Adhesion promoting agents for metallization of substrate surfaces

1. Method for plating a metal onto a substrate comprising the steps of

i. contacting the substrate with a solution containing nanometer-sized particles having at least one attachment group bearing a functional chemical group suitable for binding to the substrate, and forming a layer of said nanometer-sized particles bound to at least a portion of a surface of the substrate; and thereafter

ii. metal plating the substrate by applying a wet-chemical plating method,

and wherein the layer of said nanometer-sized particles remain between the substrate surface and the plated metal,

wherein the at least one attachment group has the general Formula (I)

-B-L-FG  (I),

wherein B is a binding group, L is a linking group and FG is the functional chemical group, and

wherein the binding group B represents

a. —Si(R 1 R 2 )—, wherein R 1 and R 2 independently of each other represent alkoxy groups having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, alkyl groups having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, halogen atoms and a bond to oxygen atoms originating from the nanometer-sized particle and/or further attachment groups; or

b. —CH 2 —R 3 —, —CO—NH—, —CO—O—, unsubstituted or substituted aryl, wherein R 3 represents —CHOH—CH 2 —O—, —CHOH—CH 2 —; a linear unsubstituted or substituted hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms.

2. Method according to claim 1 wherein the linking group L represents a linear, unsubstituted or substituted hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms; a cyclic, unsubstituted or substituted hydrocarbon group having from 3 to 8 carbon atoms; a linear or cyclic hydrocarbon group interrupted by one or more oxygen atoms and/or amino groups; the linear or cyclic hydrocarbon group having one or more double or triple bonds; unsubstituted or substituted aryl or heteroaryl, phosphonates and bipyridyl.

3. Method according to claim 1 wherein the functional chemical group FG represents an amino, carbonyl, carboxyl, ester, epoxy, mercapto, hydroxyl, acrylic, methacrylic, anhydride, acid halide, halogen, allyl, vinyl, styrene, aryl, acetylene, azide, ureido group; 5 to 6 membered heterocyclic hydrocarbon groups containing from 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms; isonicotinamidyl, bipyridyl, nitrile, isonitrile and thiocyanate.

4. Method according to claim 1 wherein the nanometer-sized particles comprise at least one material.

5. Method according to claim 4 wherein the material is selected from an inorganic oxide, an organic polymer and a metal.

6. Method according to claim 5 wherein the inorganic oxide is selected from one or more of silica, alumina, titania, zirconia, tin oxide, zinc oxide, silica gel, silicon oxide-coated TiO 2 , Sb—SnO 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , magnetite, IndiumTinOxide (ITO), antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO), indium oxide, antimony oxide, fluorine-doped tin oxide, phosphorous-doped tin oxide, zinc antimonite and indium doped zinc oxide.

7. Method according to claim 4 wherein the nanometer-sized particles have an outer surface which comprises the inorganic oxide.

8. Method according to claim 1 wherein the contacting with the solution in step i. is for a time of 1-20 minutes at a temperature of between 15-80° C.

9. Method according to claim 1 wherein the nanometer-sized particles according to method step i. are in a concentration ranging from 0.5 g/l to 100.0 g/l.

10. Method according to claim 1 wherein a further method step is performed after method step i.:

ia. heating the substrate to a temperature ranging from 60 and 400° C. for a time period of 1-60 minutes.

11. Method according to claim 1 wherein the nanometer-sized particles have a mean diameter, d 50 , of between 0.5-500 nm.

12. Method according to claim 1 wherein the attachment group suitable for binding to the substrate is attached to the outer surface of nanometer-sized particles.

13. Method according to claim 1 wherein the plated metal remains on the layer of said nanometer-sized particles.

14. Method according to claim 1 wherein the wet chemical plating method is an electrolytic plating method, an immersion plating process or an electroless plating method.

15. Method according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is a non-conductive or semiconducting substrate and the step

ii. metal plate the substrate applying a wet-chemical plating method;

comprises:

iia. contacting the substrate with a noble metal colloid or a noble metal ion containing solution;

iib. contacting the substrate with an electroless metal plating solution; and

iic. contacting the substrate with an electrolytic metal plating solution.

16. Method according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is a non-conductive or semiconducting substrate and wherein the following further method steps are performed prior to step i.:

ic. bringing the substrate into contact with a water-soluble polymer;

id. treating the substrate with a permanganate solution;

ie. treating the substrate with an acidic aqueous solution or an acidic microemulsion of aqueous base containing at least one thiophene compound and at least one alkane sulfonic acid selected from the group comprising methane sulfonic acid, ethane sulfonic acid and ethane disulfonic acid;

and the step

ii. metal plate the substrate applying a wet-chemical plating method;

comprises:

iig. contacting the substrate with an electrolytic metal plating solution.

17. Method according to claim 5 wherein the nanometer-sized particles have an outer surface which comprises the inorganic oxide.

18. Method according to claim 6 wherein the nanometer-sized particles have an outer surface which comprises the inorganic oxide.

19. Method according to claim 1 wherein an outer surface of the nanometer-sized particles comprises a reactive oxygen atom.

20. Method according to claim 2 wherein an outer surface of the nanometer-sized particles comprises a reactive oxygen atom.

21. Method according to claim 3 wherein an outer surface of the nanometer-sized particles comprises a reactive oxygen atom.

22. Method of plating a metal onto a substrate comprising the steps of

i. contacting the substrate with a solution containing nanometer-sized particles having at least one attachment group bearing a functional chemical group suitable for binding to the substrate, and forming a layer of said nanometer-sized particles bound to at least a portion of a surface of the substrate; and thereafter

ii. metal plating the substrate by applying a wet-chemical plating method,

and wherein the layer of said nanometer-sized particles remain between the substrate surface and the plated metal,

wherein the at least one attachment group has the general Formula (I)

-B-L-FG  (I),

wherein B is a binding group, L is a linking group and FG is the functional chemical group, and

wherein the binding group B represents

a. —Si(R 1 R 2 )—, wherein R 1 and R 2 independently of each other represent alkoxy groups having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, alkyl groups having from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, halogen atoms and a bond to oxygen atoms originating from the nanometer-sized particle and/or further attachment groups; or

b. —CH 2 —R 3 —, —CO—NH—, unsubstituted or substituted aryl, wherein R 3 represents —CHOH—CH 2 —O—, —CHOH—CH 2 —; a linear unsubstituted or substituted hydrocarbon group having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms.