A silver-plated product which has more excellent minute sliding abrasion resistance property than that of conventional silver-plated products, and a method for producing the same. The silver-plated product is produced by electroplating a base material 10 of copper or a copper alloy to form an underlying plating layer 12 of nickel or a nickel alloy, a first silver-plating layer of silver (lower silver-plating layer) 14, a zinc-plating layer 16 of zinc serving as an intermediate plating layer, and a second silver-plating layer of silver (upper silver-plating layer) 18 serving as a surface layer, in this order from the base material 10.

A zinc foil has a zinc crystal grain size of 0.2 μm or more and 50 μm or less. The zinc foil preferably includes: a base metal containing zinc; and a metal element other than zinc. The metal element preferably includes at least one selected from the group consisting of bismuth, indium, magnesium, calcium, gallium, tin, barium, strontium, silver, and manganese. It is also preferable that the content of the metal element is 10 ppm or more and 10000 ppm or less in terms of mass. It is also preferable that the zinc foil has an apparent density of 3 g/cm.sup.3 or more and 7 g/cm.sup.3 or less. The apparent density is based on contour measurement.

A method for producing a cold-rolled flat steel product coated with a metallic anticorrosion layer includes producing a steel melt containing in addition to iron and unavoidable impurities (in % by wt.): C: 0.01-0.35%, Mn: 1-4%, Si: 0.5-2.5%, Nb: to 0.1%, Ti: 0.015-0.1%, P: up to 0.1%, Al: to 0.15%, S: up to 0.01%, N: up to 0.1%, and optionally one or more elements from a group of rare earth metals. The method further includes casting the steel melt to give a preliminary product, hot-rolling the preliminary product to give a hot strip, coiling the hot strip to give a coil, annealing the hot strip, cold-rolling the annealed hot strip to give a cold-rolled flat steel product, finally annealing the cold-rolled flat steel product, and applying a metal anticorrosion layer based on zinc by electrolytic galvanization or hot dip galvanization of the cold-rolled and finally annealed flat steel product.

A method for producing a cold-rolled flat steel product coated with a metallic anticorrosion layer includes producing a steel melt containing in addition to iron and unavoidable impurities (in % by wt.): C: 0.01-0.35%, Mn: 1-4%, Si: 0.5-2.5%, Nb: to 0.1%, Ti: 0.015-0.1%, P: up to 0.1%, Al: to 0.15%, S: up to 0.01%, N: up to 0.1%, and optionally one or more elements from a group of rare earth metals. The method further includes casting the steel melt to give a preliminary product, hot-rolling the preliminary product to give a hot strip, coiling the hot strip to give a coil, annealing the hot strip, cold-rolling the annealed hot strip to give a cold-rolled flat steel product, finally annealing the cold-rolled flat steel product, and applying a metal anticorrosion layer based on zinc by electrolytic galvanization or hot dip galvanization of the cold-rolled and finally annealed flat steel product.

The present invention provides a zinc battery anode that includes a first layer of zinc foil. An electroplated zinc seed layer is formed on the first layer of zinc foil, the electroplated zinc seed layer having a thickness in a range of 0.01 to 2 microns. The invention further provides a method for forming a seed layer on a zinc battery anode. In the process, the zinc seed layer is deposited on a zinc foil battery anode by electrochemical deposition from a zinc ion-containing solution at a current density of approximately 20 mA cm.sup.−2 to 100 mA cm.sup.−2 to form a uniform and dense seed layer. Through use of a seed layer on the zinc anode, dendrite formation is prevented and long battery life is demonstrated.

The present invention provides a zinc battery anode that includes a first layer of zinc foil. An electroplated zinc seed layer is formed on the first layer of zinc foil, the electroplated zinc seed layer having a thickness in a range of 0.01 to 2 microns. The invention further provides a method for forming a seed layer on a zinc battery anode. In the process, the zinc seed layer is deposited on a zinc foil battery anode by electrochemical deposition from a zinc ion-containing solution at a current density of approximately 20 mA cm.sup.−2 to 100 mA cm.sup.−2 to form a uniform and dense seed layer. Through use of a seed layer on the zinc anode, dendrite formation is prevented and long battery life is demonstrated.

An electrode wire includes a brass core, a Cu—Zn alloy layer coated on the brass core, and a surface layer. The surface layer includes CuO, ZnO, Cu.sub.2(OH).sub.2CO.sub.3, and a Cu—Zn intermetallic compound. The surface layer is in the shape of particles or sheets spaced apart on the Cu—Zn alloy layer; and the Cu—Zn alloy layer is exposed with respect to spaces between the particles or sheets.

An electrode wire includes a brass core, a Cu—Zn alloy layer coated on the brass core, and a surface layer. The surface layer includes CuO, ZnO, Cu.sub.2(OH).sub.2CO.sub.3, and a Cu—Zn intermetallic compound. The surface layer is in the shape of particles or sheets spaced apart on the Cu—Zn alloy layer; and the Cu—Zn alloy layer is exposed with respect to spaces between the particles or sheets.

An anti-corrosion terminal material including a base material made of copper or copper alloy and a coating film laminated on the base material: the coating film includes: a first coating film, provided with a zinc layer made of zinc alloy and a tin layer made of tin or tin alloy which are laminated in this order, and formed at a planned core contact part; and a second coating film including the tin layer but not comprising the zinc layer, which is provided at a planned contact part being a contact part when the terminal is formed: and the zinc layer has a thickness not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 5.0 μm and zinc concentration not less than 30% by mass and not more than 95% by mass, and has any one or more of nickel, iron, manganese, molybdenum, cobalt, cadmium, lead and tin as a balance.

An anti-corrosion terminal material including a base material made of copper or copper alloy and a coating film laminated on the base material: the coating film includes: a first coating film, provided with a zinc layer made of zinc alloy and a tin layer made of tin or tin alloy which are laminated in this order, and formed at a planned core contact part; and a second coating film including the tin layer but not comprising the zinc layer, which is provided at a planned contact part being a contact part when the terminal is formed: and the zinc layer has a thickness not less than 0.1 μm and not more than 5.0 μm and zinc concentration not less than 30% by mass and not more than 95% by mass, and has any one or more of nickel, iron, manganese, molybdenum, cobalt, cadmium, lead and tin as a balance.