Mechanical properties of Ag-doped Na1.5Co2O4

The polycrystalline samples of Na1.5Co2−xAgxO4 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) were synthesized from powder precursors prepared by the polymerized complex (PC) method. Various mechanical properties of the samples, including the elastic modulus, Debye temperature and Vickers hardness, were evaluated. The elastic moduli and Debye temperature increase with increasing Ag content. The relationship between the Vickers hardness and Young's modulus indicates a metallic characteristic. The microstructure of the non-doped sample shows coarse grains of about 10-20 μm. On the other hand, the Ag-doped samples show fine grains with Ag particles around 10 μm.