Effect of Sulfur on the Sintering of Nickel Particles

Abstract

Sintering behavior of fine nickel powder with various surface sulfur content have been systematically investigated. The nickel powder with 150 ppm sulfur demonstrated the greatest density of the sinters, while the nickel powder with 300 ppm sulfur showed the lower density than the others. It was found that the appropriate content of surface sulfur enhanced the densification of fine nickel powder, which is mainly attributed the existence of solid solution sulfur in the nickel crystal structure. However, the excess sulfur beyond the solubility limit in nickel posed the formation of nickel sulfides, and resulted in the lower density of nickel sinters.