Synergistic protective effect between phenyltriethoxysilane-functionalized silica and BTA and its synergy applications for electrical contact protection on brass

Electrical contact elements fail due to surface film or organic adsorption. The traditional method of protection is surface coating. However its process is complex and the coating is usually thick, which may increase the contact resistance. In this paper, we prepared phenyltriethoxysilane-functionalized silica (PTES-SiO₂) by co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and phenyltriethoxysilane (PTES), and mainly studied its synergistic effect with BTA, which provided a basis for the rapid protection of electrical contact elements. The results show PTES-SiO₂, rough surface and hydrophobicity, can improve the absorption of BTA on brass. We further sprayed the PTES-SiO₂ and BTA mixture. The protective performance of brass is significantly enhanced while ensuring the conductivity of brass within 10 times for covering a few particles by this new method. The air barrier layer forms between PTES-SiO₂ and corrosive medium, improving the electrolyte transfer resistance (Rt) of brass. The hydrophobicity of the surface is also improved. This method has broad application prospects in the field of electrical contact component protection.