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US 4,374,709 AGranted
Process for plating polymeric substrates
AssigneeOccidental Chemical Corporation
InventorDaniel J. Combs
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AssigneeOccidental Chemical Corporation
InventorDaniel J. Combs
Estimating the term…
A process for pretreating a substantially non-conductive substrate such as a plateable plastic or plastic article having an electroless metal deposit on the surface thereof which comprises the steps of conditioning the surface of the substrate to effect an increase in the conductivity thereof with a dilute aqueous acidic solution containing controlled effective amounts of copper, acid and a polyether compound followed by an electrolytic acid copper strike employing a more concentrated aqueous electrolyte containing copper, acid and a polyether compound. The conditioning and electrolytic copper strike steps can be performed without necessitating any intervening rinse steps to provide a conductive basis for subsequently depositing adherent and uniform electroplates such as decorative acid copper or the like.
A process for pretreating a substantially non-conductive substrate to render it receptive to subsequent electroplating operations which comprises the steps of contacting a substrate with a dilute aqueous conditioning solution containing controlled effective amounts of copper ions, acid and a bath soluble polyether compound for a period of time to effect an immersion deposit of copper on the substate and reduce the resistivity thereof, and thereafter electrolytically depositing on the conditioned substrate a copper strike employing an aqueous acidic electrolyte containing copper ions, acid and a bath soluble polyether compound present in amounts effective to deposit a uniform, adherent and conductive copper strike on the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.