High-purity Ti2AlC Powder: Preparation and Application in Ag-based Electrical Contact Materials

doi:10.15541/jim20190243

Abstract

Abstract:

Ag-based electrical contact is the "heart" of low-voltage switch, and the Cd toxicity has long been a haunting problem. It is the research focus of the low-voltage switch to find new environment-friendly electrical contact materials. Starting from the design of reinforcement for Ag-based electrical contact in this work, the high-purity Ti₂AlC powder (99.2%) was synthesized by a simple and fast pressureless technique. Ag/Ti₂AlC composite electrical contact material was also prepared with homogeneous structure, good bonding between Ag and Ti₂AlC particles, high relative density (95.7%), moderate hardness (96HV), satisfactory electrical conductivity (low resistivity of 79.5 nΩ·m), and favorable arc erosion resistance (mass loss of 4.4% after 5610 arc discharging cycles). These excellent structure and properties of Ag/Ti₂AlC composite are mainly attributed to the good thermal and electrical conductivity of Ti₂AlC and the good wettability between Ag and Ti₂AlC. This composite is expected to replace the conventional electrical contact materials in the future.

Key words: Ti₂AlC, electrical contact, metal-ceramic composite, conductivity, wettability, arc erosion resistance

CLC Number:

TG148

DING Jianxiang,HUANG Peiyan,ZHA Yuhui,WANG Dandan,ZHANG Peigen,TIAN Wubian,SUN Zhengming. High-purity Ti₂AlC Powder: Preparation and Application in Ag-based Electrical Contact Materials[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2020, 35(6): 729-734.

Figures/Tables 11

Sample	Composition, x	Purity/%
S1	1.05	77.5
S2	1.10	57.9
S3	1.15	41.4
S4	1.20	31.5

Fig. 1 XRD patterns of samples with different Al contents

Sample	Composition, x	Purity/%
S1	1.00	77.5
S5	1.05	99.2
S6	1.10	92.3
S7	1.15	91.7

Fig. 2 XRD patterns of samples with different C contents

Fig. 3 SEM images of samples with different C contents (a, b) S1; (c, d) S5; (e, f) S6; (g, h) S7

Sample	Temperature/℃	Purity/%
S8	1200	16.3
S9	1300	35.7
S10	1400	99.2
S11	1500	81.8

Fig. 4 XRD patterns of 0.95TiC/1.05Ti/1.05Al sintered at different temperatures

Fig. 5 Contact angles and optical images of Ag/Ti2AlC in the process of heating

Fig. 6 XRD pattern of Ag/10TAC composite with insets showing (a) picture of the bulk, (b) microstructure of composite, and (c) the magnified SEM image

Density/ (g?cm^-3)	Relative density/%	Hardness, HV	Resistivity/ (nΩ·m)
8.692	95.7%	96	79.5

Fig. 7 (a) Optical image of the Ag/10TAC contact after 5610 arc discharging cycles, with magnified SEM image in the inset; (b) SEM image of the contact surface morphology; (c) Morphology of the Ag molten pool, with magnified SEM image of cauliflower-shaped Ag particles in the inset; (d) Magnified SEM image of the aggregated eroded Ti2AlC (dark area in (b))

References 24

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High-purity Ti₂AlC Powder: Preparation and Application in Ag-based Electrical Contact Materials

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