Novel low-melting-point alloy-loaded polymer composite. I. Effect of processing temperature on the electrical properties and morphology

Abstract

Sn-Pb alloy-loaded polystyrene (PS) composites were processed by powder mixing and hot pressing. For the composites hot-pressed at the temperatures below the melting point of the alloy, the resistivity dropped sharply if the alloy volume fraction reached 20 vol%. When the composites were processed at temperatures above the melting point, such phenomenon disappeared. According to the SEM and energy dispersive analysis X-ray (EDAX) analyses, the size and dispersion of Sn-Pb alloy particles in composites changed when the hot-pressing temperature reached the melting point of the alloy, which resulted in the different forms of resistivity-filler volume fraction curves.