Monsanto Company

Albert W Morgan

William Vanderlinde

Ignatius Schumacher

Norman W Touchette

Samuel F Joyce, Iii

James D Capistran

James P Brozek

Michael T O'Connor, Jr

Roland G Ribaudo

George D Vaughn

Thomas C Mathis

Jasper H Brown

Donald S Wang

Paul W May, Jr

C Neil Keeney

Charles S Shull

Edward F Tokas

David S Moorman

David L Taylor

Douglas H Teramura

John A Cooper

William Vanderlind

Flexible printed circuits comprising cobalt circuitry electrolessly deposited on an activated ink coating prepared by heating a wet ink comprising a polymer, e.g. a vinyl polymer such as polyvinyl chloride or polyvinyl alcohol or an unsaturated polymer such as polybutadiene, and a Group 1B or 8 compound, e.g. palladium dichloride, which is adapted to drying at room temperature to a catalytically inert ink. Selective areas of the ink activated by application of heat or light are catalytic to electroless deposition of cobalt.

Flexible printed circuits

Methods for fabricating two-dimensional imaged metal articles on webs by electroless deposition of metal onto a catalytic pattern rotogravurely printed onto moving webs travelling at linear speeds of up to 500 meters/minute using low viscosity catalytic ink comprising polymer and compound, complex or colloid of a Group 1B or Group 8 metal. Such two-dimensional imaged metal articles comprise areas or fine lines, e.g. less than 100 micrometers wide, which are useful as electrical devices such as circuit connectors, antennas and the like or as mechanical devices such as levers, gears and the like. With modification of the metal component or addition of other materials, such two-dimensional imaged metal articles can be useful a electronic devices such as diodes, resistors, capacitors and the like or as energy conversion devices such as batteries, sensors or fuel cells. The catalytic inks have appropriate rheological properties of viscosity and surface tension that permit non-sagging, non-spreading images to be printed onto a web which can travel vertically into a drying zone.

Fabricating metal articles from printed images

Flexible printed circuits comprising copper circuitry electrolessly deposited on an activated ink coating prepared by heating a wet ink comprising a polymer, e.g. polyvinyl chloride or a butadiene polymer, and a Group 1B or 8 compound, e.g. palladium dichloride, which is adapted to drying at room temperature to a catalytically inert ink. Selective areas of the ink activated by application of heat or light, e.g. a laser, are catalytic to electroless deposition of copper.

Viscous aqueous electroless plating solutions comprising ionic depositable metal species such as copper or nickel, metal complexing agent such as EDTA, metal reducing agent such as formaldehyde or hypophosphite and thickener such as xantham gum, silica or carboxymethylcellulose have a viscosity greater than 50 cp, for instance up to 20,000 cp. The viscous solutions are useful for electrolessly depositing metal onto moving or inclined catalytic substrates and as a component of kits for applying electrolessly deposited metal images to such surfaces.

Viscous electroless plating solutions

Electrolessly deposited metal holograms comprising a polymeric substrate having a holographic relief-patterned surface and a metal reflective layer electrolessly deposited to conform to and reproduce the holographic relief patterned. Light incident to the metal surface is reflected to provide an holographic reproduction of an holographic image inherent in said relief-patterned polymeric substrate.

Electrolessly deposited metal holograms

Catalytically inert films comprising complexes of polymer with a compound of a Group 1B or Group 8 metal at unusually low proportions of metal can be selectively activated, e.g. to provide a catalytic surface. Such films can be advantageously activatable to electroless deposition, e.g. of oxidation resistant layers of copper.

Selective catalytic activation of polymeric films

Oxidation-resistant, electrolessly deposited metal coatings, e.g. of copper, can be provided on a variety of substrates such as fibers and films. Precursor substrates have nascent or actual clusters of catalytic metal with dimensions less than 100 nanometers, e.g. about 10 nanometers. Disclosed methods can produce electrically conductive, copper-coated PET or acrylic multifilament with a resistance of less than 20 ohms/meter.

Oxidation-resistant metal coatings

Reaction products are prepared from metal oxides and salts and phosphorus compounds containing trivalent phosphorus. The reaction products are useful as flame retardants and smoke suppressants.

Composition containing reaction products of metal oxides and salts with

Elastomeric polyurethanes, e.g. as prepared by reacting diisocyanate-capped, essentially linear polyester or polyether and polyol suitable for cross-linking thereof, are inhibited against undesired hardening in use or storage by including in the polyurethane-forming reactant mixture a plasticizing composition composed of carboxylate having a 200-1,000 molecular weight and at least two monocyclic aryl radicals per molecule and, based on the weight of said carboxylate, 0.1-5% glycol having a 62-500 molecular weight.

Inhibition of polyurethane hardening

Elastomeric polymers are rendered more tractable, thereby decreasing the amount of vehicle or heat required for vehicle- or melt-deposition, while resulting in very little or no loss of strength of the polymer, by the use of at least one compound comprising at least three hydrocarbon rings including at least one aromatic ring and, in most embodiments, at least one saturated ring free to rotate independently of at least one aromatic ring in the molecule of that compound. Compositions comprising an elastomeric polymer and at least one such compound are especially attractive for use in solvent, latex and/or hot melt adhesive compositions.

Novel compounds and their use in elastomer-containing compositions

Adhesive compositions providing high bond strength, long shelf life, desirable flow characteristics and end use versatility are prepared by mixing a copolymer of olefinic monomers including maleic anhydride and/or derivatives thereof, plasticizer and at least one monofunctional compound which reacts with the copolymer to render it soluble in the resulting mixture and substantially soluble in the plasticizer. Water based, hot melt and pressure sensitive embodiments of such compositions are included.

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Collinsville, IL, United States of America

Albert W Morgan