Articles can be prepared having silver layers or patterns using a non-aqueous silver precursor composition consisting essentially of: at least 1 weight % of one or more (a) cellulosic polymers, (b) at least 0.1 weight % of reducible silver ions, and (c) an organic solvent medium consisting of: (i) one or more hydroxylic organic solvents, and, optionally, (ii) a nitrile-containing or carbonate-containing aprotic solvent. This composition is subjected to a temperature of at least 20 C. for a time sufficient to convert at least 90 mol % of the (b) reducible silver ions to (d) silver nanoparticles having a mean particle size of at least 25 nm and up to and including 750 nm. Additional (ii) nitrile-containing or carbonate-containing aprotic solvent can be added, and (e) carbon black can be added sufficient to provide at least 5 weight % carbon black. The resulting silver nanoparticle-containing composition can be disposed onto a supporting surface of a substrate to form a silver nanoparticle-containing pattern, and any organic solvents can be removed. This pattern can also be electrolessly plated to form an electrically-conductive pattern.

A non-aqueous silver precursor composition contains at least 1 weight % of one or more (a) polymers that are certain cellulosic polymers; (b) reducible silver ions; and(c) an organic solvent medium consisting of: (i) a hydroxylic organic solvent having an -hydrogen atom and a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of 100-500 C., and, optionally, (ii) a nitrile-containing aprotic solvent or a carbonate-containing aprotic solvent different from the (i) organic solvent, each having a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of 100-500 C. The (b) reducible silver ions are present in an amount of 0.1-400 weight %, based on the total weight of the one or more (a) polymers. This composition can be used to form silver nanoparticles under silver ion reducing conditions and then applied to various substrates to provide silver nanoparticle patterns.

An article has a substrate and a pattern of a dry silver nanoparticle-containing composition comprising at least 20 weight % of one or more (a) polymers, that are cellulosic polymers; (d) silver nanoparticles having a mean particle size of 25-750 nm and present in an amount of 0.1-400 weight %, based on the total weight of the one or more (a) polymers; and (e) carbon black in an amount of 5-50 weight %, based on the total weight of the one or more (a) polymers. Such patterns can have multiple fine lines of any geometric arrangement. The article can have multiple patterns of this type, and each pattern can be electrolessly plated with a suitable metal such as copper to provide electrically-conductive product articles.

A solution including a precious metal nanoparticle and a polymer polymerized from at least two monomers, (1) a monomer having two or more carboxyl groups or carboxyl acid salt groups and (2) a monomer which has ? electron-available features. The solution is useful for a catalyst of a process for electroless plating a metal on non-conductive surface.

The present disclosure provides a metal compound. The metal compound is represented by a formula (I): Cu.sub.2A.sub.?B.sub.2-?O.sub.4-? (I). A contains at least one element selected from the groups 6 and 8 of the periodic table. B contains at least one element selected from the group 13 of the periodic table, 0<?<2, and 0<?<1.5. Polymer article containing the metal compound and method for preparing the polymer article as well as selective metallization of a surface of the polymer article are also provided. In addition, the present disclosure provides an ink composition and the selective metallization for a surface of the insulative substrate using the ink composition.

A method of forming a patterned metal unit on an article. The method includes the steps of: providing an article that has an insulating surface; transferring a catalyst layer onto the insulating surface of the article, the catalyst layer including a catalytic material; removing a part of the catalyst layer to form a patterned catalyst layer; and forming a patterned metal layer on the patterned catalyst layer by an electroless plating technique to obtain a patterned metal unit that is constituted by the patterned catalyst layer and the patterned metal layer.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a circuit board. The circuit board comprises: an aluminum-based substrate; an alumina layer formed on at least one surface of the aluminum-based substrate; and a circuit layer formed on the alumina layer. The alumina layer comprises alumina and an element selected from a group consisting of chromium, nickel, a rare earth metal, and a combination thereof.

A substrate processing method is provided for performing a plating processing on a substrate having, on a surface thereof, an impurity-doped polysilicon film containing a high concentration of impurities. The substrate processing method includes forming a catalyst layer by supplying, onto the substrate, an alkaline catalyst solution containing a complex of a palladium ion and a monocyclic 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic compound having one or two nitrogen atoms as a heteroatom; and forming a plating layer through electroless plating by supplying a plating liquid onto the substrate after the forming of the catalyst layer.

The present invention relates to an activation composition for activation of silicon substrates, which is an aqueous solution comprising a source of palladium ions, a source of fluoride ions and at least two aromatic acids. The present invention further relates to a method for its use and optionally for subsequent metallization of such treated substrates. The method can be employed in semiconductor and solar cell manufacturing.

The present invention relates to an activation composition for activation of silicon substrates, which is an aqueous solution comprising a source of palladium ions, a source of fluoride ions and at least two aromatic acids. The present invention further relates to a method for its use and optionally for subsequent metallization of such treated substrates. The method can be employed in semiconductor and solar cell manufacturing.