Silver metal oxide alloy and method for producing the same

Abstract

The present application relates to silver metal oxide alloys and methods of making the same. Silver metal oxide alloys and methods of making the same are disclosed. Various embodiments disclosed herein relate to alloys. The alloys include elemental silver. The alloys also include a metal oxide phase in the elemental silver. The metal oxide phase includes a wetting agent layer coating the metal oxide phase.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on September 22, 2017, with application number 201710865384.7 and titled "Silver Metal Oxide Alloy and Preparation Method Thereof". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to silver metal oxide alloys and their preparation methods. Background Technology

[0003] Electrical switches are equipped with contact materials that facilitate the flow of current through the switch. These contact materials can be made of metallic alloys. Alloys used in switches designed to carry high currents (> 15 amps) can be manufactured using powder metallurgy or internal oxidation methods. Therefore, these materials contain a non-homogeneous mixture of alloy components. When the switch cycles through numerous on / off cycles, the surface of the contact material is subjected to extremely high heat for a short period, causing the surface of the contact to briefly melt and then solidify. For many alloys used as switch contact materials, this brief melting causes the components contained in the alloy to undergo minor phase separation because molten silver is not conducive to wetting the surface of the metal oxide. Gradually, the switch contact surface develops into a layered composition characterized by a silver-rich layer and a metal oxide-rich layer. Ultimately, this metal oxide-rich layer leads to high resistivity and switch failure. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to one embodiment of the invention, the alloy comprises element silver. The alloy further comprises a metal oxide phase of the element silver. The metal oxide phase comprises a wetting agent layer coated thereon.

[0005] According to other embodiments of the present invention, a method for preparing the alloy includes coating a metal oxide phase with a wetting agent to form a coated metal oxide phase. The method further includes compacting the coated metal oxide phase with elemental silver.

[0006] According to another embodiment of the invention, the switch includes a first stationary contact carrier. The switch also includes a first contact pad connected to the first stationary contact carrier and comprising a first alloy. The switch further includes a moving contact carrier. A second contact pad is connected to the moving contact carrier. The second contact pad comprises a second alloy. The second alloy comprises elemental silver. The second alloy further comprises a metal oxide phase of the elemental silver. The metal oxide phase comprises a wetting agent layer coated with the metal oxide phase. The second contact pad is configured to selectively engage the first contact pad.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a switch includes connecting a first contact pad comprising a first alloy to a first stationary contact carrier. The method further includes connecting a second contact pad to a moving contact carrier. The second contact pad comprises a second alloy. The second alloy comprises elemental silver. The second alloy further comprises a metal oxide phase of the elemental silver. The metal oxide phase comprises a wetting agent layer coated with the metal oxide phase.

[0008] In some embodiments of the invention, certain advantages exist, some of which are unexpected. In various embodiments of the invention, the alloy can have substantially the same or improved performance and lifespan in the switch compared to a switch using a silver-cadmium oxide alloy. Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention, the wetting layer can help reduce the degree of phase separation between the metal oxide phase and the elemental silver when the alloy undergoes multiple on / off cycles. In particular, in some embodiments of the invention, the degree of phase separation is significantly reduced compared to other alloys using elemental silver and metal oxide phases without a wetting agent dopant coated on the metal oxide phase. In some embodiments, the wetting layer forms an interface between the metal oxide phase and the elemental silver, such that the elemental silver and metal oxide phases do not directly contact each other, but remain uniformly dispersed through a designed wetting interface. This can help prevent the elemental silver and metal oxide phases from forming silver-rich regions and metal oxide-rich regions due to component aggregation / agglomeration, driven by the behavior of molten silver during the arc flash of on / off activity. Attached Figure Description

[0009] In the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, similar numbers throughout several views denote substantially similar components. Similar numbers with different letter suffixes denote different instances of substantially similar components. The drawings are intended to illustrate, by way of example rather than limitation, the various embodiments discussed in the invention.

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the alloy according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an alloy-containing switch according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0012] Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, some of which are illustrated in part in the accompanying drawings. Although the disclosed subject matter will be described in conjunction with the enumerated claims, it should be understood that the illustrative subject matter is not intended to limit the claims to the disclosed subject matter.

[0013] Throughout this invention, values ​​expressed in range format should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values ​​explicitly listed as limits of the range, but also all individual numerical values ​​or subranges covered within the range, as if each numerical value and subrange were explicitly listed. For example, the range “about 0.1% to about 5%” or “about 0.1% to 5%” should be interpreted as including not only about 0.1% to about 5%, but also the individual values ​​(e.g., 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%) and subranges (e.g., 0.1% to 0.5%, 1.1% to 2.2%, 3.3% to 4.4%) within the listed range. Unless otherwise stated, the statement “about XY” has the same meaning as “about X to about Y”. Similarly, unless otherwise stated, the statement “about X, Y, or about Z” has the same meaning as “about X, about Y, or about Z”.

[0014] In this invention, unless the context clearly specifies otherwise, the terms "an," "a," or "the" are used to include one or more species. Unless otherwise stated, the term "or" is used to indicate a non-exclusive "or." The statement "at least one of A and B" has the same meaning as "A, B, or A and B." Furthermore, it should be understood that the wording or terminology used herein (and unless otherwise defined) is for descriptive purposes only and not for limitation. The use of any section headings is intended to aid in reading this invention and should not be construed as limiting; information relating to a section heading may appear within or outside that particular section.

[0015] In the methods described herein, actions may be performed in any order without departing from the principles of the invention, except where the time or order of operations is explicitly listed. Furthermore, unless explicitly stated otherwise, specified actions may be performed simultaneously. For example, a claimed action X and a claimed action Y may be performed concurrently in a single operation, and the resulting method will fall within the literal scope of the claimed method.

[0016] As used herein, the term “about” may allow for a degree of variability in a value or range, such as within 10%, 5%, or 1% of the said limit of the value or range, and may include the precisely stated value or range.

[0017] As used herein, the term “substantially” means most or primarily, for example, at least about 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, 99.9%, 99.99%, or at least about 99.999% or more, or 100%.

[0018] alloy

[0019] like Figure 1As shown, according to one embodiment of the present invention, alloy 10 comprises elemental silver 12 and a metal oxide phase 14 dispersed in elemental silver 12. The metal oxide phase 14 comprises a wetting agent layer 16 that at least partially coats and encapsulates the metal oxide phase 14.

[0020] The metal oxide phase can take many different forms. As a non-limiting example, the metal oxide phase can comprise individual metal oxide particles, spheres, or fragments. This alloy is well-suited for high-load switches (e.g., switches carrying greater than 15 amps), where a silver-cadmium oxide alloy can be used.

[0021] During high-load switching operations, alloys can be used as contact surfaces. When the alloy undergoes multiple on / off cycles, the elemental silver at the contact surface briefly melts and then solidifies upon cooling. This is due to the high-temperature conditions of arc splash during on / off activities. During arc splashing, the metal oxide helps control the viscosity of the molten contact surface and also acts as a heat sink to help cool the contact surface as quickly as possible. The choice of metal oxide is also inextricably linked to its alloying properties in how it affects the conductivity of the silver oxide material and how it contributes to the alloy's anti-brazing properties (which prevents the contact material from acting as a solder or solder material). For many metal oxides, the surface energy at the interface between silver and the metal oxide does not promote wetting; therefore, when silver melts, it tends to be repelled by the surface of the metal oxide and begins to form two regions: a silver-rich region and a metal oxide-rich region. Once the metal oxide phase separates from the elemental silver, it can no longer mix with elemental silver. This is undesirable in switches because metal oxides tend to be less conductive than elemental silver. Therefore, if the separated metal oxide is adjacent to another contact of the switch, it may be difficult to allow current to flow through that contact. However, the wetting agent layer helps prevent complete phase separation between the elemental silver and the metal oxide phase.

[0022] In short, if the placement of the wetting agent can be designed according to this structural motif, it provides a continuous interface between the metal oxide phase and elemental silver, in which a substantially uniform distribution is maintained. That is, the wetting agent layer used has a sufficiently low contact angle with elemental silver, which helps ensure that the wetting agent layer is miscible with elemental silver. This helps to ensure that complete phase separation between the elemental silver and the metal oxide phase is substantially prevented or at least significantly delayed throughout multiple on / off cycles.

[0023] The various components of an alloy can constitute different weight percentages. For example, elemental silver can be approximately 80 wt% to approximately 98 wt%, or 88 wt% to approximately 96 wt%, less than, equal to, or greater than approximately 80.5 wt%, 81.0, 81.5, 82.0, 82.5, 83.0, 83.5, 84.0, 84.5, 85.0, 85.5, 86.0, 86.5, 87.0, 87.5, 88.0, 88.5, 89.0, 89.5, 90.0, 90.5, 91.0, 91.5, 92.0, 92.5, 93.0, 93.5, 94.0, 94.5, 95.0, 95.5, 96.0, 96.5, or 97.5 wt%. The metal oxide phase may be 4 wt% to about 12 wt%, or about 6 wt% to about 10 wt%, or less than, equal to, or greater than about 6.5 wt%, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, or 9.5 wt% of the alloy. The wetting agent layer may be about 0.05 wt% to about 1 wt%, or about 0.1 wt% to about 0.4 wt%, or less than, equal to, or greater than about 0.10 wt%, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.45, 0.50, 0.55, 0.60, 0.65, 0.70, 0.75, 0.80, 0.85, 0.90, or 0.95 wt% of the alloy. The precise composition of each component is influenced by the necessity of promoting a precise selection of coating thickness on the metal oxide particles (based on the metal oxide particle size distribution and the volume / mass / density of the metal oxide).

[0024] The amount of wetting agent in the alloy can be varied so that the wetting agent layer is about 10wt% to about 30wt%, or about 15wt% to about 25wt%, or about 10.5wt%, 11.0, 11.5, 12.0, 12.5, 13.0, 13.5, 14.0, 14.5, 15.0, 15.5, 16.0, 16.5, 17.0, 17.5, 18.0, 18.5, 19.5, 20.0, 20.5, 21.0, 21.5, 22.0, 22.5, 23.0, 23.5, 24.0, 24.5, 25.0, 25.5, 26.0, 26.5, 27.0, 27.5, 28.0, 28.5, 29.0, or 29.5wt% of the encapsulated metal oxide phase.

[0025] Elemental Silver

[0026] Elemental silver is used in alloys. Elemental silver possesses several properties that make it suitable for various applications. For example, elemental silver has excellent electrical conductivity, making it an ideal candidate for alloys used as contacts in switches. As described herein, elemental silver constitutes the bulk of the alloy. The elemental silver in the alloy can be aggregates, fine particles, or small spheres of elemental silver atoms.

[0027] Metal oxide phase

[0028] The metal oxide phase can comprise many different types of metal oxides. The metal oxide phase is uniformly dispersed within the alloy. The metal oxide phase can be one of many metal oxides. Non-limiting examples of suitable metal oxides include zinc oxide, tin oxide, tungsten oxide, copper oxide, copper peroxide, and iron oxide. The metal oxide phase can comprise one metal oxide and thus contain no other metal oxides. Alternatively, the metal oxide phase can comprise one or more metal oxides. Although many metal oxides can be used, the metal oxide phase described herein does not contain cadmium oxide.

[0029] Cadmium oxide has been used in alloys incorporated into switch contacts. While alloys, such as those made from elemental silver and cadmium oxide, perform well in high-load switching applications, cadmium oxide is known to have potentially harmful environmental properties. However, the inventors have discovered that, compared to silver-cadmium oxide alloys, alloys formed from elemental silver and another metal oxide can achieve substantially the same performance in switches while reducing or even substantially eliminating this harmful property, using a structurally designed wetting agent applied to the interface between the silver and the metal oxide.

[0030] Metal oxide phases can have many different shapes. For example, metal oxide phases can be formed from single particles or spheres that are generally spherical. Furthermore, metal oxide phases can be formed from single particles or spheres that have polygonal shapes or dendritic motifs. In other instances, the particles or spheres of the metal oxide phase can have elongated shapes, such as elongated shapes that are typically similar to fibers.

[0031] Typically, elemental silver and metal oxide phases are uniformly distributed throughout the alloy to form a substantially uniform distribution of elemental silver and metal oxide phases. That is, the alloy may not contain regions with non-uniform distributions of elemental silver and metal oxide phases. If the alloy is used in a switch along with contacts and subsequently exposed to repeated on / off cycles, the associated melting and re-solidification can lead to significant phase separation and non-uniform distribution. However, because the metal oxide phase is coated with a wetting agent layer, it remains substantially uniformly distributed throughout the cycles the alloy is exposed to.

[0032] wetting agent

[0033] The metal oxide phase is at least partially coated with a wetting agent layer. That is, the wetting agent layer can coat 50%-100% of the surface area of ​​the metal oxide phase, or about 90%-100% of the surface area of ​​the metal oxide phase, or less than, equal to, or greater than about 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% of the surface area of ​​the metal oxide phase. The thickness of the wetting agent layer can vary, but it can be thin enough to be considered a monolayer while still providing sufficient coating to substantially prevent phase separation. The wetting agent forming the wetting agent layer can be one of many different compounds. In some embodiments of the invention, the wetting agent layer comprises a single wetting agent and contains no other wetting agents. In other embodiments, the wetting agent layer comprises one or more wetting agents. The one or more wetting agents may be about 50 wt% to about 100 wt%, or about 95 wt% to about 100 wt%, or less than, equal to, or greater than about 51 wt%, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, or 99 wt% of the wetting agent layer.

[0034] Non-limiting examples of suitable wetting agents for forming a wetting layer include silver tungstate, copper oxide, molybdenum trioxide, tellurium dioxide, antimony trioxide, tantalum pentoxide, magnesium oxide, bismuth oxide, bismuth tin oxide, elemental bismuth, antimony trioxide, tantalum carbide, ruthenium oxide, germanium dioxide, tungsten oxide, or ruthenium oxide.

[0035] Each metal oxide in the metal oxide phase can be individually coated with a wetting agent layer. This creates an interface between the metal oxide phase and the adjacent elemental silver. This interface ensures that the elemental silver is in direct contact with the wetting agent layer of the metal oxide phase, rather than with the metal oxide phase itself. Therefore, in the alloy, the elemental silver does not directly contact the metal oxide phase.

[0036] switch

[0037] exist Figure 2 The diagram shows switch 20. A switch is a device that can connect, disconnect, or change the connection in a circuit. The mechanism of the switch may be housed within housing 21, which may include a cover for enclosing the mechanism and connecting it to the housing.

[0038] According to various embodiments of the invention, the switch may include a first stationary contact carrier 22. As shown, the first stationary contact carrier is supported by a housing, but other configurations are also contemplated. For example, the first stationary contact may be cantilevered by a post. A first contact pad 24 is attached to the first stationary contact carrier. The first contact pad is rigidly attached to the first stationary contact carrier. The first contact pad comprises a first alloy. The first alloy can be many different types of conductive alloys, including silver alloys. The first contact pad can be formed in various shapes, such as rivets or buttons, which are operatively associated with holes formed in the first stationary contact carrier. Alternatively, the first contact pad can be soldered to the first stationary contact carrier. In this case, holes are not required in the first stationary contact carrier. A second stationary contact carrier 26 is generally similar to the first stationary contact carrier. The second stationary contact carrier may include a second contact pad 28 formed of another conductive material (e.g., a silver alloy).

[0039] The switch further includes a moving contact carrier 30, which can move along... Figure 2 The arrow in the diagram illustrates the direction of movement from the first position to the second position. The contact pad 32 is rigidly connected to the moving contact carrier 30 and is made of a silver metal oxide alloy 10 as described herein. In another embodiment, the silver metal oxide alloy may be disposed on either stationary contact.

[0040] Figure 2 The switch schematically shown can be referred to as a single-pole double-throw single-break design. Other switch designs are considered in this disclosure. Examples of further switch designs may include a single-pole single-throw single-break design; a single-pole single-throw double-break design; a single-pole double-throw double-break design; a double-pole single-throw single-break design; a double-pole single-throw double-break design; a double-pole double-throw single-break design; and a double-pole double-throw double-break design.

[0041] Methods for manufacturing alloys

[0042] According to various embodiments of the present invention, a method for forming a silver metal oxide alloy includes coating a metal oxide phase with a wetting agent to form a coated metal oxide phase. The method further includes compacting the coated metal oxide phase with elemental silver to form a silver metal oxide alloy.

[0043] The step of coating the metal oxide phase with a wetting agent can be achieved in many different ways to form the desired designed interface between the metal oxide and silver. Coating the metal oxide phase is a pretreatment step, which differs from simply adding a wetting agent dopant as a powder to be blended with all other components to form an alloy.

[0044] A suitable method for coating a metal oxide phase includes a hot-melt coating method. Using such a method, the selection of the wetting agent and the metal oxide phase of the alloy is influenced by the respective melting temperatures of each component. That is, the wetting agent of the alloy is selected to have a melting temperature lower than that of the metal oxide phase. One way to coat the metal oxide phase with a wetting agent layer is to blend the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent. Blending is carried out at a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the wetting agent but lower than the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase. The wetting agent, melted in this manner, is applied onto the solid metal oxide phase. This forms an intermediate mixture of liquid wetting agent and solid metal oxide phase. This intermediate mixture is then cooled to a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the wetting agent. This causes the wetting agent to solidify into a solid coating on the metal oxide phase. Once solidified, the wetting agent becomes a wetting agent layer.

[0045] Precipitation coating of metal oxide phases using wetting agents is another suitable coating method. To coat the metal oxide phase, the metal oxide is first exposed to an aqueous solution or slurry containing a wetting agent. This causes salts containing the metal wetting agent to deposit on the surface of the metal oxide phase. Subsequent heating decomposes the precipitated salts, leaving the wetting agent on the surface of the metal oxide phase. In other variations, the sol-gel method can be used to initiate the precipitation and deposition process. In all these variations, the wetting agent as a coating on the metal oxide phase can be obtained using a concentration gradient of the precipitant, pH, temperature, or other precursor decomposition.

[0046] Spraying (spray drying or spray atomization) a wetting agent in the form of a melt, solution or slurry onto a metal oxide is another suitable method to obtain a coated metal oxide phase for forming a desirable interface between the metal oxide phase and the elemental silver component of the alloy.

[0047] Another suitable method for coating metal oxide particles with a wetting agent involves growing the coating as a thin film from the vapor phase. In this method, the metal oxide phase is exposed to the vapor of the wetting agent under conditions that promote the deposition and / or growth of the wetting agent on the metal oxide surface. This method utilizes the phase diagram and vapor pressure of the desired wetting agent, thereby making the wetting agent volatile, and exposes the volatile wetting agent to the particulate surface of the metal oxide particles, where the vapor deposits to form the coating.

[0048] In addition, electroplating a wetting agent onto a metal oxide phase is another method of coating metal oxides used to manufacture alloys.

[0049] In addition, all the methods described herein can be combined with post-treatment in a controlled gas environment to react and functionalize the wetting agent, thereby increasing the wetting agent's ability to prevent phase separation.

[0050] After coating with a metal oxide phase, the resulting coated metal oxide phase is pulverized and combined with pulverized elemental silver to produce a powdered raw material. The coated metal oxide and elemental silver raw materials are mixed to ensure a uniform distribution of both phases. The mixed raw material can then be placed in a die. Once placed in the die, the raw material is compacted under high pressure to form an alloy. The raw material can be heated simultaneously during compaction to promote alloy formation. Example

[0051] Various embodiments of the invention can be better understood by referring to the examples provided below by way of illustration. The invention is not limited to the embodiments given herein.

[0052] In one embodiment, the alloy comprises elemental silver, which constitutes about 90 wt% to about 94 wt% of the alloy. The metal oxide phase comprises tin oxide, which constitutes about 6 wt% to about 10 wt% of the alloy. The wetting layer comprises silver tungstate coated on the tin oxide. The wetting layer constitutes about 0.1 wt% to about 0.4 wt% of the alloy.

[0053] The terms and expressions used herein are descriptive rather than limiting, and their use is not intended to exclude any equivalents or portions thereof of the features shown and described, but rather to facilitate the understanding that various modifications may be made within the scope of embodiments of the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that while the invention has been specifically disclosed through particular embodiments and optional features, modifications and variations of the concepts disclosed herein can be adopted by those skilled in the art, and such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of embodiments of the invention.

[0054] Other implementation plans

[0055] The following exemplary implementations are provided, and their numbers should not be interpreted as indicating a degree of importance.

[0056] Implementation scheme 1 provides an alloy comprising:

[0057] Element silver; and

[0058] The elemental silver contains a metal oxide phase, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises a wetting agent layer that at least partially encapsulates the metal oxide phase.

[0059] Implementation scheme 2 provides an alloy according to implementation scheme 1, wherein the element silver is about 80 wt% to about 98 wt% of the alloy.

[0060] Implementation scheme 3 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-2, wherein the element silver is about 88 wt% to about 96 wt% of the alloy.

[0061] Implementation scheme 4 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-3, wherein the metal oxide phase is about 4 wt% to about 12 wt% of the alloy.

[0062] Implementation scheme 5 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-4, wherein the metal oxide phase is about 6 wt% to about 10 wt% of the alloy.

[0063] Implementation 6 provides an alloy according to any one of Implementation 1-5, wherein the wetting agent layer is about 0.05 wt% to about 1 wt% of the alloy.

[0064] Implementation 7 provides an alloy according to any one of Implementation 1-6, wherein the wetting agent layer is about 0.1 wt% to about 0.4 wt% of the alloy.

[0065] Implementation 8 provides an alloy according to any one of Implementation 1-7, wherein the wetting agent layer is about 10 wt% to about 30 wt% of an encapsulated metal oxide phase.

[0066] Implementation scheme 9 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-8, wherein the wetting agent layer is about 15 wt% to about 25 wt% of an encapsulated metal oxide phase.

[0067] Implementation scheme 10 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-9, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises zinc oxide, tin oxide, tungsten oxide, copper oxide, copper peroxide, iron oxide, or any combination thereof.

[0068] Implementation scheme 11 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-10, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises one metal oxide and contains no other metal oxides.

[0069] Implementation scheme 12 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-11, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises one or more metal oxides.

[0070] Implementation scheme 13 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-12, wherein the metal oxide phase is free of cadmium oxide.

[0071] Embodiment 14 provides an alloy according to any one of Embodiments 1-13, wherein the wetting agent layer comprises a single wetting agent and contains no other wetting agents.

[0072] Implementation 15 provides an alloy according to any one of Implementation 1-14, wherein the wetting agent layer comprises one or more wetting agents.

[0073] Implementation scheme 16 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-15, wherein the wetting agent layer comprises a wetting agent that is molybdenum trioxide, tellurium dioxide, antimony trioxide, tantalum pentoxide, magnesium oxide, bismuth oxide, bismuth tin oxide, elemental bismuth, antimony trioxide, tantalum carbide, ruthenium oxide, germanium dioxide, tungsten oxide, or ruthenium oxide.

[0074] Implementation 17 provides an alloy according to any one of Implementation 1-16, wherein the one or more wetting agents are about 50 wt% to about 100 wt% of the wetting agent layer.

[0075] Implementation 18 provides an alloy according to any one of Implementation 1-17, wherein the one or more wetting agents are about 95 wt% to about 100 wt% of the wetting agent layer.

[0076] Implementation 19 provides an alloy according to any one of Implementations 1-18, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises tin oxide and the wetting agent comprises silver tungstate.

[0077] Implementation scheme 20 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-19, wherein:

[0078] Elemental silver comprises approximately 90 wt% to approximately 94 wt% of the alloy.

[0079] Tin oxide constitutes about 6 wt% to about 10 wt% of the alloy, and

[0080] Silver tungstate comprises about 0.1 wt% to about 0.4 wt% of the alloy.

[0081] Implementation scheme 21 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-20, wherein the wetting agent layer is uniformly coated with the metal oxide phase.

[0082] Implementation scheme 22 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-21, wherein the wetting agent layer is a single layer.

[0083] Implementation scheme 23 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-22, wherein the element silver and the metal oxide phase are substantially uniformly distributed in the alloy.

[0084] Implementation scheme 24 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-23, wherein the metal oxide phase has a generally spherical shape.

[0085] Implementation scheme 25 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-24, wherein each metal oxide of the metal oxide phase is encapsulated by the wetting agent layer.

[0086] Implementation 26 provides an alloy according to any one of Implementations 1-25, wherein the wetting agent layer defines an interface between the metal oxide phase and the adjacent element silver.

[0087] Implementation scheme 27 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-26, wherein the element silver is in direct contact with the wetting layer of the metal oxide phase.

[0088] Implementation scheme 28 provides an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-27, wherein the element silver does not come into direct contact with the metal oxide.

[0089] Implementation scheme 29 provides a method for forming an alloy according to any one of implementation schemes 1-28, the method comprising:

[0090] A wetting agent is used to coat the metal oxide phase to form a coated metal oxide phase; and

[0091] The coated metal oxide phase and elemental silver are compacted to form an alloy according to any one of embodiments 1-28.

[0092] Implementation scheme 30 provides a method according to implementation scheme 29, wherein the wetting agent of the alloy has a melting temperature lower than the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase.

[0093] Implementation 31 provides a method according to any one of Implementations 29-30, wherein coating a metal oxide phase with a wetting agent includes blending the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent at a temperature above the melting temperature of the wetting agent and below the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase to form an intermediate mixture of a liquid wetting agent and a solid metal oxide phase.

[0094] Implementation scheme 32 provides a method according to any one of implementation schemes 29-31, wherein coating the metal oxide phase with a wetting agent further includes:

[0095] The intermediate mixture is cooled to a temperature below the melting temperature of the wetting agent to solidify the wetting agent into a solid coating on the metal oxide phase, the solid coating being the wetting agent layer.

[0096] Implementation scheme 33 provides a switch comprising:

[0097] First stationary contact carrier;

[0098] A first contact pad connected to the first stationary contact carrier and comprising a first alloy;

[0099] Moving contact carrier; and

[0100] A second contact pad is connected to the moving contact carrier, wherein the second contact pad comprises an alloy according to any one of embodiments 1-28 and is configured to selectively engage the first contact pad.

[0101] Implementation scheme 34 provides a switch according to implementation scheme 33, which further includes:

[0102] Second stationary contact carrier;

[0103] A third contact pad that connects to the second stationary contact carrier and contains the second alloy.

[0104] Implementation scheme 35 provides a method for manufacturing a switch, which includes:

[0105] Connect the first contact pad containing the first alloy to the first stationary contact carrier; and

[0106] The second contact pad is connected to the moving contact carrier, wherein the second contact pad comprises an alloy according to any one of embodiments 1-28.

[0107] Implementation scheme 36 provides a method according to implementation scheme 35, which further includes connecting a third contact pad comprising a second alloy to a second stationary contact carrier.

[0108] This application also includes the following implementation schemes.

[0109] 1. An alloy comprising:

[0110] Element silver; and

[0111] The elemental silver contains a metal oxide phase, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises a wetting agent layer that at least partially encapsulates the metal oxide phase.

[0112] 2. The alloy of Scheme 1, wherein the element silver is about 80 wt% to about 98 wt% of the alloy.

[0113] 3. The alloy of Scheme 1 or Scheme 2, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises about 4 wt% to about 12 wt% of the alloy.

[0114] 4. An alloy of any one of Schemes 1-3, wherein the wetting agent layer comprises about 0.05 wt% to about 1 wt% of the alloy.

[0115] 5. An alloy of any one of Schemes 1-4, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises zinc oxide, tin oxide, tungsten oxide, copper oxide, copper peroxide, iron oxide, or any combination thereof.

[0116] 6. The alloy of any one of Schemes 1-5, wherein the wetting agent layer comprises a wetting agent, which is molybdenum trioxide, tellurium dioxide, antimony trioxide, tantalum pentoxide, magnesium oxide, bismuth oxide, bismuth tin oxide, elemental bismuth, antimony trioxide, tantalum carbide, ruthenium oxide, germanium dioxide, tungsten oxide or ruthenium oxide.

[0117] 7. A method for forming the alloy of Scheme 1, the method comprising:

[0118] A wetting agent is used to coat the metal oxide phase to form a coated metal oxide phase; and

[0119] The coated metal oxide phase and elemental silver are compacted, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises a wetting agent layer that at least partially encapsulates the metal oxide phase.

[0120] 8. The method of Scheme 7, wherein the wetting agent of the alloy has a melting temperature lower than the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase.

[0121] 9. The method of embodiment 7 or 8, wherein coating the metal oxide phase with a wetting agent comprises blending the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent at a temperature above the melting temperature of the wetting agent and below the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase to form an intermediate mixture of a liquid wetting agent and a solid metal oxide phase.

[0122] 10. The method of Scheme 9, wherein coating the metal oxide phase with a wetting agent further includes:

[0123] The intermediate mixture is cooled to a temperature below the melting temperature of the wetting agent to solidify the wetting agent into a solid coating on the metal oxide phase, the solid coating being the wetting agent layer.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising: First stationary contact carrier; A first contact pad connected to the first stationary contact carrier and comprising a first alloy; Moving contact carrier; and A second contact pad connected to the moving contact carrier, wherein the second contact pad is configured to selectively engage the first contact pad and is formed of an alloy comprising: Elemental silver; and The elemental silver contains a metal oxide phase, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises a wetting agent layer that encapsulates and uniformly coats the metal oxide phase, wherein the wetting agent layer is a single layer, and wherein the elemental silver does not directly contact the metal oxide phase; The element silver is 90wt%-94wt% of the alloy. The metal oxide phase comprises tin oxide, which is 6 wt%-10 wt% of the alloy; and The wetting agent layer comprises silver tungstate, and the wetting agent layer is 0.1wt%-0.4wt% of the alloy.

2. The switch of claim 1, further comprising: Second stationary contact carrier; and A third contact pad connected to the second stationary contact carrier and comprising a second alloy.

3. The switch of claim 1, wherein the wetting agent layer defines an interface between the metal oxide phase and the adjacent element silver.

4. The switch of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide phase is coated with a wetting agent by one or more of electroplating, precipitation coating, spray atomization and wetting agent film vapor phase growth.

5. The switch of claim 1, wherein the wetting agent of the alloy has a melting temperature lower than the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase.

6. The switch of claim 5, wherein the coating comprises blending the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent at a temperature above the melting temperature of the wetting agent and below the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase to form an intermediate mixture of liquid wetting agent and solid metal oxide phase.

7. A method for forming an alloy, the method comprising: A wetting agent is used to coat a metal oxide phase to form a coated metal oxide phase containing a wetting agent layer; and The coated metal oxide phase and elemental silver are compacted. The wetting agent layer defines the interface between the metal oxide phase and the adjacent element silver, wherein the wetting agent layer is a single layer, and wherein the element silver does not directly contact the metal oxide phase. The element silver is 90wt%-94wt% of the alloy. The metal oxide phase comprises tin oxide, which is 6 wt%-10 wt% of the alloy; and The wetting agent layer comprises silver tungstate, and the wetting agent layer is 0.1wt%-0.4wt% of the alloy.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wetting agent of the alloy has a melting temperature lower than the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein coating the metal oxide phase with a wetting agent comprises blending the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent at a temperature above the melting temperature of the wetting agent and below the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase to form an intermediate mixture of a liquid wetting agent and a solid metal oxide phase.

10. An alloy comprising: Element silver; and The elemental silver comprises a metal oxide phase, wherein the metal oxide phase includes a wetting layer, wherein the wetting layer defines an interface between the metal oxide phase and the adjacent elemental silver, wherein the wetting layer is a single layer, and wherein the elemental silver does not directly contact the metal oxide phase. The element silver is 90wt%-94wt% of the alloy. The metal oxide phase comprises tin oxide, which is 6 wt%-10 wt% of the alloy; and The wetting agent layer comprises silver tungstate, and the wetting agent layer is 0.1wt%-0.4wt% of the alloy.

11. The alloy of claim 10, wherein the wetting agent layer encapsulates and uniformly coats the metal oxide phase.

12. The alloy of claim 10, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises one metal oxide and contains no other metal oxides.

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