Effect of current on the sintering of pre-oxidized copper powders by SPS

Abstract As mentioned in the literature, SPS (Spark Plasma Sintering) technology combines uniaxial charge and pulsed currents to achieve the rapid sintering of powders. Although the utilization of current is often reported, an understanding of its role in the sintering mechanisms is still a subject of controversy. In fact, the oxide layer around metal particles is sometimes considered to be a dielectric gap in which discharges may occur: these discharges can clean the surface of particles and enhance densification. In this paper, an oxide layer was grown on the particle surface of a copper powder, and the growth enabled the study of the role of current on such dielectric layers. The powders…