# US 2019/0172658 A1 · Silver metal oxide alloy and method of making > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0172658 A1 - Document ID: US20190172658A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/268,945 - Filed: 2019-02-06 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-23 - Assignees: Honeywell International Inc. - Applicants: Honeywell International Inc. - Inventors: Brian Keith OLMSTED; Jeffrey HALL; Darryl BALLARD - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190172658A1 ## CPC - H01H 1/04: Co-operating contacts of different material - B22F 1/18: Non-metallic particles coated with metal - C22C 1/101: {by coating} - C22C 5/06: Alloys based on silver - C22C 32/0021: {Matrix based on noble metals, Cu or alloys thereof} - H01H 1/021: Composite material - H01H 1/023: having a noble metal as the basic material - H01H 1/0237: and containing oxides - H01H: ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES (contact cables H01B7/10; electrolytic self-interrupters H01G9/18; emergency protective circuit arrangements H02H; switching by electronic means without contact-making H03K17/00) - B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER - C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F) ## Abstract Various embodiments disclosed relate to an alloy. The alloy includes elemental silver. The alloy further includes a metal oxide phase in the elemental silver. The metal oxide phase includes a wetting agent layer that coats the metal oxide phase. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An alloy comprising: elemental silver; and a metal oxide phase in the elemental silver, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises a wetting agent layer, wherein the wetting agent layer defines an interface between the metal oxide phase and the elemental silver that is adjacent thereto. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the wetting agent layer encapsulates and uniformly coats the metal oxide phase. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the elemental silver is about 80 wt % to about 98 wt % of the alloy. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide phase is about 4 wt % to about 12 wt % of the alloy. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the wetting agent layer is about 0.05 wt % to about 1 wt % of the alloy. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises zinc oxide, tin oxide, tungsten oxide, copper oxide, copper peroxide, iron oxide, or any combination thereof. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide phase comprise one metal oxide and is free of other metal oxides. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide phase is free of cadmium oxide. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, 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. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide phase comprise tin oxide and the wetting agent comprises silver tungstate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the elemental silver and the metal oxide phase are substantially homogenously distributed in the alloy. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the elemental silver directly contacts the wetting agent layer of the metal oxide phase. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The alloy of claim 1, wherein the elemental silver is free of direct contact with the metal oxide phase. ### Claim 14 A switch comprising: a first stationary contact carrier; a first contact pad attached to the first stationary contact carrier and comprising a first alloy; a movable contact carrier; and a second contact pad attached the movable contact carrier, wherein the second contact pad is configured to selectively engage the first contact pad and is formed from an alloy comprising: elemental silver; and a metal oxide phase in the elemental silver, wherein the metal oxide phase comprises a wetting agent layer and the wetting agent layer defines an interface between the metal oxide phase and the elemental silver that is adjacent thereto. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The switch of claim 14, further comprising: a second stationary contact carrier; and a third contact pad attached the second stationary contact carrier and comprising a second alloy. ### Claim 16 A method of forming an alloy, the method comprising: coating a metal oxide phase with a wetting agent to form a coated metal oxide phase comprising a wetting agent layer; and compacting the coated metal oxide phase with elemental silver, wherein the wetting agent layer defines an interface between the metal oxide phase and the elemental silver that is adjacent thereto. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the wetting agent of the alloy has a melting temperature below the melting temperature of the metal oxide phase. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein coating the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent comprises blending the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent at a temperature that is higher than a melting temperature of the wetting agent and lower that a melting temperature of the metal oxide phase to form an intermediate mixture of liquid wetting agent and solid metal oxide phase. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein coating the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent further comprises: cooling the intermediate mixture to a temperature below the melting temperature of the wetting agent to solidify the wetting agent into a solid coating layer on the metal oxide phase that is the wetting agent layer. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein coating the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent comprises: solution deposition of the wetting agent on the metal oxide phase, thermal-melt coating the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent, spray coating the metal oxide phase with the wetting agent, vapor phase deposition of the wetting agent on the metal oxide phase, electroplating the wetting agent on the metal oxide phase, or combinations thereof.