Fabrication of BiInSn alloy powder via the combination of ultrasonic crushing with dispersants

BiInSn alloy, one of the low-melting-point alloys, has attracted more and more attention in various fields recently. However, research into applying BiInSn powder is limited, and most existing methods of preparing metal powders are not quite suitable for BiInSn alloy due to its special properties. Here, an effective method has been provided to fabricate BiInSn alloy powder based on ultrasonic crushing in combination with the dispersant solution. The effects of the dispersant and the cooling rate on the size distribution and shape of the powder are discussed. The experiment results show that the size of BiInSn powder prepared with ethylene glycol with higher viscosity is much smaller. Compared with bulk metal, the BiInSn powder exhibit more superior properties in the application. For example, the sintered BiInSn powder has better performance in the micro-hardness measurement. The micro-hardness of the products using ethylene glycol increases by 90.7% compared with that of the bulk metal. Besides, the BiInSn powder can be used to fabricate stretchable conductive material.