Production of silver-coated copper-based powders

Abstract

Silver-coated copper-based powders are prepared by the steps of dispersing copper powders in a chelating agent solution, adding a silver ion solution to the resulting dispersion to effect a substitution type of deposition reaction and, then, adding a reducing agent to the resulting solution to effect a reduction type of deposition reaction, thereby forming silver coats on the surfaces of the copper powders, wherein the chelating agent solution is prepared in two portions, a first portion thereof being prepared before the addition of the silver ion solution and a second portion thereof being added during the addition of the reducing agent, or in three portions, a first portion thereof being prepared before the addition of the silver ion solution, a second portion thereof being added during the addition of the reducing agent and a third portion thereof being added at the time of the completion of the reaction.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.