The Boeing Company
Adhesion between polymer substrates and autocatalytic plates

Abstract:

Provided is a method and apparatus for improving adhesion between a polymer article and a metal plate. The method includes providing a polymer article, and hydrolyzing a surface of the polymer article using an acidic solution to obtain carboxylic acid groups at the surface. The method also includes grafting polyphenols to the carboxylic acid groups by esterification that is catalyzed by the acidic solution, and chelating metal ions to the grafted polyphenols to form polyphenol-metal complexes. The apparatus includes a body formed by additive manufacturing, and a metal plating formed on a surface of the body by electroless metal plating after a surface preparation process. The surface preparation process includes treating the surface with an acidic solution to obtain carboxylic acid groups at the surface, treating the surface with a polyphenol solution to obtain polyphenols grafted to the carboxylic acid groups, and chelating metal ions to the polyphenols.