Abstract: The invention relates to a material for electric contacts taking silver tin-oxide as basis, consisting of silver or mainly silver-containing alloy, tin oxide and other oxides or carbides of tungsten, molybdenum, vanadium, bismuth, titanium, and/or copper.

Abstract: A semifinished product for electric contact made from a composite material based on silver-tin oxide is described as well as a powder-metallurgical process of making said product. The structure of the semifinished products contains regions which contain no metal oxide or very little metal oxide in alternation with regions which contain the entire metal oxide component or a greatly predominating/share thereof in a fine division.

Abstract: The electrode consists of a metal carrier (1) and a surface layer (3), which has been deposited on the carrier and has a thickness of 0.1 to 20 .mu.m and consists of a material which differs from the carrier material and distinguishes from the carrier material by having a smaller work function and lower thermal and electrical conductivities and is selected from the group tungsten, niobium, tantalum, rhenium and chromium. The carrier (1) consists of a deeply drawable material. There is preferably also an interlayer (2) made of a highly conductive metal.