Photosensitive compositions containing silver ion α-oxy carboxylate-oxime complexes

1. A photosensitive reducible silver ion-containing composition consisting essentially of:

a) a non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex consisting of one or more reducible silver ions, each reducible silver ion being complexed with one or more α-oxy carboxylates via one or two oxygen atoms and the same reducible silver ion being complexed with one or more oxime compounds via a nitrogen atom,

the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex being represented by the following formula (I):

(Ag + ) a (L) b (P) c    (I)

wherein L represents the α-oxy carboxylate; P represents the oxime compound; a is 1 or 2; b is 1 or 2; and c is 1, 2, 3, or 4, provided that when a is 1, b is 1, and when a is 2, b is 2;

b) a solvent medium comprising propylene carbonate; and

c) optionally, a photosensitizer that can either reduce the reducible silver ion or oxidize the α-oxy carboxylate.

2. The photosensitive reducible silver ion-containing composition of claim 1 , wherein the non-hydroxylic-solvent soluble silver complex is silver lactate acetoxime, silver lactate acetaldoxime, silver lactate butanal O-methyloxime, silver 2-hydroxyisobutyrate acetoxime, silver 2-hydroxy-2-methylbutyrate acetaldoxime, or silver 2-hydroxy-2-methylbutyrate acetaldoxime.

3. The photosensitive reducible silver ion-containing composition of claim 1 , wherein the solvent medium further comprises one or more non-hydroxylic solvents selected from the group consisting of acetonitrile, benzonitrile, butyronitrile, propionitrile, isovaleronitrile, valeronitrile, and a mixture of two or more of these organic solvents.

4. The photosensitive reducible silver ion-containing composition of claim 1 , wherein L is represented by the following formula (II):

wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 are independently hydrogen or branched or linear alkyl groups.

5. The photosensitive reducible silver ion-containing composition of claim 1 , wherein the α-oxy carboxylate is derived from:

the group of conjugate acids consisting of lactic acid, 2-hydroxybutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-3,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-isobutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-2-methylbutyric acid, 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutyric acid, 2-hydroxy-2,3-dimethylbutyric acid, 2-ethyl-2-methoxybutyric acid, 2-methoxy-2-methylpropanoic acid, 1-hydroxycyclopentane-1-carboxylic acid, 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dimethylsuccinic acid, and 2,4-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethylpentanedioic acid; or

the group of conjugate acids consisting of pyruvic acid, 3-methylpyruvic acid, 3,3-dimethylpyruvic acid, 3,3-dimethyl-2-oxobutanoic acid, 3,3-dimethyl-2-oxopentanoic acid, and 2,3-dioxosuccinic acid.

6. The photosensitive reducible silver ion-containing composition of claim 1 , wherein P is an oxime compound represented by the following formula (IV):

wherein R 5 and R 6 are independently hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, provided that at least one of R 5 and R 6 is the alkyl group, or R 5 and R 6 can together represent the carbon atoms sufficient to provide a 5- or 6-membered carbocyclic ring; and R 7 is hydrogen, an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an acyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, a —C(═O)R 8 group, or a carbonyloxyalkyl group [—C(═O)OR 8 ], wherein R 8 is hydrogen or an alkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms.

7. The photosensitive reducible silver ion-containing compositions of claim 6 , wherein R 7 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms.

8. The photosensitive reducible silver ion-containing composition of claim 1 , wherein the oxime compound is selected from the group consisting of acetoxime, acetaldoxime, Aldicarb, dimethylglyoxime, methylethyl ketone oxime, propionaldehyde oxime, cyclohexanone oxime, cyclopentanone oxime, heptanal oxime, acetone-O-methyl oxime, acetaldehyde-O-methyl oxime, propionaldehyde-O-methyl oxime, butanaldehyde-O-methyl oxime, 2-butanone-O-methyl oxime, cyclopentanone-O-methyl oxime, and 2-butanone-O-ethyl oxime.

9. The photosensitive reducible silver ion-containing composition of claim 1 , wherein:

(i) a and b are both 1 and c is 1 or 2;

(ii) a and b are both 2 and c is 2; or

(iii) a and b are both 2 and c is 4.