Effects of interfacial wettability on arc erosion behavior of Zn2SnO4/Cu electrical contacts

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2021.08.045

Abstract

Abstract:

Interface wettability is a vital role in directly impacting the electrical contact characteristics of oxides/Cu-based composites under arc erosion. Exploring its influence mechanism, especially at atomic/electronic scales, is significant but challenging for the rational design of oxides/Cu contacts. Here, we designed Zn₂SnO₄/Cu electrical contacts aiming to solve the poor wettability of SnO₂/Cu composites. It was found that Zn₂SnO₄ could remarkably improve the arc resistance of Cu-based electrical contacts, which was benefited by the excellent interface wettability of Zn₂SnO₄/Cu. The characterization of eroded surface indicated that Zn₂SnO₄ particles distributed uniformly on the contact surface, leading to stable electrical contact characteristic. Nevertheless, SnO₂ considerably deteriorated the arc resistance of SnO₂/Cu composite by agglomerating on the surface. The effect mechanism of wettability on arc resistance was investigated through density function theory (DFT) study. It revealed that strong polar covalent bonds across the Zn₂SnO₄/Cu interface contributed to improving the interfacial adhesion strength/wettability and thus significantly enhanced the arc resistance. For binary SnO₂/Cu interface, ionic bonds resulted in weak interface adhesion, giving rise to deterioration of electrical contact characteristic. This work discloses the bonding mechanism of oxide/Cu interfaces and paves an avenue for the rational design of ternary oxide/Cu-based electrical contact materials.

Key words: Zn₂SnO₄/Cu electrical contacts, Arc erosion, Wettability, DFT calculations, Electronic structure

Wei-Jian Li, Zi-Yao Chen, Hao Jiang, Xiao-Han Sui, Cong-Fei Zhao, Liang Zhen, Wen-Zhu Shao. Effects of interfacial wettability on arc erosion behavior of Zn₂SnO₄/Cu electrical contacts[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2022, 109: 64-75.

Figures/Tables 15

Fig. 1. (a) XRD patterns and (b) SEM image of as-synthesized Zn2SnO4 particles. SEM images and the size distributions of (c) Cu powder and (d) CuZr powder. The insets are the size distribution diagrams for the particles.

Table 1. The properties of the prepared specimens.

Composites	Relative density (%)	Electrical conductivity (%IACS)	Hardness (HV_0.2)	Yield strength (MPa)	Tensile strength (MPa)	Elongation (%)
2 wt.% SnO₂/Cu	99.0	86.4	92.1	279.4	363.5	28.4
1 wt.% Zn₂SnO₄/Cu	99.4	94.8	78.4	265.8	356.2	37.7
2 wt.% Zn₂SnO₄/Cu	99.1	91.1	103.8	289.4	369.2	35.7
4 wt.% Zn₂SnO₄/Cu	98.2	84.9	129.5	313.4	376.6	24.5

Fig. 2. Low-voltage alternating current contactor with stationary and moveable bridges (marked by the red dotted circle). A set of samples of contact materials.

Table 2. Measuring parameters of the arc erosion test of the specimen.

Contact voltage/current	380 V/20 A
Switching mode	AC
Frequency	50 Hz
Load inductance	9.5 mH
Load resistance	19 Ω
Environment	Air
Number of operations	0 - 10,000

Fig. 3. Interfacial configurations of (a) SnO2/Cu and (b) Zn2SnO4/Cu interfaces. d presents the separation between Cu slab and SnO2 or Zn2SnO4 slab.

Fig. 4. Wetting angles of Cu liquid drop on the SnO2 and Zn2SnO4 substrates by sessile drop tests (1100 °C/30 min): (a) SnO2/Cu; (b) Zn2SnO4/Cu.

Fig. 5. Mass loss rate, corresponding contact resistance, and accumulative mass loss rate of the samples as a function of the number of arc discharge operations: (a, b) 2 wt.% SnO2/Cu; (c, d) 1 wt.% Zn2SnO4/Cu; (e, f) 2 wt.% Zn2SnO4/Cu; (g, h) 4 wt.% Zn2SnO4/Cu.

Fig. 6. SEM images and EDS mapping of 2 wt.% SnO2/Cu composite after 380 V/20 A arc erosion. Macro-morphologies of eroded surfaces after (a) 500 and (b) 2000 operations. (c) High-magnification SEM image of the protuberance in (b); the inset is an enlarged image of the segregation of SnO2 at the surface; (d-f) EDS mapping of Cu, Sn, and O of the eroded surface of SnO2/Cu.

Fig. 7. SEM images of the eroded surface of the designed Zn2SnO4/Cu electrical contact materials after 10,000 arc discharges: (a-c) 1 wt.% Zn2SnO4/Cu, (d-f) 2 wt.% Zn2SnO4/Cu, and (g-i) 4 wt.% Zn2SnO4/Cu.

Fig. 8. SEM images and Zn element distribution of Zn2SnO4/Cu composites after 10,000 arc discharges: (a) 1 wt.% Zn2SnO4/Cu, (c) 2 wt.% Zn2SnO4/Cu, and (e) 4 wt.% Zn2SnO4/Cu. (b), (d), and (f) are enlarged images of the morphologies marked by blue rectangles in (a), (c), and (e), respectively. The element distributions, taking Zn as an example, are along the scanning direction passing across the white particles marked by the red rectangles in (b), (d), and (f).

Fig. 9. Work of separation of oxides/Cu interfaces calculated through DFT calculations: (a) Wsep as a function of the separation between oxides and Cu obtained with UBER method; (b) Wsep of oxides/Cu interfaces calculated by relaxation methods.

Fig. 10. Relaxed configurations with the chemical bonds (in units of Å) of (a) SnO2/Cu and (b) Zn2SnO4/Cu interfaces.

Fig. 11. Density of states projected on the interacted atoms, including O, Zr, and Cu atoms at the (a) SnO2/Cu and (b) Zn2SnO4/Cu interfaces. The dashed lines indicated the Fermi level.

Fig. 12. Contour plots of the total charge density and charge density difference (Å) of the interfaces. Total charge density of (a) SnO2/Cu and (b) Zn2SnO4/Cu interfaces. Charge density difference of (c) SnO2/Cu and (d) Zn2SnO4/Cu interfaces.

Fig. 13. Schematic diagram of the distribution of SnO2 and Zn2SnO4 at the eroded surface of the electrical contact materials during arc erosion: (a-c) SnO2/Cu and (d-f) Zn2SnO4/Cu.

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Effects of interfacial wettability on arc erosion behavior of Zn₂SnO₄/Cu electrical contacts

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