Patent ID: 7172663

Claim:
A method for making a palladium-containing film, the method comprising the steps of: applying a layer of paste to a substrate, said paste including particles dispersed in a carrier liquid, said particles including a metallic phase and being substantially free of alkaline earth metals, said particles having a weight average size of from about 0.1 micron to about 4 microns; removing said carrier liquid from said layer of paste and forming on said substrate a film including palladium from said particles; wherein, said metallic phase comprises greater than about 50 weight percent palladium and is substantially polycrystalline with a mean crystallite size of larger than about 50 nanometers and said particles have a resistance to oxidation of said palladium in said particles such that, when said particles are heated in an atmosphere of industrial grade air at atmospheric pressure to a temperature of 900Â° C. at a heating rate of about 10Â° C. per minute during thermogravimetric analysis, said particles demonstrate a maximum weight gain of no greater than about 40 percent relative to a theoretical weight gain for complete oxidation of said palladium in said particles.