Mechanical Properties of Copper Hollow Sphere Manufactured by Sintering Process

Abstract

The polystyrene spheres coated with a slurry, consisting of copper (I) oxide powder, water and PA (poly acrilamide), were reduced to form copper (Cu) hollow spheres at sintering temperatures ranging from 650 to 950 °C under a hydrogen atmosphere. The microstructural evolutions and mechanical properties of the Cu hollow spheres were investigated with the sintering temperature. The increase in the sintering temperature led to the increase in the density and grain size of the spheres. The amount of the residual copper oxide in the samples decreased with increasing sintering temperature. The electrical conductivity, hardness, and compression strength of the hollow spheres increased with increasing sintering temperature.