Selective metal deposition in hydrophobic porous cavities of self-organized honeycomb-patterned polymer films by all-wet electroless plating

We report selective metal deposition of self-organized honeycomb-patterned polymer (hp) films possessing hydrophobic surfaces by all-wet electroless plating. Nickel/phosphorus (Ni/P) coated hp films were fabricated as follows. A catalytic nucleus of electroless plating was adsorbed on hp films by immersion in a saturated ethanol solution of palladium(II) chloride (PdCl₂). Homogeneous metal deposition on the hydrophobic surface of the hp film was easily carried out by all-wet process. In addition an ultrahydrophobic surface of pincushion-structured polymer (ps) films having periodic pillars which was obtained by peeling off a top layer of the hp film was metal-coated by the same all-wet process. It was found that immersion in the saturated ethanol solution of PdCl₂ is suitable for catalyzation on hydrophobic surfaces for metal deposition by all-wet electroless plating. To use differences of wettability of honeycomb structures between inner and outer surfaces of porous cavities, site-selective Ni/P deposition in porous cavities was carried out by immersion in a palladium chloride acid aqueous solution after ethanol treatment.