Deposition of continuous nickel shells on polymer microspheres

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Anisotropic conductive adhesives (ACAs) are crucial for LCD screen interconnects.
• Current ACAs face technical and economic challenges for wider adoption.
• A key challenge is creating robust metallic shells on polymer particles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for depositing improved nickel shells on polymer particles for ACAs.
• To investigate the impact of polymer surface modification on shell properties.
• To optimize electroless nickel plating for enhanced adhesion and structure.

Main Methods:

• Surface modification of monosized polymer particles using linear polymeric amines.
• Deposition of nickel (Ni) layers with varying thickness (30-120nm) via electroless plating.
• Analysis of nickel shell structure and adhesion as a function of amine chain length and plating parameters.

Main Results:

• Increased amine chain length significantly improved nickel shell structure and adhesion.
• Electroless Ni plating parameters were optimized for better particle encapsulation.
• Demonstrated a viable method for creating high-adhesion metallic shells on polymer particles.

Conclusions:

• Surface modification with linear polymeric amines is effective for enhancing nickel shell properties on polymer particles.
• This approach offers a pathway to overcome challenges in ACA manufacturing.
• The developed method has potential for broader applications requiring advanced interconnect materials.