Influence of indium addition on structure, mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of tin–antimony based metallic alloys quenched from melt

The melt-spinning processes of binary Sn–10 wt.% Sb and ternary Sn–10 wt.% Sb–In were analyzed using X-ray diffractometer and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The results showed that supersaturated solid solution and new intermetallic compound In3Sn were produced during melt-spinning technique not found under equilibrium conditions. It is also found that a small amount of In addition significantly lowers the melting point of the Sn–10 wt.% Sb alloy and reduce the crystal size to ≈60 nm. Also, tin–antimony solder doped with In exhibits good mechanical properties, Vickers hardness and mechanical strength due to refined microstructure. This work was performed to study the influence of rapid solidification and indium addition on structure and properties of tin–antimony based alloys.