Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene Active” materials

Chemical reduction is used extensively nowadays for the deposition of nickel or copper as the first stage in the electroplating of plastics. The most widely used plastic as a basis for electroplating is acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene co-polymer (ABS). Immersion of the plastic in a chromic acid-sulphuric acid mixture causes the butadiene particles to be attacked and oxidised, whilst making the material hydrophilic at the same time. The activation process which follows is necessary to enable the subsequent electroless nickel or copper to be deposited, since this will only take place in the presence of certain catalytic metals (especially silver and palladium), which are adsorbed on to the surface of the plastic. The adsorbed metallic film is produced by a prior immersion in a stannous chloride solution, which reduces the palladium or silver ions to the metallic state. The solutions mostly employed are acid palladium chloride or ammoniacal silver nitrate. The etched plastic can also be immersed first in acidified palladium chloride and then in an alkylamine borane, which likewise form metallic palladium catalytic nuclei. Colloidal copper catalysts are of some interest, as they are cheaper and are also claimed to promote better coverage of electroless copper. 

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile-styrene-acry- late (ASA) are rubber-toughened plastics based upon the styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymer matrix. The combination of the stiffness and toughness exhibited by these materials has made them increasingly attractive in engineering applications, and the activity of the patent literature testifies to a continuing interest in improving properties through modifications of structure. The aim of this paper is to discuss a quantitative approach to structure-property relationships in ABS and ASA polymers. 

Among the various plastic materials used for chrome-plated parts, ABS (copolymer of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) and PC/ABS (blends of ABS with polycarbonate) are most common. Nearly 85% of the total plated plastic surface area is based on ABS or PC/ABS. The technology for etching out the rubber particles from the ABS phase using an oxidative mixture of sulfuric and chromic acid has been widely used in the industry for nearly 40 years. The etched surface is subsequently activated using precious metal species, which is then followed by an electroless deposition of a thin layer of nickel or copper. In this marmer, the smface of the otherwise non-conductive plastic is rendered electrically conductive. Subsequently, multiple layers of different... 

The development of new polymer alloys has caused a lot of excitement in recent years but in fact the concept has been around for a long time. Indeed one of the major commercial successes of today, ABS, is in fact an alloy of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene. The principle of alloying plastics is similar to that of alloying metals - to achieve in one material the advantages possessed by several others. The recent increased interest and activity in the field of polymer alloys has occurred as a result of several new factors. One is the development of more sophisticated techniques for combining plastics which were previously considered to be incompatible. Another is the keen competition for a share of new market areas such as automobile bumpers, body panels etc. These applications call for combinations of properties not previously available in a single plastic and it has been found that it is less expensive to combine existing plastics than to develop a new monomer on which to base the new plastic. 

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