Metal-coated zirconia articles
Metal-coated zirconia articles have at least one surface that is a surface-treated surface. The surface-treated surface is a phosphate-treated surface. At least a portion of the surface-treated surface is covered with a layer of metal. The metal covering adheres more strongly to the surface-treated surface than to an identical surface that is not surface-treated.
1 . An electrode, comprising:
a zirconia-containing article comprising:
at least one major surface comprising a phosphate surface-treated surface, wherein the phosphate surface-treated surface is formed by a phosphate salt solution;
at least one non-porous ceramic particle having a compression strength greater than 400 megapascals and comprising at least one shaped zirconia-containing particle; and
a layer of metal covering at least a portion of the phosphate surface-treated surface, wherein the layer of metal covering adheres more strongly to the phosphate surface-treated surface than to an untreated surface.
2 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the at least one shaped zirconia-containing particle comprises at least one point.
3 . The electrode of claim 2 , wherein at least one dimension of the at least one shaped zirconia-containing particle is 175 to 1,500 micrometers.
4 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the layer of metal covering comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, zinc, gold, aluminum, iron, nickel, and alloys thereof.
5 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the layer of metal covering has a thickness of 20 nanometers to 2 micrometers.
6 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the layer of metal covering is electrically conductive.
7 . A method of preparing an electrode, the method comprising:
providing a zirconia-containing article comprising:
at least one major surface;
at least one non-porous ceramic particle having a compression strength greater than 400 megapascals and comprising at least one shaped zirconia-containing particle;
surface treating at least a portion of the at least one major surface of the zirconia-containing article with a phosphate salt solution to generate a phosphate-treated surface; and
disposing a layer of metal on at least a portion of the phosphate-treated surface.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the layer of metal comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, zinc, gold, aluminum, iron, nickel and alloys thereof.
9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein disposing the layer of metal on at least a portion of the at least one major surface comprises disposing a metal from a metal solution by a chemical reduction reaction.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the metal comprises silver, and the silver from the metal solution comprises inducing a Tollens reaction.
11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the metal comprises silver, and the silver from the metal solution comprises inducing a thermal reduction process.
12 . The method of claim 7 , wherein disposing the layer of metal comprises using a process selected from the group consisting of sputtering or evaporative deposition.
13 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the zirconia-containing article comprises non-compressive shaped zirconia-containing particles.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the non-compressive shaped zirconia-containing particles comprise at least one point.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein at least one dimension of the non-compressive shaped zirconia-containing particles is 175 to 1,500 micrometers.
16 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the layer of metal is electrically conductive.