Simulation and experimental study on the properties of Y- and Ce-doped AgSnO2 electrical contact materials

Abstract

AgSnO₂ contact materials have become a hot topic of research due to their excellent performance and are widely used in various low-voltage electrical appliances. To further improve the performance of AgSnO₂ and appropriately reduce the silver content in the material to achieve silver-saving effects, introducing appropriate doping into the material is one solution. In this study, first-principles calculations were used to establish interface models for undoped AgSnO₂ with 88% silver content and AgSnO₂ doped with Y and Ce at 85.5% silver content. It was found that doping enhances the interface bonding of AgSnO₂ and optimizes its electronic structure. AgSnO₂ contact materials were prepared using the sol–gel method and powder metallurgy, and their wettability and electrical contact performance were tested. The erosion morphology of the materials was also analyzed. The results showed that although the silver content in the contacts was reduced, doping could still enhance the material’s resistance to arc erosion, with Y-doped contact materials showing the most significant improvement, thereby validating the rationality of the simulation analysis results.