摘要 |
A method for metal plating the surface of an article formed from an organic plastic. The method includes a step of passing a current between two electrodes immersed in an electrolyte containing dissolved plating metal. One of the electrodes is the article to be plated and is provided with a surface having areas of a catalytic metal chalcogenide conversion coating adjacent to and in contact with conductive areas. In a preferred embodiment, the catalytic metal chalcogenide conversion coating is formed by treating the article with an acid colloidal solution of a tin-noble metal electroless metal plating catalyst and, subsequently, treating with a solution containing a dissolved sulfide to form a sulfide of the noble metal. The conversion coating allows the article to be directly electroplated. The method is especially useful for the formation of printed circuit boards and is sufficiently versatile to permit formation of a printed circuit board by a process that involves pattern plating.
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