Electrically-conductive silver metal is provided in a pattern on a substrate having a first supporting side and a second opposing supporting side. One or both of the first supporting side and the second opposing supporting side has one or more electrically-conductive silver metal containing patterns containing the electrically-conductive silver metal; an α-oxy carboxylate; a 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound; and a polymer that is either (i) a hydroxy-containing cellulosic polymer or (ii) a non-cellulosic acrylic polymer having a halo- or hydroxy-containing side chain. Such articles can be used in various devices and electrodes.

Electrically-conductive silver metal is provided in a pattern on a substrate having a first supporting side and a second opposing supporting side. One or both of the first supporting side and the second opposing supporting side has one or more electrically-conductive silver metal containing patterns containing the electrically-conductive silver metal; an α-oxy carboxylate; a 5- or 6-membered N-heteroaromatic compound; and a polymer that is either (i) a hydroxy-containing cellulosic polymer or (ii) a non-cellulosic acrylic polymer having a halo- or hydroxy-containing side chain. Such articles can be used in various devices and electrodes.

There is provided a metal-coated Al bonding wire which can provide a sufficient bonding reliability of bonded parts of the bonding wire under a high temperature state where a semiconductor device using the metal-coated Al bonding wire is operated. The bonding wire includes a core wire of Al or Al alloy, and a coating layer of Ag, Au or an alloy containing them formed on the outer periphery of the core wire, and the bonding wire is characterized in that when measuring crystal orientations on a cross-section of the core wire in a direction perpendicular to a wire axis of the bonding wire, a crystal orientation <111> angled at 15 degrees or less to a wire longitudinal direction has a proportion of 30 to 90% among crystal orientations in the wire longitudinal direction. Preferably, the surface roughness of the wire is 2 μm or less in terms of Rz.

A method of forming a silver catalyst layer in chemical plating includes providing a substrate; applying a silver-containing solution onto the substrate; and applying energy of activation to the silver-containing solution to form a silver catalyst layer over the substrate. The silver-containing solution includes silver ions, a diamine compound, a carboxylic acid compound, and a solvent. In addition, the substrate having the silver catalyst layer thereon can be immersed into a chemical plating solution to form a metal layer over the silver catalyst layer.

A method of forming a silver catalyst layer in chemical plating includes providing a substrate; applying a silver-containing solution onto the substrate; and applying energy of activation to the silver-containing solution to form a silver catalyst layer over the substrate. The silver-containing solution includes silver ions, a diamine compound, a carboxylic acid compound, and a solvent. In addition, the substrate having the silver catalyst layer thereon can be immersed into a chemical plating solution to form a metal layer over the silver catalyst layer.

Provided is a semiconductor element including: a front-back conduction-type substrate including a front-side electrode and a back-side electrode; and an electroless plating layer formed on at least one of the electrodes of the front-back conduction-type substrate. The electroless plating layer includes: an electroless nickel-phosphorus plating layer; and an electroless gold plating layer formed on the electroless nickel-phosphorus plating layer, and has a plurality of recesses formed on a surface thereof to be joined with solder.

Provided is a semiconductor element including: a front-back conduction-type substrate including a front-side electrode and a back-side electrode; and an electroless plating layer formed on at least one of the electrodes of the front-back conduction-type substrate. The electroless plating layer includes: an electroless nickel-phosphorus plating layer; and an electroless gold plating layer formed on the electroless nickel-phosphorus plating layer, and has a plurality of recesses formed on a surface thereof to be joined with solder.

A nanostructure substrate includes groups of composite particles in which a reduced and deposited coating layer shows cohesive polarization action and/or electromagnetic polarization action. Also, to provide a nanostructure substrate, such active sites are dramatically increased to allow a medium to react homogenously over the entire nanostructure substrate. On a transparent semi-curable polyester resin film, groups of gold fine particles (average particle diameter: 20 nm) are reduced and deposited from an aqueous solution and self-aggregated. A half of the lower part of the groups of gold fine particles is submerged in the polyester resin film, and embedded in the front surface side of the transparent resin base body. Then, this transparent substrate is immersed in an electroless gold-plating solution repeatedly to deposit gold crystal grains on the fixed groups of gold fine particles.

Provided is a method for producing a composite alloy for use in an electrode for an alkaline storage battery, including a powder preparation step of preparing a hydrogen storage alloy powder containing Ti and Cr and having a BCC structure, an etching step of applying an acid to the hydrogen storage alloy powder prepared in the powder preparation step, a Pd film forming step of coating the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy powder subjected to the etching step with Pd using a substitution plating method, and a heat treatment step of heating the hydrogen storage alloy powder having a Pd film formed, at said heating being a temperature of 500° C. or less, wherein in the Pd coating forming step, the hydrogen storage alloy powder is coated with Pd under the condition that the Pd element weight ratio of the composite alloy to be produced is 0.47% or more.

Metal nanowires with uniform noble metal coatings are described. Two methods, galvanic exchange and direct deposition, are disclosed for the successful formation of the uniform noble metal coatings. Both the galvanic exchange reaction and the direct deposition method benefit from the inclusion of appropriately strong binding ligands to control or mediate the coating process to provide for the formation of a uniform coating. The noble metal coated nanowires are effective for the production of stable transparent conductive films, which may comprise a fused metal nanostructured network.