Joining of dissimilar and increasingly advanced materials is an essential manufacturing procedure, but as advanced alloys and ceramics become more specialised, the joining process becomes more complex. Current soldering technology is used in a range of electronic applications, such as heat sinks and semiconductor devices, but thus far has lacked the development required to enable stronger, better performing joints of ceramic materials. The concept of active soldering - utilising highly reactive elements in solders to enhance the wetting of otherwise difficult to joint materials - has the potential to be a transformative technology, allowing the joining of ceramics at temperatures below 450℃, with increased strength and removing the need for harsh chemical fluxes. This work presents initial research into developing active solders for the low temperature joining of Al to Al_2O_3. Initial trialling of in-air soldering of Al-3Mg (in wt.%) alloy Al5754, using Sn-Ti active solder and Sn-In solder with Ga layer added to substrate, is presented, before assessing potential novel strategies for the development of active solder alloys.
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