Electrically conductive microballoons and compositions incorporating same
AssigneeCarolina Solvents, Inc.
InventorsWayne L. Gindrup, Rebecca R. Vinson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Electrically conductive microparticles characterized by high conductivity and low density are comprised of electrically nonconductive microballoons having an electrically conductive coating of a metal. When dispersed in an electrically nonconductive matrix, an electrically conductive composite material is formed in which the microparticles form a network of contacting particles throughout the matrix.
Claims10
A method of producing bright, mirror-like silver coated magnetic ceramic microballons comprising
- providing a quantity of microballons formed of a ceramic material comprising a magnetic material selected from the group consisting of iron, nickel, iron oxide, ferrite, and mixtures of these materials imparting magnetic properties of the microballon,
- dispersing the microballons in a plating solution consisting essentially of (a) a silver salt;
- (b) a reducing sugar and (c) an organic chelating agent and
- chemically reducing the silver salt to form a bright, mirror-like silver coating on the surface of the ceramic magnetic microballons.
A method of producing an eletrically conductive bright mirror-like metal coating on the surface of microballoons comprising
- dispersing the microballoons in a plating solution consisting essentially of (a) a salt of one or more metals selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, nickel, gold, platinum, osmium, iridium, and tin;
- (b) a reducing sugar and (c) an organic chelating agent and
- chemical reducing the metal salt to form a bright mirror-like metal coating on the surface of the microballoons.
A method of producing an electrically conductive bright mirror-like coating on the surface of microballoons comprising
- sensitizing the surface of the microballons by treatment with the salt of a metal selected from the gorup consisting of tin, platinum, and palladium, and thereafter
- forming a bright, mirror-like metal plating onto the sensitized surface by chemically reducing with a reducing sugar in the presence of an organic chelating agent a salt of one or more metals selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, nickel, gold, platinum, palladium, osmium, iridium and tin.
A method of producing an electrically conductive bright, mirror-like metal coating on the surface of microballoons comprising
- providing a quantity of alkaline microballoons,
- dispersing the microballoons in an acidic aqueous solution,
- then dispersing the microballoons in a plating solution consisting essentially of (a) a salt of one or more metals selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, nickel, gold, platinum, osmium, iridium and tin;
- (b) a reducing sugar and (c) an organic chelating agent and
- chemically reducing the metal salt to form a metal coating on the surface of the microballoons.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.