Effects of coating process on the characteristics of Ag-SnO2 contact materials

Good wettability between the SnO2 and silver matrix can improve the electrical contact performance of Ag-SnO2 materials. In this work, Ag was deposited onto the surface of Ti-doped SnO2 particles using chemical plating to enhance the wettability. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the Ag-coated SnO2 particles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), conductivity tests, differential thermal analysis (DTA), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed on the Ag-SnO2 materials. Our results reveal that the chemical plating process can enhance the wettability between the Ti-doped SnO2 particles and Ag matrix, and the Ag-coated SnO2 particles are uniformly distributed in the Ag matrix. Both the thermal and electrical conductivity of the Ag-SnO2 materials are significantly improved