Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser – Synthetic resins – At least one aryl ring which is part of a fused or bridged...
Patent
1982-06-04
1985-05-21
Schofer, Joseph L.
Synthetic resins or natural rubbers -- part of the class 520 ser
Synthetic resins
At least one aryl ring which is part of a fused or bridged...
524401, 524434, 524784, 525223, 427 92, 427304, 427437, C08K 310
Patent
active
045187380
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a powder for use in dry sensitization for electroless plating comprising a plastics material with incorporated sensitized particles, and to a method for the preparation of such a powder.
Various uses of powders in connection with plating have been described previously. U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,351 describes a process for the masking of a copper surface which is to be partially etched, by sprinkling with a powder which is melted in order to obtain a continuous layer. Danish patent application No. 1507/79 (published as International Publication Number WO 80/02222) discloses the use of a plastics powder incorporating Sn.sup.+2 compounds for a dry sensitization of an insulating substrate, which substrate may be a plastic.
It is desired to obtain a better control of line definition (resolution) and adherence of a metal layer formed by electroless metal deposition than has hitherto been possible using known techniques.
The present invention provides a powder for use in dry sensitization for electroless plating, comprising a plastics base material which is a mixture of hydrophobic and hydrophilic plastics materials to which has been added sensitizing particles.
Useful sensitizing compounds are FeCl.sub.2 and Fe(NO.sub.3).sub.2, but it is preferred to use a tin compound, more preferably SnCl.sub.2, 2H.sub.2 O, as the sensitizing compound.
Typical suitable plastics base materials are polystyrene resin, acrylic resin, polyethylene resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyacrylamide resin and methacrylate resin, all of which have different degrees of hydrophilia and hydrophobia in dependence on the surface of the substrate on which they are to be used. The resins may be homopolymers or copolymers of one or more monomers. There exist a number of plastics materials which are used in the manufacture of toners for electrophotography, such as Stabilit Ester 10, Pentalyn G, or piccotoner 1200 (all manufactured by Hercules, Inc.) which are all examples of hydrophobic plastics materials. Melamine-formaldehyde, polybutadiene, polymethacrylate, and polyvinyl chloride are all examples of hydrophilic plastics materials as compared to the hydrophobic materials listed above.
A particular problem is solved in connection with plating of a polycarbonate substrate by using a styrene acrylate copolymer as the hydrophobic plastic and a polyhydroxymethacrylate as the hydrophilic plastic.
The invention in another aspect provides a method of preparing a powder according to the invention, comprising mixing hydrophobic and hydrophilic plastics materials and adding sensitizing particles thereto.
In a preferred method of preparing the powder according to the invention, finely ground hydrophobic and hydrophilic plastics materials are suspended and mixed with an aqueous medium, this mixture subsequently being sensitized through addition of a tin compound and spray dried to obtain a uniform grain size and a uniform distribution of the sensitizing particles.
The grinding may be either wet or dry in order to obtain a particle size of a few micrometers. The spray drying is preferably performed with an input temperature in the range of 130 degrees centigrade to 170 degrees centigrade and an output temperature in the range of 65 degrees centigrade to 90 degrees centigrade.
In a further preferred method of preparing the powder according to the invention, finely ground hydrophobic plastics material is mixed with finely ground hydrophilic plastics material, the mixture is suspended in water, and there is added thereto a solution of the sensitizing compound, the pH value being adjusted to stimulate sensitization at the subsequent spray drying.
The invention will be further described with reference to the following illustrative examples.
EXAMPLE 1
A powder according to the invention comprised:
______________________________________ Piccotoner 1200 (trade name Hercules, Inc.)
200 g
Polyvinyl chloride 100 g
SnCl.sub.2, 2H.sub.2 O 15 g
______________________________________
EXAMPLE 2
A powder according to the inv
REFERENCES:
patent: 4077853 (1978-03-01), Coll-Palagos
patent: 4154718 (1979-05-01), Miyata et al.
patent: 4246368 (1981-01-01), Murase
Sorensen Gunnar
Svendsen Leo
NESELCO
Reddick T. M.
Schofer Joseph L.
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