure of the edge part and the middle part for C276 Hastelloy-clad Q235 Steel plates under a Ni interlayer with different thicknesses: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c1,c2) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
Figure 5. Microstructure of the edge part and the middle part for C276 Hastelloy-clad Q235 Steel plates under a Ni interlayer with different thicknesses: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c1,c2) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
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Figure 6. Line scanning profiles across the interface of C276/Q235 cladding plates at the edge part and at the middle part with different Ni interlayer thicknesses: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c1,c2) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
Figure 6. Line scanning profiles across the interface of C276/Q235 cladding plates at the edge part and at the middle part with different Ni interlayer thicknesses: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c1,c2) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
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Figure 7. XRD results at the interface of C276/Q235 cladding plates with different Ni interlayer thicknesses.
Figure 7. XRD results at the interface of C276/Q235 cladding plates with different Ni interlayer thicknesses.
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Figure 8. Microhardness distribution profiles of C276/Q235 cladding plates under a Ni interlayer with different thicknesses.
Figure 8. Microhardness distribution profiles of C276/Q235 cladding plates under a Ni interlayer with different thicknesses.
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Figure 9. Shear strength of C276/Q235 cladding plates with different Ni interlayer thicknesses: (a) shear strength maximum; (b) relationship curve of shear strength and displacement.
Figure 9. Shear strength of C276/Q235 cladding plates with different Ni interlayer thicknesses: (a) shear strength maximum; (b) relationship curve of shear strength and displacement.
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Figure 10. Tensile–shear fracture morphologies at the edge part and at the middle part of C276/Q235 cladding plates with different Ni interlayer thicknesses: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c1,c2) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
Figure 10. Tensile–shear fracture morphologies at the edge part and at the middle part of C276/Q235 cladding plates with different Ni interlayer thicknesses: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c1,c2) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
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Figure 11. Macro-morphologies and bending curves of C276/Q235 cladding plates with different Ni interlayer thicknesses after face and root bending test: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c1,c2) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
Figure 11. Macro-morphologies and bending curves of C276/Q235 cladding plates with different Ni interlayer thicknesses after face and root bending test: (a1,a2) without an interlayer; (b1,b2) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c1,c2) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
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Figure 12. Polarization curve of C276 cladding cross-sections under different Ni interlayers.
Figure 12. Polarization curve of C276 cladding cross-sections under different Ni interlayers.
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Figure 13. Polarization curve of C276 Hastelloy cladding cross-sections under different Ni interlayers. (a) Nyquist diagram; (b) mode-frequency Bode diagram; (c) equivalent circuit diagram.
Figure 13. Polarization curve of C276 Hastelloy cladding cross-sections under different Ni interlayers. (a) Nyquist diagram; (b) mode-frequency Bode diagram; (c) equivalent circuit diagram.
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Figure 14. XPS spectra of the passive film on the surface of the C276 Hastelloy cladding plate under a Ni interlayer with different thicknesses:(a) without an interlayer; (b) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
Figure 14. XPS spectra of the passive film on the surface of the C276 Hastelloy cladding plate under a Ni interlayer with different thicknesses:(a) without an interlayer; (b) with a 0.1 mm Ni interlayer; (c) with a 0.5 mm Ni interlayer.
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Figure 15. XPS fine spectra of the main elements in the passive film: (a) O1s; (b) Cr2p; (c) Fe2p; (d) Mo3d; (e) Ni2p.
Figure 15. XPS fine spectra of the main elements in the passive film: (a) O1s; (b) Cr2p; (c) Fe2p; (d) Mo3d; (e) Ni2p.
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Table 1. Chemical composition of the base metals.
Table 1. Chemical composition of the base metals.
MaterialsElements (wt.%)
NiCrMoFeWSiMnAlCSP
C276Bal.15.53515.855.623.52—0.3050.114<0.005——
Q235———Bal.—0.211.30.0210.148<0.0050.016
Table 2. Physical and mechanical properties of materials.
Table 2. Physical and mechanical properties of materials.
MaterialsDensity (g/cm3)Thermal Conductivity
(W/(m·k))		Coefficient of Linear Expansion
(10−6·K−1)		Melting Point
(°C)		Tensile Strength (MPa)Elongation (%)
C2768.8910.111.2135078147
Q2357.8551.912.1151041226
Ni interlayer8.970.213.3145335742
Table 3. EDS analysis results of characteristic points in Figure 5.
Table 3. EDS analysis results of characteristic points in Figure 5.
Characteristic PointsElements (wt.%)Possible Phases
CCrFeNiMoWMnO
P110.8712.304.7319.8142.869.43 M6C
P25.8112.127.2358.6212.533.120.57 Ni solid solution
P32.8531.7122.6512.102.01/1.7626.92Oxides of Mn and Cr
P46.525.856.7526.854.08/ Fe solid solution
P57.6812.345.0922.8741.6710.35 M6C
P65.6114.326.3157.3412.053.760.61 Ni solid solution
P72.9130.9623.1212.872.34/0.1727.63Oxides of Mn and Cr
P85.8713.626.9758.0312.342.580.59 Ni solid solution
P92.8731.2323.0412.091.98/1.7627.03Oxides of Mn and Cr
Table 4. The fitting results of the polarization curve shown in Figure 12 used by Cview 2 software.
Table 4. The fitting results of the polarization curve shown in Figure 12 used by Cview 2 software.
SampleEcorr (mV)Icorr (A·cm2)
Without an interlayer−0.5894.96 × 10−9
Edge part with 0.1 mm Ni interlayer−0.5152.00 × 10−9
Middle part with 0.1 mm Ni interlayer−0.5502.32 × 10−9
Edge part with 0.5 mm Ni interlayer−0.4493.44 × 10−10
Middle part with 0.5 mm Ni interlayer−0.4553.37 × 10−10
Table 5. EIS parameters of the corresponding fitting results.
Table 5. EIS parameters of the corresponding fitting results.
SampleRs/(Ω·cm2)Qf/(10−5Ω·−1 cm2·Ω−n)Rf/(Ω·cm2)n
Without an interlayer11.6423.58646,1200.88612
Edge with 0.1 mm Ni interlayer12.4733.76456,4550.87358
Middle part with 0.1 mm Ni interlayer12.2664.37554,3150.86257
Edge with 0.5 mm Ni interlayer13.3943.96667,3690.85974
Middle part with 0.5 mm Ni interlayer13.4585.89862,8830.86015
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Lv, L.; Wu, M.; Long, F.; Zhou, M.; Pu, J. Effect of Ni Interlayer on Microstructure and Properties of C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel Cladding Plates. Coatings 2026, 16, 425. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16040425

AMA Style

Lv L, Wu M, Long F, Zhou M, Pu J. Effect of Ni Interlayer on Microstructure and Properties of C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel Cladding Plates. Coatings. 2026; 16(4):425. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16040425

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lv, Lin, Mingfang Wu, Fei Long, Mingkuan Zhou, and Juan Pu. 2026. "Effect of Ni Interlayer on Microstructure and Properties of C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel Cladding Plates" Coatings 16, no. 4: 425. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16040425

APA Style

Lv, L., Wu, M., Long, F., Zhou, M., & Pu, J. (2026). Effect of Ni Interlayer on Microstructure and Properties of C276 Hastelloy/Q235 Steel Cladding Plates. Coatings, 16(4), 425. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16040425

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