A novel cobalt coating was prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED). The kinetics of the electrode process in cathode plasma electrolytic deposition was studied. The composition and microstructure of the deposited coatings were investigated by SEM, EDS, XRD and TEM. The novel cobalt coatings were dense and uniform, showing a typically molten morphology, and were deposited with a rather fast rate. Different from the coatings prepared by conventional electrodeposition or chemical plating, pure cobalt coatings with face center cubic (fcc) structure were obtained by CPED. The deposited coatings were nanocrystalline structure with an average grain size of 40-50 nm, exhibited high hardness, excellent adhesion with the stainless steels, and superior wear resistance. The properties of the novel cobalt coatings prepared by CPED have been improved significantly, as compared with that prepared by conventional methods. It reveals that cathode plasma electrolytic deposition is an effective way to prepare novel cobalt coatings with high quality. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.