Simulation and Experimental Investigation on the Performance of Co-, Bi-, and La-Doped AgSnO2 Contact Interface Models Article Swipe
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· 2025
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15080885
The inferior electrical conductivity and elevated hardness of AgSnO2 electrical contact materials have impeded their development. To investigate the effects of Co, Bi, and La doping on the stability and electrical properties of AgSnO2, this study established interfacial models of doped AgSnO2 based on first-principles calculations initiated from the atomic structures of constituent materials, subsequently computing electronic structure parameters. The results indicate that doping effectively enhances the interfacial stability and bonding strength of AgSnO2 and thereby predicted improved electrical contact performance. Doped SnO2 powders were prepared experimentally using the sol–gel method, and AgSnO2 contacts were fabricated using high-energy ball milling and powder metallurgy. Testing of wettability and electrical contact properties revealed reductions in arc energy, arcing time, contact resistance, and welding force post-doping. Three-dimensional profilometry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize electrical contact surfaces, elucidating the arc erosion mechanism of AgSnO2 contact materials. Among the doped variants, La-doped electrical contact materials exhibited optimal performance (the lowest interfacial energy was 1.383 eV/Å2 and wetting angle was 75.6°). The mutual validation of experiments and simulations confirms the feasibility of the theoretical calculation method. This study provides a novel theoretical method for enhancing the performance of AgSnO2 electrical contact materials.
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- Type
- article
- Language
- en
- Landing Page
- https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15080885
- OA Status
- gold
- References
- 22
- Related Works
- 10
- OpenAlex ID
- https://openalex.org/W4412712756