Abstract
• Zn 2 SnO 4 , as a SnO 2 -based ternary oxide, can improve the arc resistance of Cu contact materials in comparison with SnO 2 . • Zn 2 SnO 4 particles distribute uniformly on the eroded surface and enhance the electrical contact property. • The enhanced arc-resistance of Zn 2 SnO 4 /Cu contacts highly relies on the polar-covalent Cu-O bonds at the interfaces. • DFT calculations could be extended to the rational design of ternary oxides/Cu composites with high arc resistance. Interface wettability is a vital role in directly impacting the electrical contact characteristics of oxides/Cu-based composites under arc erosion. Exploring its influence mechanism, especially at atomic/electronic scales, is significant but challenging for the rational design of oxides/Cu contacts. Here, we designed Zn 2 SnO 4 /Cu electrical contacts aiming to solve the poor wettability of SnO 2 /Cu composites. It was found that Zn 2 SnO 4 could remarkably improve the arc resistance of Cu-based electrical contacts, which was benefited by the excellent interface wettability of Zn 2 SnO 4 /Cu. The characterization of eroded surface indicated that Zn 2 SnO 4 particles distributed uniformly on the contact surface, leading to stable electrical contact characteristic. Nevertheless, SnO 2 considerably deteriorated the arc resistance of SnO 2 /Cu composite by agglomerating on the surface. The effect mechanism of wettability on arc resistance was investigated through density function theory (DFT) study. It revealed that strong polar covalent bonds across the Zn 2 SnO 4 /Cu interface contributed to improving the interfacial adhesion strength/wettability and thus significantly enhanced the arc resistance. For binary SnO 2 /Cu interface, ionic bonds resulted in weak interface adhesion, giving rise to deterioration of electrical contact characteristic. This work discloses the bonding mechanism of oxide/Cu interfaces and paves an avenue for the rational design of ternary oxide/Cu-based electrical contact materials.
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