A molecular ink contains a silver carboxylate (e.g. silver neodecanoate), a solvent (e.g. terpineol) and a polymeric binder comprising a polyester, polyimide, polyether imide or any mixture thereof having functional groups that render the polymeric binder compatible with the solvent. Such an ink may have good thermal stability with higher silver carboxylate content.

An elastic support for on-board suspension systems of a motor-vehicle includes at least one body formed of polymeric elastomeric material supplemented with carbon-based nanofillers. An outer surface is provided with one or more piezo-resistive areas where a polymeric material supplemented with carbon-based nanofillers has been made locally piezo-resistive by laser irradiation so as to define one or more electric deformation sensors configured to detect the load applied on the elastic support.

A method and structure are provided for implementing stub-less printed circuit board (PCB) vias and custom interconnect through laser-excitation conductive track structures. Stub-less printed PCB vias are formed which terminate at desired signal layers by controlled laser excitation without stubs or the need to back-drill to remove such stubs.

A temperature sensor can include a resistor, a first electrical contact at a first end of the resistor, a second electrical contact at a second end of the resistor, and a resistance measuring device. The resistor can be formed of a matrix of sintered elemental transition metal particles interlocked with a matrix of fused thermoplastic polymer particles. The resistance measuring device can be connected to the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact to measure a resistance of the resistor.

A method and structure are provided for implementing stub-less printed circuit board (PCB) vias and custom interconnect through laser-excitation conductive track structures. Stub-less printed PCB vias are formed which terminate at desired signal layers by controlled laser excitation without stubs or the need to back-drill to remove such stubs.

A component for the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle includes a rigid supporting body, made of plastic material, an outer upholstery skin, made of plastic material, and a padding body made of foamed plastic material, which is set between the rigid body and the outer upholstery skin. The rigid body and the outer skin have portions formed by a polymeric material with carbon-based nanofillers, which have respective inner surfaces facing the padding body, which include one or more paths where said polymeric material with carbon-based nanofillers has been rendered electrically conductive by laser irradiation to define one or more electrical circuits, and one or more piezoresistive areas where the polymeric material has been rendered piezoresistive by laser irradiation to define one or more electrical switches, which can be activated by exerting a localized pressure on the outer upholstery skin.

A method for producing an electrical wiring member includes press-molding a composition containing a resin material and metal particles with an insulating layer, each of which is constituted by a metal particle and a surface insulating layer covering the metal particle and containing a glass material as a main material, thereby obtaining a powder-compacted layer and irradiating the powder-compacted layer with an energy beam, thereby causing the irradiated regions to exhibit electrical conductivity.

This disclosure provides a thermally decomposable binder for which dewaxing can be performed at low temperatures, and an inorganic fine particle-dispersed paste composition comprising this binder. Specifically, the disclosure provides a thermally decomposable binder comprising an aliphatic polycarbonate resin comprising a constituent unit represented by formula (1):

##STR00001##

wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are identical or different, and each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, or an aryl group having 6 to 20 carbon atoms, and n is 1 or 2, and provides an inorganic fine particle-dispersed paste composition comprising this binder.

A system for selectively carbonizing a polymer coating on a substrate includes a laser, a memory, and a controller. The memory stores data associated with at least one characteristic of a substrate having a coating that includes a polymer material. The controller is operatively connected to the laser, and is configured to control the laser based on the data such that, in an open-air environment, an interaction between the laser and the polymer material carbonizes a portion of the coating, but does not sustain combustion of the polymer material. A method of producing an article with a selectively carbonized coating includes controlling a laser system such that interaction between a laser and a polymer material forming a coating on a substrate carbonizes a portion of the coating, but does not sustain a combustion of the polymer material in an open-air environment.

A process includes utilizing a pin array that includes multiple segmented pins for forming selectively plated through holes. The process includes forming a PCB laminate structure that includes multiple spinel-doped core layers and multiple through holes. Each spinel-doped core layer includes a heat-activated spinel material incorporated into a dielectric material. The process includes aligning individual segmented pins of a pin array with corresponding through holes of the PCB laminate structure, where each segmented pin includes heated segment(s) and insulating segment(s). The process includes inserting the segmented pins of the pin array into the corresponding through holes and generating heat within each heated pin segment that is sufficient to form metal nuclei sites in selected regions of the spinel-doped core layers adjacent to portions of the through holes that contain the heated pin segments. The metal nuclei sites function as seed layers to enable formation of selectively plated through holes.