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| Achieving Enhanced Electrical Contact Performance of Ag/Ti₃AlC₂ with Novel Spherical Micro/Nano Composite Reinforcing Phase |
| Ding, Jianxiang, Yang, Yang, ZHANG, Shi-Hong |
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1 Key Laboratory
of Green Fabrication and Surface Technology of Advanced Metal Materials,
Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243002, China
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2 School of
Materials Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan
243002, China
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3 Goneo Group Co. Ltd., Ningbo 315311,
China
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4 Xiamen Hongfa
Electroacoustic Co. Ltd., Xiamen 361021, China
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5 Phoenix Contact Asia Pacific Electric (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Nanjing
211100, China
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Cite this article:
Ding, Jianxiang, Yang, Yang, ZHANG, Shi-Hong. Achieving Enhanced Electrical Contact Performance of Ag/Ti₃AlC₂ with Novel Spherical Micro/Nano Composite Reinforcing Phase. Acta Metall Sin, 0, (): 0-.
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Abstract Ag-based electric contact materials (ECMs) critically
determine the performance of low-voltage switchgear for low-frequency and
high-current control. However, these materials suffer from poor environmental friendliness,
low tensile strength (< 200 MPa), high material loss (> 5%), and short
service life (< 1 × 104 cyc). To improve the comprehensive
performance of Ag/Ti3AlC2 ECMs, this study designs a reinforcing
phase with a novel composition and structure. For electrical contacting
processes, the layered structure of MAX phases and their excellent wettability with metals ensure strong anti-material
transfer performance of Ag/MAX composites. However, the interdiffusion between the A-layer atoms of MAX phases and the Ag matrix leads to
interfacial solid-solution behavior that deteriorates the electrical
conductivity and electrical contact reliability. To create an innovative design
of the morphology and structure of MAX phases, this study combines mechanical
ball milling, spray granulation, and vacuum heat treatment to prepare large-sized
spherical Ti3AlC2-reinforcing phase powders with
surface-loaded nano-Al2O3 particles that are subsequently
combined with the Ag matrix. The spherical micro- and nano-composite structured
reinforcing phase is found to improve the microstructure uniformity of the
Ag/Ti3AlC2 material, promote unidirectional diffusion of
Ag along the grain boundaries of the spherical reinforcing phase into its
interior, and restrict the Ag-Al interdiffusion behavior within the reinforcing
phase. Consequently, the resistivity reduced from 5.462 to 4.431 μΩ·cm. The
nano-Al2O3 particles on the surface of the spherical
reinforcing phase are mainly distributed at the Ag/Ti3AlC2 interface; however, some are detached and dispersed through the matrix. The unidirectional
Ag diffusion and distribution of nano-Al2O3 particles collectively
enhance the bonding quality of the composite interface, thereby increasing the
tensile strength (228.8 MPa), interface surface hardness (140.2 HV), and
interfacial nanohardness (3.261 GPa). During 2 × 104 cyc of arc
discharging, the microsized spherical Ti3AlC2 reinforcing
phase and nanosized Al2O3 particles synergistically
increase the viscosity of the molten pool at high temperatures caused by
electric arc discharging, effectively restricting the movement of liquid Ag,
diminishing the material loss to 1.7%, and thus improving the antiarc erosion
performance of Ag/Ti3AlC2 composites. This work provides
research ideas and technical references for the performance improvement of
Ag-based ECMs.
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Received: 01 August 2025
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| Fund: the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No. 52431003，No.52171033); the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation(No. RZ2400003062); the Industry-University-Research Cooperation Project(No. RH2400002823, No. RH2200003061，No. RH2500000024); the College Students’ Innovative Entrepreneurial Training Plan Program(No. 202510360054，No.S202510360193) |
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