Silver has long been the metal of choice in finishing electronic components, and the surge of electric vehicles has put silver at the forefront of the automotive industry.

But Rich DePoto, Business Development Manager with Uyemura International, says in this TechTalk with www.FinishingAndCoating.com that with the emergence of EV units, “all of the rules for automobiles have changed, and for silver.”

That’s why DePoto and the Uyemura team have been rolling out the development of its new Arguna platform of chemistry, which he says is intended to address all of the new demands for existing and future electronic vehicles.

“Things have changed,” DePoto says. “There are four areas that have really been changed, and No. 1 is that voltages have gone from 12 to 24 to 1,000 volts.”

Secondly, Depoto says temperatures — which were around 80°C max and often under the hood and easy to protect in an electric vehicle — in sealed components such as powertrains now all get to 150°C.

“That is dramatic,” says Depoto, who adds that electromigration under those operating temperatures can become an issue, as silver is susceptible to dendritic growth and shorting

Lastly is moisture in some of the components. He says in the past, some moisture could be tolerated, but not with the higher voltages, temperatures, and electromigration under all of those conditions.

“Silver needs to change,” DePoto says. “It needs to be as silver on steroids.”