Enhancing ablation resistance of CuCr contact materials through metallic element doping: First-principles calculations

Abstract

In this paper, a first-principles design approach for ablation-resistant contact materials was developed. Take Cu16Cr16 for example, the melting point was used as the criterion to screen the improved doped alloys, and mechanical properties were computed to guarantee that the designed doped alloys satisfy the contacts' operational requirements. This technique revealed that Cu16Cr15W1, Cu16Cr15Os1, and Cu16Cr13Co3 have stronger properties than Cu16Cr16 in terms of melting point and resistance to deformation, which can be utilized to enhance the ablation resistance and mechanical strength of the contacts. Simultaneously, the doped alloys' brittleness guarantees the welding resistance of the contacts. As a result, strengthening contact materials can be made from these doped alloys.