Composition-Driven Indirect Structural Defect Engineering in Near-Eutectic Sn-Zn and Sn-Cu-Zn-Sb-Pb Alloys: Structural Complexity and Electrical Functionality

This study contrasts a near-eutectic Sn-Zn alloy (Sn-1) with a multicomponent Sn-Cu-Zn-Sb-Pb system (Sn-2) to elucidate the interplay between compositional complexity, phase formation, and electrical transport. While conventional characterization confirms expected phase evolution, the results reveal a decisive trade-off: Sn-1 achieves superior conductivity (1.105 × 10⁵ S/cm), whereas Sn-2 exhibits a marked reduction (26.7%). This degradation is not merely compositional but structurally driven, as increased chemical complexity promotes intermetallic formation that intensifies electron scattering. The findings challenge the simplistic assumption that multicomponent design inherently enhances performance, highlighting instead that excessive complexity can be detrimental to electrical efficiency.