Electroplated Palladium-Silver (60/40 wt%) Alloy as a Contact Metal

Palladium-silver wrought alloys have been used for many years as a contact metal for electrical contacts and connectors, and have successfully replaced gold in many applications. Palladium-silver electroplated alloys are now presented that have the desirable properties of the equivalent wrought alloys and can be used whenever electroplating wouid be advantageous. Electroplated 60/40 palladium-silver alloys are compared with cobalt-gold, pure palladium, and 80:20 palladium-nickel electrodeposits. The relatively inexpensive electroplated palladium-silver alloy was shown to be an attractive candidate to replace gold, palladiumnickel, palladium, or wrought alloys of palladium-silver as a contact finish.