Fabrication of SiC@Cu/Cu Composites with the Addition of SiC@Cu Powder by Magnetron Sputtering

Zhang Yunlong,Tang Lili,Zhou Wei,Yi Hongyong,Li Wenbo,Ding Peiling,Hu Ming,Jinlong Liu

doi:10.1155/2021/6623776

Abstract

In view of the surface engineering application of electrical contact materials, SiC ceramic particles were introduced into copper matrix composites by the hot-press sintering method for the sake of enhancing the service life of copper matrix electrical contact materials. Magnetron sputtering technology was exploited to form the continuous copper film on the β-SiC powders in order to improve interface wettability between SiC powder and copper matrix. The SiC@Cu powders were treated by magnetron sputtering technology. Then, dynamic deposit behavior was described according to SEM results. The phase constitution, fracture morphology, relative density, porosity, Vickers hardness, and coefficient of thermal expansion of SiC@Cu/Cu composites with different SiC@Cu addition were analyzed in detail. The results showed that SiC@Cu powders with higher fraction in the SiC@Cu/Cu composites would decrease relative density and increase porosity, so it resulted in improvement of Vickers hardness. The addition of SiC@Cu decreased CTE values of the SiC@Cu/Cu composite, especially at high-level fraction SiC@Cu powder.

Highlights

Electrical contact material was one of the most important materials of the current transmission and conversion process, which was the core component and key surface engineering material
The possible reason was that the copper film effect of the SiC surface was more uniform after magnetron sputtering treatment, so the bonding role between the SiC@Cu powder and copper matrix became stronger in the sintering process
The dynamic formation mechanism of the copper film was a mixture model of main island structure growth and secondary layered structure growth as SiC grains moved during the magnetron sputtering process

Summary

Introduction

Electrical contact material was one of the most important materials of the current transmission and conversion process, which was the core component and key surface engineering material. In view of the surface engineering application of copper matrix electrical contact materials, SiC ceramic particles were introduced into the copper matrix in order to improve the hardness and friction resistance, whereas it was difficult to resolve the weak wettability between the SiC reinforcement and copper matrix, which limited the wider application scope of copper composites [3, 4]. For the sake of enhancing the service life of copper matrix electrical contact materials, we attempt to utilize magnetron sputtering technology to obtain the copper film on the surface of the SiC particle (abbreviation “SiC@Cu”). The phase constitution, fracture and surface morphology, relative density, porosity, Vickers hardness, and coefficient of thermal expansion of the SiC@Cu/Cu composites with different SiC@Cu volume fractions were observed and analyzed in detail

Material Fabrication and Characterization

Findings

Result and Discussion

Conclusion