Metallization of polymer through a novel surface modification applying a photocatalytic reaction

The wet-chemical preconditioning process of polymers prior to metallization is generally performed with a strong acid bath such as a chromic, sulfuric or potassium- permanganate solution. Although the method is widely used in industrial applications, it results in undesirably environmental pollution and has inherent problems of uniformity and reproducibility for plating products. In the present study, a novel surface modification of a polymer utilizing the photocatalytic reaction in a P-25 dispersed solution and TiO2 sol prepared by a hydrothermal method was introduced to replace the wet-chemical pretreatment process which resulted in environmental pollution. Chemical changes in the surface were investigated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Analysis of the morphological changes was done by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface modification method using the photocatalytic reaction in the presence of TiO2 particles resulted in excellent adhesion strength without a change of the surface morphology at the surface modification stage before electroless Cu plating for polymers.