Electrolytic deposition of metal-based composite coatings comprising nano-particles

1. A method for imparting corrosion resistance onto a surface of a substrate, the method comprising:

contacting the surface with an electrolytic plating composition comprising (a) a source of deposition metal ions of a deposition metal selected from the group consisting of zinc, palladium, silver, nickel, copper, gold, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, chrome, and alloys thereof, (b) fluoropolymer particles having a mean particle size between about 50 and about 150 nanometers and are characterized by a particle size distribution in which at least about 30 volume % of the particles have a particle size less than 100 nm and wherein the fluoropolymer particles have surfactant coatings with an average charge per surfactant molecule of between +0.1 and +1, (c) a cationic quaternary ammonium halide surfactant selected from the group consisting of dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, cetyl trimethyl ammonium salts of bromide and chloride, hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium salts of bromide and chloride, and alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium salts of chloride and bromide, and (d) a fluoroalkyl ammonium cationic surfactant, wherein the electrolytic plating composition comprises about one gram of surfactant for every 100 m 2 to about 150m 2 of surface area of fluoropolymer particles and wherein; and

applying an external source of electrons to the electrolytic plating composition to thereby electrolytically deposit the composite coating onto the surface, wherein the composite coating comprises metal and the fluoropolymer particles.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluoropolymer particles have a mean particle size between about 50 and about 100 nanometers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluoropolymer nano-particles have a pre-mix coating of surfactant molecules thereon.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the fluoropolymer particles have a mean particle size between about 50 and about 100 nanometers.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the fluoropolymer nano-particles are characterized by a particle size distribution in which at least about 50volume % of the particles have a particle size less than 100 nm.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the surface tension of the electrolytic plating composition is between about 40 dyne-cm and about 70 dyne-cm.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the electrolytic plating composition further comprises a non-ionic surfactant.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the deposition metal comprises silver.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein the deposition metal comprises nickel.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein the surfactant coating on the fluoropolymer nano-particles has an average charge per surfactant molecule of between +0.7 and +1.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposition metal is selected from the group consisting of palladium, silver, nickel, gold, and alloys thereof.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the electrolytic plating solution comprises a concentration of fluoropolymer nano-particles of between about 1wt. % and about 10 wt. % of the electrolytic plating solution.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the fluoropolymer particles have a mean particle size between about 50 and about 100 nanometers.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the fluoropolymer particles have a mean particle size between about 50 and about 100 nanometers.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the composite coating comprises the deposition metal and between about 1 wt . % and about 5 wt. % of the fluoropolymer nano-particles.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the fluoropolymer nano-particles are characterized by a particle size distribution in which at least about 50volume % of the particles have a particle size less than 100 nm.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the fluoropolymer particles are characterized by a particle size distribution in which at least about 30volume % of the particles have a particle size less than 80 nm.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the fluoropolymer nano-particles have a mean particle size between about 50 and about 100 nanometers, and wherein at least about 30 volume % of the particles have a particle size less than 80 nm.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the composite coating comprises the deposition metal and between about 1 wt. % and about 5 wt. % of the fluoropolymer nano-particles.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the surface tension of the electrolytic plating solution is between about 40 dyne-cm and about 70 dyne-cm.

21. The method of claim 11 wherein the deposition metal comprises palladium.

22. The method of claim 11 wherein the electrolytic plating composition further comprises a non-ionic surfactant.

23. The method of claim 11 wherein the deposition metal comprises silver.

24. The method of claim 11 wherein the deposition metal comprises nickel.

25. The method of claim 11 wherein the surfactant coating on the fluoropolymer nano-particles has an average charge per surfactant molecule of between +0.7 and +1.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluoropolymer nano-particles are characterized by a particle size distribution in which at least about 50 volume % of the particles have a particle size less than 100 nm.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the surface tension of the electrolytic plating composition is between about 40 dyne-cm and about 70 dyne-cm.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the composite coating contains between about 1 wt. % and about 5 wt. % of fluoropolymer particles.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the electrolytic plating composition further comprises a non-ionic surfactant.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein the surfactant coating on the fluoropolymer particles has an average charge per surfactant molecule of between +0.7 and +1.