This invention describes a process for selectively depositing metal on the surfaces of inorganic dielectric materials such as glass, ceramics, or semiconductor materials. The method enables the rapid and precise formation of electric circuits on both flat and three-dimensional surfaces. The production method includes steps: firstly, treatment of an item surface with an ultrashort pulse laser of the areas for metallisation, seconds step pre-treatment with the ROH solution followed by metal salt catalyst activation in a bath and finally electroless metal plating. During immersion in the metal salt catalyst activation bath, localized ROH molecules on the item's surface act as reducing agents, facilitating the reduction of metal ions from the activation bath. This results in the formation of catalytic seeds exclusively at the laser-modified areas. The metal layers exhibit high adhesion to the dielectric surface due to the formation of chemical bonds.

There is provided a method for producing a plated article in which a plating film pattern is formed on the surface of a glass substrate, comprising a first step of irradiating a partial area of the surface of the glass substrate with a pulsed laser; a second step of attaching an electroless catalyst on the surface of the glass substrate; a third step of selectively deactivating or selectively removing the catalyst attached to the unirradiated area with the pulsed laser in the glass substrate; and a fourth step of nonelectrolytically plating the glass substrate after the third step to selectively form a plating film in the irradiated area with the pulsed laser. The method allows for easily producing a plated article in which a highly adherent plating film pattern is formed on the surface of the glass substrate.

Devices and methods for metalizing temperature sensitive materials including fabrics are provided. Contemplated method begins with a step of applying a catalyst solution on the temperature-sensitive material to form an at least partially catalyst-coated substrate. Then the catalyst-coated substrate is incubated at a relatively low temperature. Optionally, in some embodiments, the low temperature incubated substrate is incubated at a relatively high temperature. Then, a layer of an electroless metal is deposited on the at least partially catalyst-coated substrate using an electroless metal deposition technique.

Process of depositing a metallic pattern on a medium, said process comprising: generating pulsed laser beams from a pulsed laser source, wherein the laser beams have a wavelength for which the medium is substantially transparent, focussing the laser beams onto a target layer comprising inorganic particles, dispersed in a laser light degradable/combustible organic matrix, said target layer producing ejecta in response to an interaction of said laser beams and said target layer, accumulating at least a portion of said ejecta on said medium within the desired pattern, providing the pattern by electroless metal plating. The invention further relates to a transparent medium comprising a metallic pattern wherein the adhesion between the metallic pattern and the medium is at least 5N/cm.

A non-aqueous metal catalytic composition includes (a) a silver complex comprising reducible silver ions, (b) an oxyazinium salt silver ion photoreducing agent, (c) a hindered pyridine, (d) a photocurable component, a non-curable polymer, or combination of a photocurable component and a non-curable polymer, and (e) a photo sensitizer different from all components (a) through (d) in the non-aqueous metal catalytic composition, in an amount of at least 1 weight %. This non-aqueous metal catalytic composition can be used to form silver metal particles in situ during suitable reducing conditions. The silver metal can be provided in a suitable layer or pattern on a substrate, which can then be subsequently subjected to electroless plating to form electrically-conductive layers or patterns for use in various articles or as touch screen displays in electronic devices.

The pretreatment solution for electroless plating of the present invention is composed of noble metal colloidal nanoparticles, a sugar alcohol, and water. The colloidal nanoparticles are gold, platinum, or palladium, have an average particle diameter of 5 to 80 nm, and are contained in the pretreatment solution in an amount of 0.01 to 10 g/L as metal mass. The sugar alcohol is at least one selected from the group consisting of tritol, tetritol, pentitol, hexitol, heptitol, octitol, inositol, quercitol, or pentaerythritol and is contained in the pretreatment solution in an amount of 0.01 to 200 g/L in total. The electroless plating method of the present invention uses the pretreatment solution and performs the electroless plating in an electroless plating bath.

A non-aqueous metal catalytic composition includes (a) a complex of silver and a hindered aromatic N-heterocycle comprising reducible silver ions in an amount of at least 2 weight %, (b) a silver ion photoreducing composition in an amount of at least 1 weight %, and (c) a photocurable component, a non-curable polymer, or a combination of a photocurable component and a non-curable polymer. This non-aqueous metal catalytic composition can be used to form silver metal particles in situ during suitable reducing conditions. The silver metal can be provided in a suitable layer or pattern on a substrate, which can then be subsequently subjected to electroless plating to form electrically-conductive layers or patterns for use in various articles or as touch screen displays in electronic devices.

A non-aqueous metal catalytic composition includes (a) a complex of silver and an oxime comprising reducible silver ions in an amount of at least 2 weight %, (b) a silver ion photoreducing composition in an amount of at least 1 weight %, and (c) a photocurable component, a non-curable polymer, or a combination of a photocurable component and a non-curable polymer. This non-aqueous metal catalytic composition can be used to form silver metal particles in situ during suitable reducing conditions. The silver metal can be provided in a suitable layer or pattern on a substrate, which can then be subsequently subjected to electroless plating to form electrically-conductive layers or patterns for use in various articles or as touch screen displays in electronic devices.

This invention describes a process for selectively depositing metal on the surfaces of inorganic dielectric materials such as glass, ceramics, or semiconductor materials. The method enables the rapid and precise formation of electric circuits on both flat and three-dimensional surfaces. The production method includes steps: firstly, treatment of an item surface with an ultrashort pulse laser of the areas for metallisation, seconds step pre-treatment with the ROH solution followed by metal salt catalyst activation in a bath and finally electroless metal plating. During immersion in the metal salt catalyst activation bath, localized ROH molecules on the item's surface act as reducing agents, facilitating the reduction of metal ions from the activation bath. This results in the formation of catalytic seeds exclusively at the laser-modified areas. The metal layers exhibit high adhesion to the dielectric surface due to the formation of chemical bonds.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a catalyst for water electrolysis using a fluorine-doped support, comprising: preparing a support; doping fluorine onto the support; and forming a metal particle catalyst on a surface of the fluorine-doped support, and to a catalyst for water electrolysis manufactured thereby. The present invention uses a dry plasma process to omit the cleaning process and can easily form fluorine doping on the surface without causing structural collapse of the support material.