The present invention relates to a method for modifying the surface of a substrate made of electrically conductive metal oxide and notably made of ITO, comprising the following steps consisting in: (i) bringing into contact said surface with a solution containing copper ions (Cu.sup.2+) and ammonia then washing and optionally drying the surface thus obtained; and (ii) bringing into contact the surface obtained following step (i) with a solution containing sodium tetraborohydride then washing and optionally drying the surface of said conductive metal oxide substrate. The present invention relates to the use of such a method within the scope of the metallisation by copper of a conductive metal oxide substrate as well as the surfaces of a modified and metallised conductive metal oxide substrate thus obtained.

The present invention relates to a method for modifying the surface of a substrate made of electrically conductive metal oxide and notably made of ITO, comprising the following steps consisting in: (i) bringing into contact said surface with a solution containing copper ions (Cu.sup.2+) and ammonia then washing and optionally drying the surface thus obtained; and (ii) bringing into contact the surface obtained following step (i) with a solution containing sodium tetraborohydride then washing and optionally drying the surface of said conductive metal oxide substrate. The present invention relates to the use of such a method within the scope of the metallisation by copper of a conductive metal oxide substrate as well as the surfaces of a modified and metallised conductive metal oxide substrate thus obtained.

An electro plating device includes a pipe inside seal mechanism which occludes an inner channel of a steel pipe, a tubular insoluble electrode which is disposed in a pipe end so as to be opposite to a female screw, a plating solution feed mechanism which includes a plurality of nozzles which extend radially with a pipe axis of the steel pipe as a center, and a pipe end seal mechanism which accommodates the nozzles thereinside and is mounted to the pipe end, when viewed in the pipe axial direction, a tip of each of the nozzles is positioned between the female screw and the insoluble electrode, and each of the nozzles injects the plating solution toward a direction which intersects an extension direction of the nozzle, the direction being a rotational direction of a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction in which the pipe axis is the center.

An electro plating device includes a pipe inside seal mechanism which occludes an inner channel of a steel pipe, a tubular insoluble electrode which is disposed in a pipe end so as to be opposite to a female screw, a plating solution feed mechanism which includes a plurality of nozzles which extend radially with a pipe axis of the steel pipe as a center, and a pipe end seal mechanism which accommodates the nozzles thereinside and is mounted to the pipe end, when viewed in the pipe axial direction, a tip of each of the nozzles is positioned between the female screw and the insoluble electrode, and each of the nozzles injects the plating solution toward a direction which intersects an extension direction of the nozzle, the direction being a rotational direction of a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction in which the pipe axis is the center.

A plated tubular lattice structure is described. The plated tubular lattice structure may comprise a backbone structure which may include a plurality of axial posts and a plurality of pyramidal structures extending laterally from the axial posts and connecting the axial posts at nodes. The plated tubular lattice structure may further comprise a metal plating layer plated on an outer surface of the backbone structure.

A system and a method for selectively coating a substrate includes a removable mask including a magnetic member having a first surface contour shaped to conform to the outside surface of the substrate and a magnetizable member having a second surface contour shaped to conform to the inside surface of the substrate. The method for coating the substrate includes magnetically coupling a removable mask to at least one surface of the substrate; forming a coating of a coating material on the at least one surface of the substrate with the magnetically coupled removable mask using a bath containing the coating material; and selectively decoupling the removable mask from the at least one coated surface to reveal a portion of the coated surface without the coating.

A method of forming a down-hole tool comprises contacting at least a portion of at least one down-hole structure comprising at least one ceramic-metal composite material with a molten electrolyte comprising sodium tetraborate. Electrical current is applied to at least a portion of the at least one down-hole structure to form at least one borided down-hole structure comprising at least one metal boride material. Other methods of forming a down-hole tool, and a down-hole tool are also described.

A method of forming a down-hole tool comprises contacting at least a portion of at least one down-hole structure comprising at least one ceramic-metal composite material with a molten electrolyte comprising sodium tetraborate. Electrical current is applied to at least a portion of the at least one down-hole structure to form at least one borided down-hole structure comprising at least one metal boride material. Other methods of forming a down-hole tool, and a down-hole tool are also described.

A printed wiring board production method that forms a base film and a conductive pattern on the base film by an additive method or a subtractive method, includes a plating process that electroplates the conductive pattern on a surface of the base film, wherein the plating process includes a shield plate arranging process that arranges a shield plate between an anode and a printed wiring board substrate that forms a cathode, and a substrate arranging process that arranges the printed wiring board substrate in a plating tank, and wherein a distance between the shield plate and the printed wiring board substrate is 50 mm or greater and 150 mm or less.

The invention relates to a cyanide-free formulation for the electrodeposition of a layer of gold and silver on electrically conductive substrates, wherein the formulation respectively contains a complexing agent from the group of sulfites and thiosulfates and is characterized in that at least one transition metal from the 5th or 6th sub-group is added in the form of the soluble oxygen acid thereof in order to increase the bath stability.