Effect of reductants and their properties of electric resistivity on the preparation of Ag coated Cu powders by chemical reduction method

Silver coated copper powders were prepared by a chemical reduction method with controlling the deposition process variables such as the feeding rate of the silver ionic solution and concentration of the reductants at room temperature. The characteristics of the products were evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA) and a 4 probe resistivity measurement system. The optimum condition of the preparation of Ag coated Cu powders was at 0.05 M of potassium sodium tartrate and 2 ml/min of the feeding rate of the silver ionic solution. Our method successfully produced dense, uniform, and well-dispersed Ag coated Cu powder of 2-2.5 urn witha silver layer of 100-200 nm. Additionally, we found that thespecific resistivity of the 30 wt.% Ag coated Cu powder was similar to that of pure silver, so that the composite powder could be used as an alternative electromagnetic shielding material for silver.