To improve the surface quality and performance of Ni-SiO2 nanocomposite coatings, jet electrodeposition of SiO2 nanoparticles (diameter 20-30 nm) with Watt's nickel solution was used to process on graphite substrate accompanied by ceramic stick rolling and friction (R&F) online. The crystal structure and microstructure of coatings were analyzed by using X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope, respectively. The corrosion resistance of the samples was evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization (Tafel). By studying the influences of different concentrations of SiO2 in the solution and the effect of R&F on the coatings, we found that adding a certain amount of nano-SiO2 in the solution can significantly increase the microhardness of coatings (from 550 HV to 627 HV or a 14% increase). R&F further caused the microhardness to reach 711 HV, which is a 20% increase relative to pure Ni coatings. Moreover, R&F can help to remove cellular bulge on the surface of nanocomposite coatings, thereby improving surface quality. The corrosion resistance of Ni-SiO2 nanocomposite coatings is better than that of pure Ni coatings. (C) The Author(s) 2016. Published by ECS. All rights reserved.