Fascinating stuff. I can think of number of uses for this stuff.

Though, this begs the question, what is the best way to clean contacts? A
combo or mechanical and chemical, I'd imagine.

-MB

On Fri, Apr 10, 2020 at 12:33 PM Neil N <musomuso@gmail.com> wrote:

> > As I understand, stabilant ain’t as much a cleaner as a contact
> enhancer. ....
>
> Thanks for that link Alistair. That's an important difference to note;
> I see what you mean:
>
> ======
>
> " Stabilant 22 is an electrically active material which stays resident
> within a contact-pair, there enhancing conductivity without causing
> electrical leakage between adjacent contacts. Although Stabilant 22
> does have a detergent action it is not sold as a cleaner, just as it
> has a good lubricant action but is not sold as a lubricant. Stabilant
> 22 is used to increase the reliability of contacts. Tenfold to one
> hundred-fold increases are not unusual. At the present time it is used
> in many different types of contacts, including card-edge connectors,
> D-type connectors, MIL-spec connectors, signal switches, etc.
>
> Stabilant 22 is an initially non-conductive amorphous-semiconductive
> polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropyline block polymer with a molecular weight
> of about 2800 that, when used in thin films between contacts, acts
> under the influence of the electrical field and switches to a
> conductive state. The electric field gradient at which this occurs is
> established during manufacture so that the material will remain
> normally non-conductive. Its switching speed is too slow to allow it
> to be used in the more traditional semiconductor applications;
> however, this means that signals at frequencies substantially above
> five cycles per hour will not be modulated by the switching
> characteristics of Stabilant 22.
>
> Thus, when applied to electromechanical contacts, Stabilant 22
> provides the wide-bandpass connection reliability of a soldered joint
> without bonding the contacting surfaces together!
>
> In its undiluted form at room temperature, Stabilant 22 has the
> viscosity of medium-weight motor oil, although it thins out with
> increasing temperature, starting to decompose into the two polymers it
> is formed from at about 240° Celsius. It has a very low vapor pressure
> and therefore there is no appreciable loss of material from
> evaporation. It has been in some applications for more than fifteen
> years without renewal, and it is probably safe to say that in the
> majority of cases, the equipment on which it is used will be retired
> as obsolescent before the Stabilant must be renewed. "
>
>
>
> --
> Neil n
>
> VE7TBN
>
> 1988 Westy 50º ABA swap: https://tinyurl.com/yap5hpwt
>
> 1981 Westy 15º ABA swap: https://tinyurl.com/y9n4xob8
>
> VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay>
>

-- 
________________________________________________________________________
Mark Belanger - mbelanger@gmail.com