Preparation of 3YSZ/Cu composite by in-situ chemical route

To improve electrical and mechanical properties of electrodes for contact welding, a 3 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia (3YSZ) to reinforced copper matrix composite was developed by an in-situ chemical process. The microstructure and properties of the in-situ composite were investigated. The results showed that in-situ nanoscale particles were uniformly dispersed in the copper matrix by dispersed nano-particle and its cluster. Due to their reinforcement, the hardness of the in-situ 3YSZ/Cu composite significantly increased. Moreover, the electrical conductivity of the in-situ composite decreased with the increase of 3YSZ content.