Metal fiber brush interface conditioning

An electrical brush for electrically contacting a moving contact surface, comprising:

• plural conductive elements;
• at least one conditioning material disposed on interior ones of the plural conductive elements and in contact with the moving contact surface;
• a thickness of the conditioning material on the plural conductive elements ranges from SC=0.01 μm to 15 μm;
• the conditioning material having a composition such that, when in sliding contact with a moving contact surface, the conditioning material has an average film thickness on the contact surface of S from several atomic layers to 1 μm, so that current is conducted over a fractional conducting area fC of the contact surface S, where 0.01≦fC≦1;
• and
• a foot print of the conductive elements having a current conductive area in which a film thickness Si is 1.0 nm≦Si≦12 nm thick.

An electrical interface comprising

• a moving contact surface;
• and
• an electrical fiber brush in electrical contact with the moving contact surface, the brush comprising,
• plural conductive elements,
• at least one conditioning material disposed on interior ones of the plural conductive elements and in contact with the moving contact surface,
• a thickness of the conditioning material on the plural conductive elements ranges from SC=0.01 μm to 15 μm,
• the conditioning material having a composition such that, when in sliding contact with a moving contact surface, the conditioning material has an average film thickness on the contact surface of S from several atomic layers to 1 μm, so that current is conducted over a fractional conducting area fC of the contact surface S, where 0.01≦fC≦1, and
• a foot print of the conductive elements having a current conductive area in which a film thickness Si is 1.0 nm≦Si≦12 nm thick.

An electrical brush for electrically contacting a moving contact surface, comprising:

• plural conductive elements;
• at least one conditioning material disposed on interior ones of the plural conductive elements and in contact with the moving contact surface;
• a thickness of the conditioning material on the plural conductive elements ranges from SC=0.01 μm to 15 μm;
• the conditioning material having a composition such that, when in sliding contact with a moving contact surface, the conditioning material has an average film thickness on the contact surface of S from several atomic layers to 1 μm, so that current is conducted over a fractional conducting area fC of the contact surface S, where 0.01≦fC≦1;
• a foot print of the conductive elements having a current conductive area in which a film thickness Si is 1.0 nm≦Si≦12 nm thick;
• and
• said at least one conditioning material comprising a solvent-transported dielectric material deposited from a solution onto the at least one conductive element.

An electrical brush for electrically contacting a moving contact surface and having plural conductive elements, at least one conditioning material disposed on interior ones of the plural conductive elements and in contact with the moving contact surface, the at least one conditioning material including a dielectric material including at least one of a lanoline compound, a triazole compound, and a scotchguard compound, said at least one conditioning material formed on the at least one conductive element by the process comprising:

• dissolving the dielectric material in a solvent to produce a solution of the dielectric material and the solvent;
• applying the solution to the plural conductive elements;
• and
• removing substantially all the solvent to infiltrate into the plural conductive elements a solvent-transported dielectric material including at least one of the lanoline compound, the triazole compound, and the scotchguard compound on said end of the at least one conductive element toward the moving contact surface,
• wherein the dielectric material has a composition such that, when in sliding contact with a moving contact surface, the dielectric material has an average film thickness on the contact surface of S from several atomic layers to 1 μm, so that current is conducted over a fractional conducting area fC of the contact surface S, where 0.01≦fC≦1, of a foot print of the conductive element in a current conductive area in which the film thickness Si is 1.0 nm≦Si≦12 nm thick.