Spherical thiocyanate-coated Cu@Ag particles were synthesized by a galvanic replacement reaction. These particles were used to fabricate a conductive paste, which was printed on silicon wafers to manufacture inexpensive silicon-wafer-based solar cells. Cells with the thiocyanate-coated Cu@Ag particles showed comparatively favorable solar cell efficiencies because of improved thermal oxidation resistance, resulting from the deposited beta-CuSCN layers on the Cu@Ag particles.