According to the present disclosure, a method for coating nickel on an organosiloxane polymer wherein the said method comprises the steps of; forming a transition metal oxide on the organosiloxane polymer; etching the transition metal oxide with a basic solution; contacting the organosiloxane polymer comprising the etched transition metal oxide with an aqueous solution comprising a positively charged species to attach the positively charged species on the etched transition metal oxide; depositing a metal catalyst on the positively charged species; and treating the metal catalyst with an acidic solution to develop an activated organosiloxane polymer before transferring the activated organosiloxane polymer to a solution comprising nickel and/or nickel derivatives. A nickel organosiloxane composite is provided herein comprising a transition metal oxide layer and a positively charged species attached on the said oxide layer with nickel coated in the said positively charged species.

Manganese-(III) species is generated and regenerated in a mixed aqueous acid solution containing manganese-(II) species by injecting ozone gas in the mixed aqueous acid solution such that ozone oxidizes at least some of the manganese-(II) species to the manganese-(III) species with at least 60% Mn(III) generation efficiency. The acids include sulfuric acid and an alkane sulfonic acid. The aqueous acid solution containing manganese-(III) and manganese-(II) species is used to etch polymer materials. The etch is a chrome-free etch method.

A method of producing an electroconductive substrate including a base material, and an electroconductive pattern disposed on one main surface side of the base material includes: a step of forming a trench including a bottom surface to which a foundation layer is exposed, and a lateral surface which includes a surface of a trench formation layer, according to an imprint method; and a step of forming an electroconductive pattern layer by growing metal plating from the foundation layer which is exposed to the bottom surface of the trench.

An example method of coating a substrate involves cleaning the substrate and, after cleaning the substrate, sensitizing the substrate using a sensitizing solution including tin chloride and hydrochloric acid. The method also involves, after sensitizing the substrate, activating the substrate in an activating solution including palladium chloride and hydrochloric acid. Further, the method involves subsequently neutralizing the substrate using a neutralizing solution including ammonium hydroxide. Still further, the method involves, after neutralizing the substrate, depositing an electroless nickel layer on the substrate. The method may then involve depositing an electrolytic nickel layer on top of the electroless nickel layer, and depositing an outer layer of metallic material, ceramic material, polymeric material, or any combination thereof on top of the electrolytic nickel layer.

A method of producing an electroconductive substrate including a base material, and an electroconductive pattern disposed on one main surface side of the base material includes: a step of forming a trench including a bottom surface to which a foundation layer is exposed, and a lateral surface which includes a surface of a trench formation layer, according to an imprint method; and a step of forming an electroconductive pattern layer by growing metal plating from the foundation layer which is exposed to the bottom surface of the trench.

A method of metallizing substrate with abstractable hydrogen atoms and/or unsaturations on the surface, comprising the steps: a) contacting the substrate with a polymerizable unit, at least one initiator which can be activated by both heat and actinic radiation, and optionally at least one solvent, b) inducing a polymerization reaction c) depositing a second metal on an already applied first metal to obtain a metal coating. A first metal is added as ions and/or small metal particles during the process. Ions are reduced to the first metal. Advantages include that the adhesion is improved, the process time is shortened, blisters in the metal coating are avoided, the polymer layer below the metal coating becomes less prone to swelling for instance in contact with water.

A water-soluble composition includes reducible copper ions or copper nanoparticles complexed with a reactive polymer. The reactive polymer can be crosslinked using suitable irradiation to provide copper-containing water-insoluble complexes. The water-soluble composition can be used to provide various articles and electrically-conductive materials that can be assembled in electronic devices. The reactive polymer has greater than 1 mol % of recurring units comprising sulfonic acid or sulfonate groups, at least 5 mol % of recurring units comprising a pendant group capable of crosslinking via [2+2] photocycloaddition, and optionally at least 1 mol % of recurring units comprising a pendant amide, amine, hydroxyl, lactam, phosphonic acid, or carboxylic acid group.

An example method of coating a substrate involves cleaning the substrate and, after cleaning the substrate, sensitizing the substrate using a sensitizing solution including tin chloride and hydrochloric acid. The method also involves, after sensitizing the substrate, activating the substrate in an activating solution including palladium chloride and hydrochloric acid. Further, the method involves subsequently neutralizing the substrate using a neutralizing solution including ammonium hydroxide. Still further, the method involves, after neutralizing the substrate, depositing an electroless nickel layer on the substrate. The method may then involve depositing an electrolytic nickel layer on top of the electroless nickel layer, and depositing an outer layer of metallic material, ceramic material, polymeric material, or any combination thereof on top of the electrolytic nickel layer.

A compound represented by Formula (1). [In the formula, X represents a halogen atom or an alkoxy group, R.sup.1 represents any one group selected from an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, a group represented by Formula (R2-1), and a group represented by Formula (R2-2), R.sup.2 represents a group represented by Formula (R2-1) or (R2-2), n0 represents an integer of 0 or greater, n1 represents an integer of 0 to 5, and n2 represents a natural number of 1 to 5.]

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Manganese-(III) species is generated and regenerated in a mixed aqueous acid solution containing manganese-(II) species by injecting ozone gas in the mixed aqueous acid solution such that ozone oxidizes at least some of the manganese-(II) species to the manganese-(III) species with at least 60% Mn(III) generation efficiency. The acids include sulfuric acid and an alkane sulfonic acid. The aqueous acid solution containing manganese-(III) and manganese-(II) species is used to etch polymer materials. The etch is a chrome-free etch method.