Patent · US Expired

Electrical devices containing conductive polymers

US5874885A · kind A · utility

35Cited by
31References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 13, 1997
Grant dateFeb 23, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 13, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01C1/1406
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An electrical device (1) in which an element (7) composed of a conductive polymer is positioned in contact with the surface layer of one or more metal electrodes (3,5). The metal electrode contains a base layer (9) which comprises a first metal, an intermediate metal layer (15) which comprises a metal that is different from the first metal, and a surface layer (17) which (i) comprises a second metal, (ii) has a center line average roughness R.sub.a of at least 1.3, and (iii) has a reflection density R.sub.d of at least 0.60. The conductive polymer composition preferably exhibits PTC behavior. The electrical devices, which may be, for example, circuit protection devices or heaters, have improved thermal and electrical performance over devices prepared with electrodes which do not meet the center line average roughness and reflection density requirements.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.