Experimental Study on the Melting Temperature, Microstructural and Improved Mechanical Properties of Sn58Bi/Cu Solder Alloy Reinforced with 1%, 2% and 3% Zirconia (ZrO2) Nanoparticles

This paper investigates the influence of 1%, 2% and 3% zirconia (ZrO2) nanoparticles to the melting, microstructural and mechanical properties of the Sn58Bi solder. Melting temperatures of 145.11°C, 140.89°C and 143.84°C were attained correspondingly for the 1%, 2% and 3% ZrO2 reinforced Sn58Bi solder. The microstructures especially the spacing between the lamellar structures of the Sn58Bi solder alloy was narrower for 1% ZrO2 added with Sn58Bi solder alloy. The highest and lowest hardness value of 32.28 HV and 27.62 HV was recorded for 1% and 2% ZrO2 additions respectively. Highest shear strength value was noted for the 3% ZrO2 added SnBi/Copper joint with 0.8712 kN, while the lowest value of 0.4380 kN noted for the 1% ZrO2 added SnBi/Copper joint. The presence of small-sized ZrO2 nanoparticles can be seen to be properly dispersed at the solder joint to increase the shear load at maximum joint stress.