Design, synthesis and improved sintering behavior of core-shell Mo–Cu composite powders

Abstract

Molybdenum-copper composites have attracted increasing attention due to their excellent properties in terms of electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and mechanical property, which are closely related to the density and composition of the sintered material. However, high temperatures are required to obtain high sintering density, resulting in loss of copper in most cases. In this work, a novel core-shell Mo–Cu composite powder was prepared by a ball-milling method followed by hydrogen reduction. The phase compositions and microstructure of prepared powders were studied by XRD, TEM and EDS, and the formation process of core-shell structure of Mo–Cu powders was discussed in detail. It was shown that the significant difference in reduction temperatures between molybdenum and copper oxides contributes to the formation of core-shell structure.