Effect of Chemical Composition on the Corrosion Resistance, Microstructure, Hardness and Electrical Conductivity of the Ge-In-Sn Alloys

Abstract

This paper presents the results of experimental and analytical testing of the ternary Ge–In–Sn system. Experimental part includes results of the corrosion resistance, microstructure, hardness and electrical properties of the selected ternary Ge–In–Sn alloys. The prepared alloys were tested using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) method, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEMEDS), hardness and electrical conductivity tests. For the obtained values of hardness and electrical conductivity, a mathematical model was used in order to determine the properties of the alloy in the entire range of the composition. The results of the Brinell hardness test show that the Ge80In10Sn10 ternary alloy has the highest hardness of all tested ternary alloys, 254.2 MN/m2. While, results of the electrical conductivity test show that the Ge10In10Sn80 ternary alloy has the highest conductivity of all tested ternary alloys and the highest corrosion resistance. Calculated isothermal section at 25°C, were confirmed with XRD and EDS results.