Catalyst ink may be directly printed to a substrate using a stamp. Printed catalyst ink may converted to a pattern of one or more metal traces. Materials for a stamp and/or a substrate, and/or components of a catalyst ink, may be selected based on attraction of one or more of components of the catalyst ink to one or more print surfaces of the substrate and/or to one or more write surfaces of the stamp.

Shielding coatings are applied to polymer substrates for selective metallization of the substrates. The shielding coatings include a primer component and a hydrophobic top coat. The primer is first applied to the polymer substrate followed by application of the top coat component. The shielding coating is then selectively etched to form an outline of a desired current pattern. A catalyst is applied to the patterned polymer substrate followed by electroless metal plating in the etched portions. The portions of the polymer substrate which contain the shielding coating inhibit electroless metal plating. The primers contain five-membered heterocyclic nitrogen compounds and the top coat contains hydrophobic alky organic compounds.

Provided is a composition for forming a plating base on which plating is applied without a pretreatment, especially any activation process for the plating base, conventionally believed to be necessary, as well as a thus-formed plating base and a method of forming a plating coat over the plating base. The plating base is a coating film formed by applying and drying a metal nanoparticle dispersion liquid or a metal nanoparticle dispersion ink in which metal nanoparticles are protected with a small amount of protecting agent. Thus, a metal film can be formed by plating without operations such as substrate cleaning or catalyst imparting and activating. Since it is not necessary to wash the substrate with acid or base solution or to heat-treat it at a high temperature, many variations of materials become available for the substrate.

Metallized polymer particle compositions may comprise polymer particles, and a metal coating on an outer surface of at least a portion of the polymer particles. The metal coating comprises a plating metal and overlays a plurality of two-dimensional conductive nanoparticles and a catalyst metal. The metal coating may be formed by at least an electroless plating process conducted in the presence of the catalyst metal. The polymer particles may comprise thermoplastic polymer particles.

Two-dimensional conductive nanoparticles may facilitate preparation of metal coatings prepared via electroless plating. Articles having a metal coating may comprise: a polymer body, and a metal coating on at least a portion of an outer surface of the polymer body. The metal coating comprises a plating metal and overlays a plurality of two-dimensional conductive nanoparticles and a catalyst metal.

Materials and methods for coating an electrochemically active electrode material for use in a lithium-ion battery are provided. In one example, an electrochemically active electrode material comprises: a polymer coating applied directly to an exterior surface of the electrochemically active electrode material; a metal plating catalyst adhered to the continuous polymer; and a continuous metal coating that completely covers the metal catalyst and continuous polymer coating. The electrochemically active electrode material may comprise a powder comprising one or more secondary particles, and the polymer and metal coatings may be applied to exterior surfaces of these secondary particles.

An electrode, process for preparing the electrode and devices thereof. An electrode comprising at least one metal deposited on a substrate; and at least one electrically conducting polymer. The devices comprising the electrode for energy storage and molecular separation.

An electrode, process for preparing the electrode and devices thereof. An electrode comprising at least one metal deposited on a substrate; and at least one electrically conducting polymer. The devices comprising the electrode for energy storage and molecular separation.

In a preferred embodiment, there is provided a modified fabric composition, the composition comprising a fabric member and an electroactive member for storing energy, wherein the fabric member comprises a fabric framework defining a deformable plane and a plurality of projections extending at an angle from the plane, and wherein the electroactive member is coupled to at least one of the projections.

Walls of through-holes and vias of substrates with dielectric material are electroless plated with copper using tin-free ionic silver catalysts. Conductive polymers are first formed on the substrates by treating the substrates with a permanganate solution containing complexing anions followed by applying monomers, oligomers or conductive polymers to the substrate to form a conductive polymer coating on the dielectric of the substrate as well as on the walls of through-holes and vias of the substrate. A tin-free ionic silver catalyst is then applied to the treated substrate. Optionally, the tin-free ionic silver catalyst can include a ligand agent to form a coordination entity with the silver ions of the tin-free catalyst. The silver ions of the tin-free catalyst are reduced by the conductive polymer and then an electroless metal copper bath is applied to the treated substrate to copper plate the dielectric and walls of the through-holes and vias of the substrate.