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Improving mechanical stability of Al/Cu ultrasonic bonded joint for battery tab by adopting electroplated Ni interlayer

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Abstract

The stability of the Al/Cu battery tab joint in the harsh environment has become a serious issue in the field of electric vehicles. The Al/Cu ultrasonic welding (USW) joint can easily degrade under thermal aging conditions. The growth of massive intermetallic compound (IMC) layers and the formation of Kirkendall void at the Al/Cu interface were the main causes of joint degradation after the thermal aging. To address these issues, a Ni interlayer was adopted to suppress the growth of IMCs in the Al/Cu USW joint. Comparative investigation revealed that, compared to the as-bonded lap-shear strength, the strength of joints with a Ni interlayer remained relatively stable after aging for 1000 h, whereas the strength of Al/Cu joints decreased over time. Without a Ni interlayer, the growth of IMCs occurred, leading to the formation of CuAl2, Cu9Al4, and CuAl, ultimately resulting in Kirkendall voids and micro voids. The combination of stress concentration at the Cu/Cu9Al4 interface and void formation at the Al/Cu joint facilitated crack propagation along the IMC layer, causing brittle fracture and decreased joint strength. Conversely, the presence of a Ni interlayer prevented the formation of clear IMCs. By suppressing excessive IMC growth and void formation at the interface, the Ni interlayer significantly improves the mechanical stability of USW joints between Al and Cu battery tab interconnections.

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Acknowledgements

This study has been conducted with the support of Incheon Metropolitan City (IZ-23-0023) and Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (UR-23-0047). This study has been supported by the Technology Innovation Program Development Program (Developing Joining Material/Process Technology of High-reliability and High-resolution Sensing Camera Electronic Module for Smart Automotive to Advance into The Global Market, 2020016230) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, Korea).

Funding

Incheon Metropolitan City (KR), IZ-23-0023; Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KR), UR-23-0047; Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, 2020016230.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Joining & Additive Manufacturing R&D Department, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), 156, Gaetbeol-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21999, Republic of Korea

    Jong-Min Jeong, Dongjin Kim, Jungsoo Kim, Junghwan Bang & Min-Su Kim

  2. School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, 16419, Republic of Korea

    Jong-Min Jeong & Seung-Boo Jung

Authors
  1. Jong-Min Jeong
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  2. Dongjin Kim
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  3. Jungsoo Kim
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Contributions

J-MJ, JK, M-SK contributed to the study conception and design. Material Preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by J-MJ, DK and JB. The first draft of the manuscript was written by J-MJ and final draft was written by S-BJ and M-SK. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Min-Su Kim.

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Jeong, JM., Kim, D., Kim, J. et al. Improving mechanical stability of Al/Cu ultrasonic bonded joint for battery tab by adopting electroplated Ni interlayer. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 35, 308 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11913-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11913-6

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