Microstructure and properties of Ag/SnO₂ functional material manufactured by selective laser melting

Ag/SnO₂, as a promising and environment-friendly electrical contact material, is widely applied in low-voltage apparatus. But the properties of Ag/SnO₂ composites is difficult to improve due to the poor distribution phases and difficult component design. In this work, the Ag/SnO₂ composites are prepared by selective laser melting. To get better performance, Ag/SnO₂ composites with different energy density were studied. The microstructure was observed by field emission scanning electron microscope. In addition, reinforced SnO₂ phase was characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. The results indicated that the microstructure, relative density and hardness of are influenced by energy density, while Ag/SnO₂ composites with homogeneous microstructure, high relative density, higher hardness and lower electrical resistivity can be obtained by proper energy density (E = 68 J/mm³).