The effects of glass powders prepared by spray pyrolysis on the structures and conductivities of silver electrode

Bi-based glass powders for silver electrodes were directly prepared by high temperature spray pyrolysis process. The prepared glass powders at temperatures of 1200 and 1300 °C had spherical shape, dense structures and narrow size distributions. The XRD pattern had broad peak at around 28°, which is the character of glass material. The glass transition temperature of the powders was 505 °C. The glass layer formed from the powders prepared at a temperature of 1200 °C had no voids inside and surface of the layer fired at 550 °C. The silver electrode formed from the paste without glass powders had porous structure with several microns pores. The porosities of the silver electrodes decreased with increase of the glass content added to the silver paste. The addition of glass powders to the silver paste decreased the sheet resistances of silver electrode. The sheet resistances of the silver electrodes with 0 and 5 wt% glass were 2.4 and 2.07 mΩ □−1 at a firing temperature of 550 °C.