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The paper presents the results on the wear resistance of PVD coatings on cutting inserts made from sintered carbide and sialon ceramics. The exploitative properties of coatings in technological cutting trials were defined in the paper, which also examined the adhesion of coatings to the substrate, the thickness of the coating, and the microhardness. As a result, it was found that isomorphic coating with AlN-h phase of covalent interatomic bonds exhibits much better adhesion to the sialon substrate than isomorphic coating with titanium nitride TiN. These coatings assure the high wear resistance of the coated tools, and the high adhesion combined with the high microhardness and fine-grained structure assure an increase in the exploitative life of the coated tools. In the case of coatings on substrate made from sintered carbide, there was a significant influence on the properties of the tools coated with them as concerns the existence of the diffusion zone between the substrate and the coating.

This work presents studies of the structure and functional properties of coatings deposited onto indexable inserts made of nitride and sialon tool ceramics with the required properties, i.e. high adhesion, microhardness, high resistance to abrasive and diffusion wear in working conditions of high-performance cuttings tools. In the present paper the results of the investigations of the structure, texture, mechanical and functional properties of the Ti(C,N), (Ti,Al)N, Ti(C,N)+(Ti,Al)N coatings were presented. The 80% increase in the hardness of the coatings in comparison to the substrate material was reported. Test coatings are characterized by good adhesion to the substrate. The maximum Lc load of (Ti,Al)N coat applied to the substrate from the nitride ceramics is equal to 42 N. In the studied coatings compressive stresses were found. The results of mechanical properties investigations, especially tribological ones correlate with the results of exploitation tests carried out during the cutting test.

The main aim of the research is the investigation of the structure and properties of single-layer and gradient coatings of the type (Ti,Al)N and Ti(C,N) deposited by physical vapour deposition technology (PVD) on the cermets substrate.

The objective of the study is assessment of suitability of the ALD method for application of a TiO2 layer on surface of 316LVM steel used for production of vessel stents. Selection of the appropriate process parameters for application of the layer affects its electrochemical properties, which largely determine resistance of the biomaterial to corrosion in the blood environment, thus affecting its hemocompatibility. To assess resistance of the AISI 316LVM steel with modified surface to corrosion, voltammetric and impedance measurements were conducted. The proposed variant of surface processing allows safe deformation of the TiO2 layer without its delamination.

This paper presents the application of artificial neural networks for prediction contact resistance of front metallization for silicon solar cells. The influence of the obtained front electrode features on electrical properties of solar cells was estimated. The front electrode of photovoltaic cells was deposited using screen printing (SP) method and next to manufactured by two methods: convectional (1. co-fired in an infrared belt furnace) and unconventional (2. Selective Laser Sintering). Resistance of front electrodes solar cells was investigated using Transmission Line Model (TLM). Artificial neural networks were obtained with the use of Statistica Neural Network by Statsoft. Created artificial neural networks makes possible the easy modelling of contact resistance of manufactured front metallization and allows the better selection of production parameters. The following technological recommendations for the screen printing connected with co-firing and selective laser sintering technology such as optimal paste composition, morphology of the silicon substrate, co-firing temperature and the power and scanning speed of the laser beam to manufacture the front electrode of silicon solar cells were experimentally selected in order to obtain uniformly melted structure well adhered to substrate, of a small front electrode substrate joint resistance value. The prediction possibility of contact resistance of manufactured front metallization is valuable for manufacturers and constructors. It allows preserving the customers’ quality requirements and bringing also measurable financial advantages.

Th e paper proposes a method fo r copper sheet oxidation by using a laser beam. The thickness of the oxide layer increases with temperature growth; therefore, the proper parameters of the experiment such as pulse power, frequency and the speed of the beam were adjusted. High power diode laser was used in the investigations. The topography of the oxidised copper sheets was determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy with EDS analyses. Optical parameters of the deposited layer were characterised by spectrophotometry. Both roughness and thickness of the investigated samples were measured using the confocal laser scanning microscope. The technological recommendations for the laser micro-machining technology to obtain copper sheet oxidation by using the high power laser beam were selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of an examination of the properties of thermal flame sprayed coatings produced by material in the form of four powders (two polymers: PA11 and PA12 CastoPlast, and two high purity: tin and aluminum) on the substrate of the unalloyed structural steel of S235JR grade. Investigations of coating properties are based on metallography tests (SEM and CLSM), measurement of microhardness (acc. to PN-EN ISO 6507-1:2007), anticorrosive (acc. to PN-EN ISO 9227:2017-06) and bend testing. Results demonstrate properties of flame sprayed coatings that are especially promising in the industrial applications where corrosion-resistant coating properties are required. Consequently, performed experiments show that the highest corrosion resistance is demonstrated by steel samples with a polyamide anti-corrosion system. Accelerated corrosion tests showed the lowest corrosion resistance of the tin coating system, however, they do not fully correspond to the corrosion processes in operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper was to apply the newly developed instruments 'Corescan' and 'Sherescan' in order to measure the essential parameters of producing solar cells in comparison with the standard techniques. The standard technique named the Transmission Line Method (TLM) is one way to monitor contacting process to measure contact resistance locally between the substrate and metallization. Nowadays, contact resistance is measured over the whole photovoltaic cell using Corescanner instrument. The Sherescan device in comparison with standard devices gives a possibility to measure the sheet resistance of the emitter of silicon wafers and determine of both P/N recognition and metal resistance. The Screen Printing (SP) method is the most widely used contact formation technique for commercial silicon solar cells. The contact resistance of manufactured front metallization depends of both the paste composition and co-firing conditions. Screen printed front side metallization and next to co-fired in the infrared conveyor furnace was carried out at various temperature from 770°C to 920°C. The silver paste used in the present paper is commercial. The investigations were carried out on monocrystalline silicon wafers. The topography of co-fired in the infrared belt furnace front metallization was investigated using the atomic force microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). There were researched also cross sections of front contacts using SEM microscope. Front contacts of the solar cells were formed on non-textured silicon surface with coated antireflection layer. On one hand, based on electrical properties investigations using Sherescan instrument it was obtained the knowledge of the emitter sheet resistance across the surface of a wafer, what is essential in optimizing the emitter diffusion process. On the other hand, it was found using Corescan instrument that the higher temperature apparently results in a strongly decreased contact resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the work it was demonstrated that the exploitative stability of edges from tool ceramics and sintered carbides coated with gradient and multilayer PVD and CVD coatings depends mainly on the adherence of the coatings to the substrate, while the change of coating microhardness from 2300 to 3500 HV0.05, the size of grains and their thickness affect the durability of the edges to a lesser extent. It was found that some coatings showed a fine-grained structure. The coatings which contained the AlN phase with hexagonal lattice showed a considerably higher adhesion to the substrate from sialon ceramics rather than the coatings containing the TiN phase. Better adherence of the coatings containing the AlN phase with hexagonal lattice is connected with the same kind of interatomic bonds (covalent) in material of both coating and ceramic substrate. In the paper the exploitative properties of the investigated coatings in the technological cutting trials were also determined. The models of artificial neural network, which demonstrate a relationships between the edge stability and coating properties such as: critical load, microhardness, thickness and size of grains were worked out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface modification techniques play a major role in shaping the physicochemical properties of 316 LVM steel used for implants. The utilised methods of surface layer modification must ensure repeatability and uniformity of the physical and chemical properties. The structure and chemical composition of 316 LVM steel implants can be modified using various methods, among which anode oxidation and sol-gel methods are dominant. One of the more important aspects related to maintaining implants (e.g. vessel stents) is ensuring the maintenance of their geometric characteristics along their entire length, which some methods cannot guarantee. For this reason, the most appropriate technique of surface modification in this context appears to involve atomic layer deposition (ALD). Improved biocompatibility is also directly related to ensuring an appropriate set of mechanical properties for the deposited layer. Thus, the study attempted to assess the mechanical properties of the TiO2 layers on a 316 LVM steel substrate, deposited using an atomic layer deposition-based method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study is assessment of suitability of the ALD method for application of a TiO2 layer on surface of 316LVM steel used for production of vessel stents. Selection of the appropriate process parameters for application of the layer affects its electrochemical properties, which largely determine resistance of the biomaterial to corrosion in the blood environment, thus affecting its hemocompatibility. To assess resistance of the AISI 316LVM steel with modified surface to corrosion, voltammetric and impedance measurements were conducted. The proposed variant of surface processing allows safe deformation of the TiO2 layer without its delamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the ALD process parameters on mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of TiO2 layer. The TiO2 layer was deposited on stainless steel surfaces at constant temperature T = 200 °C and number of cycles nc = 500 (g ≈ 25 nm). The applied methodology consisted of potentiodynamic and impedance studies, as well as adhesion test. The obtained results were the basis for selection of surface treatment method for stainless steel implants for contact with blood. Appropriate parameters of surface treatment realized by means of the ALD method is of significant importance. It will contribute to the development of technological conditions of specified deposition parameters of TiO2 layers on steel implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: MoN x O y films were deposited on steel substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering. The depositions were carried out from a pure molybdenum target, varying the flow rate of reactive gases. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed the occurrence of cubic MoN x and hexagonal (δ-MoN) phases for the films with high nitrogen flow rates. The increase of oxygen content induces the decrease of the grain size of the molybdenum nitride crystallites. The thermal stability of a set of samples was studied in vacuum, for an annealing time of 1h, for temperatures ranging from 500 to 800°C in 100°C steps. The results showed that pure molybdenum nitride films changed their structure from a meta-stable cubic MoN to hexagonal δ-MoN and cubic γ-Mo2N-type structures with increasing annealing temperatures. The samples with molybdenum nitride films evidenced a good thermal stability, but those with molybdenum oxynitride coatings showed a tendency to detach with the increase of the annealing temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study used the dip-coating method to develop a new biocompatible coating composed of polylactide (PLA) and casein for ZnMg1.2 wt% alloy implants. It evaluated its impact on the alloy's degradation in a simulated body fluid. After 168 h of immersion in Ringer's solution, surface morphology analysis showed that the PLA-casein coatings demonstrated uniform degradation, with the corrosion current density measured at 48 µA/cm 2 . Contact angle measurements indicated that the average contact angles for the PLA-casein-coated samples were below 80°, signifying a hydrophilic nature that promotes cell adhesion. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed no presence of lactic acid on PLA-casein coatings after immersion, in contrast to pure PLA coatings. Pull-off adhesion tests showed tensile strength values of 7.6 MPa for pure PLA coatings and 5 MPa for PLA-casein coatings. Electrochemical tests further supported the favorable corrosion resistance of the PLA-casein coatings, highlighting their potential to reduce tissue inflammation and improve the biocompatibility of ZnMg1.2 wt% alloy implants., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Titanium-based materials are the most widely used materials in biomedical applications. However, according to literature findings, the degradation products of titanium have been associated with potential allergic reactions, inflammation, and bone resorption. The corrosion process of Ti-6Al-4V in the human body environment may be exacerbated by factors such as reduced pH levels and elevated concentrations of chloride compounds. Coatings made of biopolymers are gaining attention as they offer numerous advantages for enhancing implant functionality, including improved biocompatibility, bioactivity, wettability, drug release, and antibacterial activity. This study analyzes the physicochemical and electrochemical behavior of the Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy subjected to PCL and PCL/TiO 2 deposition by the electrospinning method. To characterize the polymer-based layer, tests of chemical and phase composition, as well as surface morphology investigations, were performed. Wetting angle tests were conducted as part of assessing the physicochemical properties. The samples were subjected to corrosion behavior analysis, which included open circuit potential measurements, potentiodynamic tests, and the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method. Additionally, the quantification of released ions post the potentiodynamic test was carried out using the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) method. Cytotoxicity tests were also performed. It was found that surface modification by depositing a polymer-based layer on the titanium substrate material using the electrospinning method provides improved corrosion behavior, and the samples exhibit non-toxic properties.

In this report, the morphological, optical, electrical, and photovoltaic properties of copper oxide and calcium-doped copper oxide thin films produced via the spray coating method were studied. The thermal post treatment at 300 °C in an inert atmosphere allowed us to obtain a single phase of Cu 2 O with 21 Ωcm of resistivity (ρ). In this study, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, 4 wt%, 5 wt%, and 10 wt% Ca admixtures with copper oxide were investigated. The determined optimal calcium dopant concentration was 4 wt%. XRD analysis was used to reveal the chemical composition of the produced layers. It was found that a calcium dopant does not change the layer composition but improves its electrical parameters. Based on UV-Vis spectra, the band gap energy and Urbach energy were calculated. The morphology of produced thin films was described as smooth and nanocrystalline, corresponding to a grain size calculated based on the Scherrer equation. Finally, it was shown that the developed protocol of low-resistivity copper oxide deposition via the spray coating technique can be successfully implemented in heterojunction solar cell production. The I-V parameters of Ag/n-type CzSi/REF:CuO x and 4Ca:CuO x /Carbon were collected, and the achieved efficiency was 2.38%.

This paper discusses the impact of coal abrasive materials of varied petrographic composition and claystones containing admixtures of coal matter on the surface wear of wear-resistant martensitic steels. Wear tests were conducted at a test stand for three petrographic varieties of hard coal: vitrinite, clarinite, and durinite, and five samples of claystone. These tests revealed no significant effect of the type of coal abrasive used on the value of mass loss from the surface of the wear-resistant steel samples. The reason behind the foregoing is the observed tendency of coal abrasives, irrespective of their petrographic variety, to penetrate surface irregularities, especially those attributable to previous surface treatment of the samples and the impact of wear products. The dominant forms of surface damage were surface fatigue chipping and scratches caused by the particles which detached themselves from the surface of the steel samples, as observed for all the analysed coal variants. On the surfaces of the samples seasoned in the presence of claystones, highly varied forms of damage were observed: microcutting, scaly surface cracks, delamination, and deep cracks. In these cases, it was possible that the abrasive grains had been pressed into the steel surface irregularities, but no layered forms of the pressed-in abrasive material were observed to have developed. The paper also presents a model for the formation of coal films and discusses their possible effect on wear minimisation.

The paper presents the results concerning the influence of the thickness of the ITO and In 2 O 3 layers deposited by the magnetron sputtering method on the physical parameters characterising their surface properties. The characterisation parameters were obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Kelvin probe. The increase in the layers' thickness related to the time of their fabrication causes an increase in the surface roughness and the value of the work function, followed by a decrease in the concentration of elements and compounds in the near-surface area.

Low corrosion resistance is a significant problem of magnesium alloys, particularly ultra-light magnesium-lithium alloys. Surface treatment is one way to improve their corrosion resistance. The paper presents the results of tests of Ti/Al 2 O 3  + TiO 2 and Ti + TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3  + TiO 2 coatings obtained in a hybrid process combining PVD and ALD methods and ALD coating of Al 2 O 3  + TiO 2 type obtained on AE42 (Mg-4Li-2RE) and LAE442 (Mg-4Li-4Al-2RE). Structural studies were performed using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), atomic force microscopy and EDS and XPS spectroscopic methods. Potentiodynamic tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy EIS in 0.05 M NaCl solution were performed to determine the electrochemical properties of the tested materials. Moreover, tests of surface wettability and tribological properties using the ball-on-disc method were performed. Based on the analysis of anodic polarisation curves and Tafel analysis, it was found that the Ti + TiO 2 /Al 2 O 3  + TiO 2 coating showed the best potentiodynamic properties on both substrates. In particular, on the magnesium-lithium substrate, the value of the polarisation resistance of this hybrid coating is R pol  = 14 × 10 3  Ω × cm 2 , and the value of the corrosion current is j corr  = 0.4 µA/cm 2 . For the uncoated LAE442 substrate, the polarisation resistance is R pol  = 1.05 × 10 3  Ω × cm 2 , and the corrosion current value is j corr  = 5.49 µA/cm 2 . This improvement is due to the synergistic effect of the combined PVD and ALD technologies. The study confirmed the impact of hybrid coatings on improving the anti-corrosion and tribological properties of ultra-light magnesium alloys., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

This work presents a comparison of values of the contact resistivity of silicon solar cells obtained using the following methods: the transmission line model method (TLM) and the potential difference method (PD). Investigations were performed with two independent scientific units. The samples were manufactured with silver front electrodes. The co-firing process was performed in an infrared belt furnace in a temperature range of 840 to 960 °C. The electrical properties of a batch of solar cells fabricated in two cycles were investigated. This work focuses on the different metallisation temperatures of co-firing solar cells and measurements were carried out using the methods mentioned. In the TLM and PD methods, the same calculation formulae were used. Moreover, solar cell parameters measured with these methods had the same, similar, or sometimes different but strongly correlated values. Based on an analysis of the selected databases, this article diagnoses the recent and current state of knowledge regarding the employment of the TLM and PD methods and the available hardware base. These methods are of interest to various research centres, groups of specialists dealing with the optimisation of the electrical properties of silicon photovoltaic cells, and designers of measuring instruments.

This paper presents the synergy of the effect of two surface engineering technologies-magnetron sputtering (MS-PVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) on the structure and properties of 316L steel. Recent studies indicate that PVD coatings, despite their thickness of a few micrometers, have many discontinuities and structural defects, which may lead to pitting corrosion after time. Applying an ALD layer to a PVD coating seals its structure and contributes to extending the service life of the coating. Investigations of the structure and morphology of the produced layers were carried out using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). In addition, the structure of the coatings was investigated on the cross-section using a scanning-transmission electron microscope S/TEM. The tribological properties of the materials studied were determined by the ball-on-disc method. The corrosion resistance of the tested materials was determined by the electrochemical potentiodynamic method by recording the polarization curves of the anodes. Additional information about the electrochemical properties of the tested samples, including the quality, their tightness, and their resistivity, was obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). In addition, the main mechanisms of corrosion and tribological wear were determined by SEM observations after corrosion tests and after tribological tests. The study showed that the fabrication of hybrid layers by MS-PVD and ALD techniques allows obtaining coatings with electrochemical properties superior to those of layers fabricated by only one method.

The main goal of the carried out tests was to analyze the influence of the surface modification of a substrate by depositing composite ZnO layers by the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method. The samples were subjected to preliminary surface modification consisting of being sandblasted and electropolished. A ZnO layer was applied to the prepared substrates by the ALD method. As a precursor of ZnO, diethylzinc (DEZ) was used, which reacted with water, enabling the deposition of the thin films. The chamber temperature was as follows: T = 100-300 °C. The number of cycles was 500 and 1500. As part of the assessment of the physicochemical properties of the resulting surface layers, the tests of chemical composition of the layer, pitting corrosion, impedance corrosion, adhesion to the metal substrate, morphology surface, and wettability were carried out. On the basis of the obtained research, it was found that a composite ZnO layer deposited onto a substrate previously subjected to the electrochemical polishing process has more favorable physicochemical properties. Moreover, an influence of temperature and the number of cycles of the deposition process on the obtained properties was observed, where the ZnO layer was characterized by more favorable properties at a temperature of 200-300 °C at 1500 cycles of the deposition process.

This paper aimed to investigate the structure and physicochemical and tribological properties of ZnO coatings deposited by ALD on 316L stainless steel for biomedical applications. To obtain ZnO films, diethylzinc (DEZ) and water were used as ALD precursors. Zinc oxide layers were deposited at the same temperature of 200 °C using three types of ALD cycles: 500, 1000 and 1500. The structure and morphology of ZnO coatings were examined using SEM and AFM microscopes. The XRD and GIXRD methods were used for the phase analysis of the obtained coatings. To determine the resistance to pitting corrosion, potentiodynamic investigations and impedance spectroscopy were conducted in a Ringer solution at a temperature of 37 °C. The obtained results showed that the number of ALD cycles had a significant impact on the structure, morphology and corrosion resistance of the ZnO layers. It was found that after increasing the coating thickness of the ZnO on the material, its electrochemical properties determining the corrosion resistance also increased. Moreover, on the basis of the ball-on-plate tribological investigations, we found a significant reduction in the friction coefficient of the samples with the investigated coatings in relation to the noncoated substrates.

This paper presents results from the production of copper oxide layers on a Cu sheet substrate using diode and Yb:YAG disc lasers operating in the wavelength ranges of 808-940 nm and 1030 nm. The parameters of these layers were compared with the layer obtained in the thermal process of copper oxidation at 300 °C in an infrared (IR) furnace in a natural atmosphere. Investigations into the layers mentioned above, concerning their topography, chemical composition and roughness, were made using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). A hot-point probe was used to determine and check the type of conductivity of the copper oxide layers formed. The optical band gap energy was estimated by applying the Kubelka-Munk method based on spectrophotometric data. Cross-sections and the element distribution maps were made using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The phase analysis was investigated by the X-ray diffraction method (XRD). In sum, controlled laser oxidations of copper sheets allow for the formation of a mixture of Cu 2 O and CuO phases. The diode laser allows the production of a layer of copper oxides with a phase composition comparable to the oxides produced by the thermal oxidation method, while the distribution of high phase uniformity in the cross-section of the layer enables the process using a Yb:YAG disc laser.

The study addressed the microstructure and mechanical properties of hot-rolled advanced high-strength medium manganese steel. Some of the curves that were obtained in static tensile tests at deformation temperatures of 20-200°C showed the occurrence of the heterogeneous plastic deformation phenomenon, called the Portevin-Le Chatelier (PLC) effect. The deformation temperature significantly influenced a serration character. The correlations between the deformation temperature, serration range, microstructural features, and fracture behavior were investigated. The curves showed no Lüders elongation as a result of the thermomechanical processing applied. The serrated flow phenomenon was observed at 60 and 140 °C. The serration type was different and the most enhanced at 140 °C, where the PLC effect was present in both uniform and post-uniform elongation ranges. The disappearance of serrations at 200 °C was related to the increased diffusion intensity., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The purpose of this paper is to show the effect of tool materials surface treatment while using laser texturing on the structure and properties of cemented carbides and sialon ceramics. The tests were made on multi-point inserts subjected laser texturization and honeycomb-like texture was obtained. Comprehensive investigations in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) were made. Morphology was examined by the use of atomic forces microscope (AFM) and confocal microscope. The chemical composition of the tested materials using energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) was investigated. Moreover, exploitative properties, including wear resistance using the "pin on disc" method and roughness, were also tested. It was found that the laser texturing provides a suitable modification of the structure improving tribological properties. Tests suggest that laser texturing can contribute to the durability of cutting tool's edge, which qualifies this type of surface treatment for wide industrial applications.

This work presents comparison results of the selected electrical parameters of silicon solar cells manufactured with silver front electrodes which were co-fired in an infrared belt furnace in the temperature range of 840⁻960 °C. The commercial paste (PV19B) was used for the metallization process. Electrical properties of a batch of solar cells fabricated in one cycle were investigated. Three methods were used, including measurement of the current-voltage characteristics (I-V), measurement of contacts' resistivity using the transmission Line model method (TLM), and measurement of contacts' resistivity using the potential difference method (PD). This work is focused on both the different metallization temperatures of co-firing of solar cells and measurements using the above-mentioned methods. It is shown that the solar cell parameters measured with three methods have different, but strongly correlated values. Moreover, the comparative analysis was performed of the investigations of the same photovoltaic solar cells using both the TLM method and independent research stands (including one non-commercial and two commercial ones) at three different scientific units. In the PD and TLM methods, the same calculation formulae are used. It can be stated, comparing methods I-V, PD, and TLM, that for each, different parameters are determined to assess the electrical properties of the solar cell.

In this work we present research results on a new paste NPCuXX (where: NP-new paste, CuXX-component, XX-a modifier consisting of Ni and other important elements) based on a copper composite (CuXX) for fabrication of front electrodes in silicon solar cells. The CuXX composite is obtained by chemical processing of copper powder particles and can be used in two ways: as an additive to commercially available paste or as a base material for a new paste, NPCuXX. The CuXX offers the possibility to exchange up to 30 and 50 wt.% Ag into Cu, which significantly decreases the solar cells material costs, and therefore, the overall solar cell price. Emphasis was placed on a proper mass suitable fabrication process of the CuXX component. The NPCuXX paste has been applied both to conventional cell structures such as aluminum-back surface field (Al-BSF) and passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC), and finally solar cells with front electrodes deposited by screen-printing method were fabricated and characterized by current-voltage techniques. This paper reports the first implementation of the copper volumetric material into a screen print paste used in a high-temperature metallization process to fabricate the front contacts of Si solar cells with a highest fill factor of 77.92 and 77.69% for the abovementioned structures, respectively., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.