Combinatorial Analysis of Silver‐Palladium Alloy Thin Film Libraries

Abstract

Combinatorial analysis of Ag–Pd alloy thin films shows the formation of a solid solution with the face‐centered cubic structure for all investigated alloy compositions. Using mixed matter theory and the high field model, oxide growth upon applying an anodic potential is indicated. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy supports the idea of oxide formation based on a change in behavior correlated to a sharp increase in oxide formation as indicated by cyclic voltammetry measurements. After polarization at 4 V, a stable total impedance and increasingly less‐pronounced phase shift are detected in the frequency range of 100 mHz to 10 kHz, which encompasses the common range of application of active implantable medical devices (AIMD). Upon fitting the measured impedance data with the Randles circuit, capacitances are determined in the nF cm−2 range for the investigated alloys and attributed to the formed mixed oxide layer. Charge transfer resistances are found to be in the kΩ cm−2 range. No correlation between alloy composition and capacitance or resistance can be detected so far. These findings indicate a fundamental applicability of Ag–Pd alloys for use in AIMD.