| abstract |
Substrates, particularly plastics, are plated with metals by pretreatment of the substrate with phosphorus sesquisulfide in an organic solvent to deposit phosphorus sesquisulfide at the surface, followed by containing the treated surface with a metal salt or complex thereof, to form a metal-phosphorus-sulfur compound. The resulting treated surface is either conductive or is capable of catalyzing the reduction of a metal salt to produce a conductive surface. Such conductive surfaces are readily electroplated by conventional techniques. |