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.