Effect of Sn particle size on the intermetallic compound formations of cold sprayed Sn–Ni coatings

Comparative studies on the intermetallic compound (IMC) formations of small (aggregated) and large Sn (irregular) with Ni and Cu in cold gas dynamic sprayed coatings were carried out. The Sn with high purity were selected and prepared as raw materials mixture in order to be sprayed onto Ni and Cu plate-shape substrates. The small particles of Sn (<1 μm) were successfully coated under conventional coating parameters when they are mixed with larger powder materials. And microstructural observation regards to compound formation similarly worked out for both small and large Sn mixture. However, the intermetallic formation behavior was turned out to be different. After post-annealing, the larger Sn particles in the composite coating formed larger amount of IMC with Ni than small Sn although, owing to larger interfacial area, more intensive reactivities were expected. Also, there were significant differences in the size and distribution of eutectic pores as well.