Silver Paints/Pastes

All of paints and pastes listed on this page have been designed for specific microscopy laboratory applications, but we also know that all of them can be used to make any surface conductive. We offer the following comments to help those trying to decide which of these various products would be the most appropriate for their own particular application. Remember that the ultimate characteristics of the paints and pastes spring from the inherent properties of the respective metals, those being either silver or platinum.

The SPI Supplies Brand of silver paints are used widely throughout the world in the leading laboratories where scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is performed. The high purity of the silver solids and suspending medium make the SPI Supplies Brand the preferred brand wherever these kinds of microscopy are performed.

All of these paint products are electrically conductive. The carbon paint, however, while it is sufficiently conductive for its intended use for the grounding specimens for scanning electron microscopy, may not be sufficiently conductive for other applications, such as plating. One would have to try it in order to find out if it would work in their own specific plating application. The silver and platinum paint products are much more conductive than the carbon paint products, but also more expensive.

For those concerned about hazardous shipping costs, or just wanting to reduce VOCs in their own lab, we now offer a water based silver paint with no VOCs.