The changes in microstructure and phase of tin-bismuth-copper (Sn-58Bi-xCu) were investigated after immersion in 3.5 wt. % sodium chloride (NaCl) at variations of Cu micro-alloying at 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 and 1.25 wt. %. The morphological observation revealed that the long crystal grains of the Cu-rich phase were produced as the amount of Cu increased. The phase analysis shows that at 0.5 wt. % Cu additions, the intermetallic compound od Cu6Sn5 began to form and dominate the microstructure. After immersion in NaCl, a porous structure was seen covering the surface of the ternary solder, indicating the formation of a defective corrosion protection layer. The predominance of Cu6Sn5 is believed to boost the galvanic corrosion coupling potential of the ternary solder. As a result, the more electrochemically reactive phase was pushed to be eliminated during immersion in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Thus the black spots were formed. The presence of Cu6Sn5 was seen to be detrimental to the electrochemical performance of Sn-58Bi-xCu.

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