Improvement of the thermal stability of dendritic silver-coated copper microparticles by surface modification based on molecular self-assembly

In the study reported herein, silver-coated copper (Ag/Cu) powder was modified with alkanethiols featuring alkyl chains of different lengths, namely butyl, octyl, and dodecyl, to improve its thermal stability. The modification of the Ag/Cu powders with adsorbed alkanethiols was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Each powder was combined...