The effects of citric acid on the synthesis and performance of silver–tin oxide electrical contact materials

•Ag–SnO2 composite powders were synthesized by the sol–gel auto-combustion method.•Citric acid facilitates sol formation and reduces particle agglomeration.•SnO2 nanoparticles disperse homogenously in the Ag matrix.•Citric acid improves microstructure and properties of the Ag-SnO2 composite. A sol–g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of alloys and compounds 2014-03, Vol.588, p.30-35
Main Authors: Lin, Zhijie, Liu, Shaohong, Sun, Xudong, Xie, Ming, Li, Jiguang, Li, Xiaodong, Chen, Yongtai, Chen, Jialin, Huo, Di, Zhang, Mu, Zhu, Qi, Liu, Manmen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citric acid
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Contact
Density
Electric contacts
Electrical conductivity
Electrical contact material
Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures
Electronic transport in interface structures
Exact sciences and technology
Particulate composites
Physics
Segregations
Silver
Sol–gel auto-combustion method
Synthesis
Thermal properties
Tin oxide
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Summary:•Ag–SnO2 composite powders were synthesized by the sol–gel auto-combustion method.•Citric acid facilitates sol formation and reduces particle agglomeration.•SnO2 nanoparticles disperse homogenously in the Ag matrix.•Citric acid improves microstructure and properties of the Ag-SnO2 composite. A sol–gel auto-combustion method was developed to synthesize the Ag–SnO2 composite powders, which were then used as the starting material to prepare Ag–SnO2 electrical contact materials by hot pressing. It was found that citric acid strongly influences the thermal behaviors, phase evolution, morphology and composition distribution of the Ag–SnO2 composite powders. During the synthesis of Ag–SnO2 composite powders, citric acid can facilitate the formation of sol solution, lower the energy required for the decomposition of dry gel, and reduce the agglomeration of particles. Besides, a comparatively high molar ratio of citric acid to metal ions prevents effectively the occurrence of composition segregation in the Ag–SnO2 electrical contact materials. Therefore, the prepared Ag–SnO2 electrical contact materials have good performances in density, hardness and electric conductivity.
ISSN:0925-8388
1873-4669
DOI:10.1016/j.jallcom.2013.10.222