Hardening Cu-Ag composite by doping with Sc

Abstract The microstructure and properties of Cu-Ag can be tuned by doping with Sc. To strengthen Cu-Ag while keeping cost low and electrical conductivity high, we lowered Ag content and added Sc. After aging treatment, our doped Cu-3 wt%Ag-0.3 wt%Sc contained exclusively continuous Ag precipitates, as opposed to exclusively discontinuous Ag precipitates in non-doped Cu-3 wt%Ag. After deformation at a low level of strain, electrical conductivity was almost the same in doped and non-doped samples, but Sc doping significantly improved hardness by suppressing formation of discontinuous Ag precipitates.