Influence of the thermal annealing on the electrical resistivity and thermal diffusivity of Pd : Ag nanocomposites

In this paper, we report on the influence of thermal annealing on the elect rical and thermal properties of nano-clustered Pd:Ag particles packed into compressed thin wafers. The nano-crystalline Pd:Ag compacts were prepared b y solvent evaporation of non-aqueous metal colloids prepared by clustering of metal atoms in organic solvents at low temperature. Samples of Pd:Ag nan o-clustered powder so obtained were then compressed into roughly 250 mum th ick, 10 mm diameter wafers, and annealed at different temperatures, for abo ut 1 h. The dependence of the electrical resistivity and of the thermal dif fusivity of the resulting compacts on their corresponding annealing tempera tures were investigated using a LCR impedance meter and a photoacoustic the rmal diffusivity measurement apparatus. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.