Antimony-doped copper helps retain strength at high heat.(Materials Science/R & D)

The addition of a small amount of antimony to nanoscale copper helps the copper to retain its size and shape at high temperatures, report researchers at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Nanoscale materials are five to ten times stronger than conventional materials, but they lose their high strength at high temperatures. When building material atom by atom, temperature increases change the size, shape, and properties of the material--an undesirable result for a stable component in a device. Researchers created a computer model based on copper, a connector material. The ...