The Development of Molecular-Based Materials for Electrical and Electronic Applications

Abstract

Aluminum silicon carbide (AlSiC) metal matrix composite materials have a unique set of material properties that are ideally suited for electronics, hence the development of molecular-based materials (MBM) for the electrical and electronic industries. The low material density of AlSiC (3 g/cm3) makes it ideal for weight-sensitive applications such as portable devices over traditional thermal management materials like copper molybdenum (10 g/cm3) and copper tungsten (16 g/cm3). The aim of this work is to develop MBM for electrical and electronic industries. Aluminum (99.66% C.P.) and silicon carbide (SiC) particulates of 240 grit (45 µm), 320 grit (29 µm), 600 grit (9 µm) and 1200 grit (3 µm) at 2.5% weight fraction were used to achieve the objective. The aluminum was melted at 750°C for 25 min in a graphite crucible tilting furnace designed for this work using oil as a firing medium. After melting, a two-step mixing method of stir casting technique was adopted. The cast samples were further analyzed for mechanical and electrical properties. The electrical properties were carried out by using a 4-point probe machine. The result showed that hardness increases at lower grit level, while the electrical properties marginally increased at higher grit. It is therefore recommended that, to make AlSiC composite materials for electrical industries, the higher grit of SiC should be preferred.