Influence of Al2O3 sol concentration on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Cu–Al2O3 composite coatings

Abstract

Copper ( Cu ) is widely used as electrical conducting and contacting material. However, Cu is soft and does not have good mechanical properties. In order to improve the hardness and wear resistance of Cu , sol-enhanced Cu – Al 2 O 3 nanocomposite coatings were electroplated by adding a transparent Al oxide ( Al 2 O 3) sol into the traditional electroplating Cu solution. It was found that the microstructure and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite coatings were largely influenced by the Al 2 O 3 sol concentration. The results show that the Al 2 O 3 nanoparticle reinforced the composite coatings, resulting in significantly improved hardness and wear resistance in comparison with the pure Cu coatings. The coating prepared at the sol concentration of 3.93 mol/L had the best microhardness and wear resistance. The microhardness has been improved by ~20% from 145.5 HV (Vickers hardness number) of pure Cu coating to 173.3 HV of Cu – Al 2 O 3 composite coatings. The wear resistance was also improved by ~84%, with the wear volume loss dropped from 3.2 × 10-3 mm3 of Cu coating to 0.52 × 10-3 mm3 of composite coatings. Adding excessive sol to the electrolyte deteriorated the properties.