Abstract: Contacts that can be highly corrosion resistant, can be readily manufactured, and can conserve precious materials. One example can provide contacts having a layer of a precious-metal alloy to improve corrosion resistance. The precious-metal-alloy layer can be plated with a hard, durable, wear and corrosion resistant plating stack for further corrosion resistance and wear improvement. The resources consumed by a contact can be reduced by forming a bulk or substrate region of the contact using a more readily available material, such as copper or a material that is primarily copper based.

Abstract: Contacts that can be highly corrosion resistant, can be readily manufactured, and can conserve precious materials . One example can provide contacts having a layer of a precious-metal alloy to improve corrosion resistance. The precious-metal-alloy layer can be plated with a hard, durable, wear and corrosion resistant plating stack for further corrosion resistance and wear improvement. The resources consumed by a contact can be reduced by forming a bulk or substrate region of the contact using a more readily available material, such as copper or a material that is primarily copper based.

Abstract: Electrical contacts having good corrosion resistance. These contacts may include a set of three layers. The three layers may include a first or top layer and two layers below the top layer. The second or middle layer may be more electrochemically active than either the first layer or the third layer. The first layer may include cracks, pores, or other discontinuities. Corrosive substances may pass through these cracks, pores, and other discontinuities and corrode the second, more electrochemically active layer below the first layer. The cracks, pores, and other discontinuities may spread the corrosion homogenously and laterally across the surface of the contact, thereby protecting the remainder of the contact.