Effects of NiO content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AgSnO2NiO composites

The AgSnO2NiO composites were prepared by internal oxidation method. The effects of different NiO content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AgSnO2NiO composites were studied. The phase structure and surface morphology of the prepared AgSnO2NiO materials were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Metallographic Microscopy (MM). The results showed that the AgSnO2NiO composites with different NiO content can be obtained by the process of preoxidation of AgSn alloy powder and internal oxidation of ingot containing Ni. The agglomeration phenomenon of Ni in the silver matrix was serious, which led to the agglomeration of in-situ generated NiO particles after internal oxidation. After the multi-pass drawing, the SnO2 particles dispersedly distributed in the AgSnO2NiO composites and the NiO particles gradually dispersed from the agglomerated state of the sintered ingot billet. The hardness of the prepared AgSnO2NiO composites increased slightly with the increase of NiO content. The mechanical properties test showed that the introduction of NiO particles significantly improved the tensile strength and elongation of AgSnO2 materials to a certain degree. Adding proper amount of NiO is beneficial to improve the overall performance of AgSnO2 materials