Composite electroless plating

• US 20060251910A1
• Filed: 05/06/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Surface Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Surface Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Lancsek, Thomas S., Feldstein, Michael David
• Application Number:
  US11/123,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20060251910A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/457
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1662 Use of incorporated material in the solution or dispersion, e.g. particles, whiskers, wires
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/32 Coating with nickel, cobalt or mixtures thereof with phosphorus or boron C23C18/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/38 Coating with copper
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 Of metal

Abstract

This invention is a process for electrolessly metallizing an article to provide on the surface thereof a metal coating incorporating therein particulate matter, in which the process comprises contacting the surface of said article with an electroless metallizing bath essentially free of heavy metals, an electroless metallizing bath used in the process, and articles with coatings resulting from the process.

Claims

1. A process for electrolessly metallizing an article to provide on the surface thereof a metal coating incorporating therein particulate matter, said process comprising contacting the surface of said article with an electroless metallizing bath containing particulate matter;

wherein said electroless metallizing bath is essentially free of heavy metals.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said electroless metallizing bath includes an aqueous solution of a metal salt, a reducing agent, and a particulate matter stabilizer;

3. The process of claim 1, wherein said metal coating comprises one or more metals or one or more metals and phosphorous.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein said metal is selected from a group consisting of nickel, cobalt, boron, and copper

5. The process of claim 4, wherein said metal coating is selected from a group consisting of nickel, a nickel-phosphorous alloy, a nickel-boron alloy, cobalt, a cobalt-phosphorous alloy, a cobalt-boron alloy, and copper.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein said particulate matter is selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), diamond, silicon carbide, boron nitride (BN), aluminum oxide, graphite fluoride, tungsten carbide, talc, molybdenum disulfide (MoS), boron carbide and graphite.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein said particulate matter comprises particles having wear-resistant properties.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein said particles are selected from a group consisting of diamond, carbides, oxides and ceramics.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein said particulate matter having lubricating properties.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein said particles are selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), boron nitride (BN), talc, molybdenum disulfide (MoS), graphite, and graphite fluoride.

11. The process of claim 1, wherein said electroless metallizing bath contains a heavy metal concentration of no more than 0.045 ppm.

12. The process of claim 11, wherein said electroless metallizing bath contains a heavy metal concentration of no more than 0.030 ppm.

13. An electroless metallizing bath comprising an aqueous solution of metal salt, a reducing agent, particulate matter, and a particulate matter stabilizer;

wherein said electroless metallizing bath is essentially free of heavy metals.

14. The electroless metallizing bath of claim 13, wherein said metal salt comprises a metal selected from a group consisting of nickel, cobalt and copper.

15. The electroless metallizing bath of claim 13, wherein said particulate matter is selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), diamond, silicon carbide, boron nitride (BN), aluminum oxide, graphite fluoride, tungsten carbide, talc, molybdenum disulfide (MoS), boron carbide and graphite.

16. The electroless metallizing bath of claim 13, wherein said particulate matter comprises particles having wear-resistant properties.

17. The electroless metallizing bath of claim 16, wherein said particles are selected from a group consisting of diamond, carbides, oxides and ceramics.

18. The electroless metallizing bath of claim 13, wherein said particulate matter comprises particles having lubricating properties.

19. The electroless metallizing bath of claim 18, wherein said particles are selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), boron nitride (BN), talc, molybdenum disulfide (MoS), graphite and graphite fluoride.

20. The electroless metallizing bath of claim 13 which contains a heavy metal concentration of no more than 0.045 ppm.

21. The electroless metallizing bath of claim 20 which contains a heavy metal concentration of no more than 0.030 ppm.

22. An article with a coating thereon, said coating comprising a metal or metal alloy and particulate matter, wherein said coating is essentially free of heavy metals.

23. The article of claim 22, wherein said metal or said metal alloy is selected from a group consisting of nickel, boron, cobalt and copper.

24. The article of claim 22, wherein said metal alloy further comprises one or more said metals or one or more said metals and phosphorous.

25. The article of claim 24, wherein said metal alloy is selected from a group consisting of a nickel-phosphorous alloy, nickel-boron alloy cobalt-boron, and cobalt-phosphorous alloy.

26. The article of claim 22, wherein said particulate matter is selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), diamond, silicon carbide, boron nitride (BN), aluminum oxide, graphite fluoride, tungsten carbide, talc, molybdenum disulfide (MoS), boron carbide and graphite.

27. The article of claim 22, wherein said particulate matter comprises particles having wear-resistant properties.

28. The article of claim 27, wherein said particles are selected from a group consisting of diamond, carbides, oxides and ceramics.

29. The article of claim 22, wherein said particulate matter comprises particles having lubricating properties.

30. The article of claim 29, wherein said are selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), boron nitride (BN), talc, molybdenum disulfide (MoS), graphite, and graphite fluoride.

31. The article of claim 22 which contains a heavy metal concentration of no more than 0.1% by weight of said coating.

32. The article of claim 31 which contains a heavy metal concentration of no more than 0.01% by weight of said coating.