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Current collector (CC) is an indispensable constituent in lithium‐ion battery (LIB). It plays an important role in supporting electrode materials and conducting electrons between the electrode materials and the external circuit. However, the density of metal CC is high and it hinders the lightweight development of LIB. In this work, lightweight three‐dimensional (3D) CC was designed and prepared via a facile electroless plating method. The 3D copper‐plated polyimide CC has a low areal density. The 3D structure of Cu‐PI CC 2 can facilitate Li+ transfer between electrode materials and electrolyte owing to electrolyte can permeate through electrode. Moreover, the lithium titanate anode assembled with the 3D copper‐plated polyimide Cu‐PI CC 2 exhibited enhanced cycling and rate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the role of MgB2 in composite coatings is pivotal. Electroless Ni–B plating, a current‐free chemical reduction process, deposits nickel–boron coatings. Other than MgB2, reinforcements like SiC, B4C, and so forth are used with Ni–B coatings for improved properties. The research focuses on Ni–B/MgB2 coatings on AISI 4140 steel using electroless deposition and annealing at different temperatures. Initially, the coating appears dense and amorphous, transforming into worm‐like structures through crystallization with MgB2. Higher annealing temperatures lead to brush‐like, feathery, and oyster mushroom structures, forming crystalline nickel boron compounds and oxide phases due to synergy. Interestingly, the newly introduced phases disrupt friction patterns nonlinearly, which is linked to MgB2's ceramic nature and reinforcement quantity. Conversely, incorporating MgB2 and annealing‐induced intermetallic phases notably enhances hardness (up to 6) and improves hydrophilicity and antibacterial traits in the coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of efficient and durable multifunctional electrodes for industrial‐scale hydrogen production presents a main challenge. Herein, molybdenum‐modulated phosphorus‐based catalytic electrodes (Mo‐NiP@NF) are prepared via mild electroless plating. Heteroatoms doping or heterostructures construction can reconfigure the intrinsic electronic structure of the pre‐catalyst and optimizes the key intermediates adsorption. Moreover, the (hypo/meta‐)phosphite anions (POxδ−) and molybdate ions (MoOxδ−) on the electrode surface of Mo‐NiP@NF afford resistance to chloride (Cl−) corrosion. Mo‐NiP@NF exhibits ultralow overpotentials of 278/550 and 282/590 mV at 1 A cm−2 during the hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction (HER/OER) in alkaline simulated and real seawater, respectively, whereas catalytic overall seawater splitting (OWS) reach 1 A cm−2 at 1.96 and 1.97 Vcell. Remarkably, Mo‐NiP@NF maintains stable operation for 1500 h in OWS. The scalability of Mo‐NiP@NF allowing the assembly of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer powered by photovoltaic energy, simulating a portable hydrogen‐oxygen respirator provides an oxygen/hydrogen flows of 160/320 mL min−1. Expanding further, the trace ruthenium‐loaded Mo‐NiP@NF catalyst sodium borohydride (NaBH4) hydrolysis achieving a hydrogen generation rate (HGR) of 11049.2 mL min−1 g−1. This work provides strategic innovations and optimization solutions for the economical and mild construction of multi‐scenario durable green energy conversion materials at industrial‐scale application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To resist the plastic deformation of polymer particles during hot press molding, high molecular weights, and moduli are required for composites with segregated structures, thus the prepared composites exhibit poor flexibility. Also, larger particle sizes can bring lower percolation thresholds while the ensuing greater deformation destroys the conductive network. Moreover, segregated composites still face preparation complexities. Herein, a facile method for developing flexible composites with large‐size segregated structures is proposed. First, silver‐coated polydopamine‐modified reduced graphene oxide (Ag@PrGO), as conductive fillers, is prepared by electroless plating. Next, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)‐coated polyolefin elastomer (POE) beads are put into a bag containing the fillers. After a simple shaking, the fillers are adhered to the POE surface as the cohesive property of cured PDMS. Finally, flexible composites with large‐size segregated structures are obtained via hot pressing. Benefiting from the 2D structure of the Ag@PrGO and the ability to slip, the conductive networks possess adaptable deformability. The prepared composites exhibit excellent electrical conductivity (203.55 S cm−1) at filler volume fractions of 3.4 vol%. The EMI shielding effectiveness can reach 70 dB in the X‐band at a thickness of 1.9 mm and remains stable after bending and rubbing damage. This work paves the way for constructing large‐size segregated structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The TiC/Ni composites with different CeO2 or CeO2@Ni content are fabricated by pressureless reactive sintering, and the CeO2@Ni particles are prepared by electroless plating technique. The results show that the continuous Ni layer is prepared on CeO2 particles, leading to the decrease of contact angle between CeO2 and Ni from about 116° to 65°. The relative density of composites with 1 wt% CeO2 increases from 85.79% to 96.45% by Ni layer on CeO2 particles. The CeO2 or CeO2@Ni particles exhibit no obvious influence on the microstructure of composites, and Ce atoms of CeO2 diffuse into TiC particles during the reactive sintering process. The mass gain of composite decreases from 7.4709 to 4.9075 mg cm−2 by addition of 1 wt% CeO2@Ni. The Ce‐doped in NiO and TiO2 would restrict the inward diffusion of O atoms and outward diffusion of Ni atoms, resulting in the improvement of oxidation resistance of composite. With the increase of CeO2@Ni content from 0 to 1 wt%, the surface specific resistance of composite decreases from 3.16 to 0.56 Ω cm2 at 800 °C due to the thinner oxide scale and lower bandgap of TiO2 by Ce doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the importance of metal coatings, this study addresses the ion concentration of the anti‐corrosive coating's immersion solution. The physical properties of the coating surface, such as molecular characteristics, smoothness, and structural strength, were changed by adding nano‐SiO2 in the immersion solution to formulate the best scheme for anti‐corrosive performance. The composite coating was prepared on the surface of AZ31B magnesium alloy by electroless plating. Besides, the surface coating based on AZ31B substrate has high‐quality corrosion resistance to different types of contaminated media. The experimental results demonstrate that the nanocomposite coating can form an ultrafine particle‐filling effect on the metal surface, which is lower than the drag force of the conventional metal surface. Considering the slip velocity gradient in the contact coating area, we reduce the shear stress and drag force, verifying the nanocomposite coating's effect on reducing the reaction force. The contact angle of water droplets in the composite coating is greater than 158.7°. The study finally verifies that the prepared coating has good self‐cleaning potential which can prevent the corrosion of different polluted media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational design of efficient and economical bifunctional electrocatalysts remained a challenge for overall water electrolysis. In this work, the Ni‐boride/ phosphide particles anchored amorphous B‐doped carbon layer with hierarchical porous characteristics in Ni foam (Ni3P/Ni3B/B−C/NF) was fabricated for overall water splitting. The Boroncarbide (B4C) power was filled and fixed in the NF interspace through the electroplating and electroless plating, and then annealed in vacuum high temperature. The amorphous B−C layer derived from the B4 C not only speeded up the electron transport, but also cooperate with Ni‐boride/phosphide to enhance the electrocatalytic activity for HER and OER synergistically. Furthermore, the hierarchical porous architecture of Ni3P/Ni3B/B−C/NF increased space utilization to load more active materials. The self‐supported Ni3P/Ni3B/B−C/NF electrode possessed a low overpotential of 212 and 280 mV to deliver 100 mA cm−2 for HER and OER, respectively, and high stability for 48 h. In particular, the electrolyzer constituted with the Ni3P/Ni3B/B−C/NF bifunctional electrocatalyst only required a voltage of 1.59 V at 50 mA cm−2 for water electrocatalysis under alkaline medium, and demonstrated long‐term stability for 48 h. This study provides a new technical path for the development of bifunctional of transition metal borides to promote the application of hydrogen production from water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper plating on graphite surfaces is employed as an effective strategy to enhance the wettability between Cu and graphite, which is otherwise inadequate. To achieve a uniformly coated Cu layer on graphite surfaces, this study utilized rotational electroless plating. Subsequently, the effects of CuSO4 ⋅ 5H2O concentrations (10, 15, 20, and 25 g/L) and reaction solution temperatures (30, 40, 50, and 60 °C) on the uniformity and density of the Cu coating on the graphite surface were investigated. The findings reveal that variations in the concentration of the CuSO4 ⋅ 5H2O have a limited impact on the uniformity and densification of the Cu coating. Specifically, as the concentration of CuSO4 ⋅ 5H2O increases from 10 g/L to 25 g/L, there is a slight decrease in the uniformity and integrity of the Cu coating, with the density of Cu‐coated graphite powder decreasing marginally from 3.646 g/cm3 to 6.642 g/cm3. In contrast, the temperature of the reaction solution has a significant effect on the uniformity and densification of the Cu coating. With an increase in the reaction solution temperature from 30 °C to 60 °C, there is a noticeable deterioration in the uniformity and integrity of the Cu coating, with a decrease in the density of Cu‐coated graphite powder from 3.653 g/cm3 to 6.620 g/cm3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi‐additive process (SAP) is a pivotal technique for fabricating integrated circuit (IC) packaging substrates, achieving fine line/space resolution below 20 μm. The adhesion strength between the epoxy composite dielectric layer and electroplated copper is critical for ensuring the long‐term service reliability of high‐performance substrates. Herein, an epoxy composite film suitable for SAP is deposited with copper layer via electroless plating followed by electroplating. The effects of lamination and pre‐curing temperatures in SAP on the butter layer thickness, desmear weight, surface roughness (Ra), and adhesion strength of the plated copper are systematically investigated. The desmear weight decreases with the rising of lamination temperature attributed to the increased butter layer thickness. The lamination temperature is demonstrated to be one of the most influential factors in determining the adhesion strength between the plated copper and the epoxy composite. A high and stable peel strength exceeding 6.0 N cm−1 is achieved under the circumstance of a low Ra of merely 0.95 μm, indicating significant potential for these epoxy composite films in the fabrication of fine‐line and high‐density packaging substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction is a promising approach to remove harmful nitrate and produce ammonia in aqueous media. Here, we demonstrate how 3D printed polymer electrodes can be electroless plated with a bimetallic NiCu alloy film suitable for sustained nitrate‐to‐ammonia reduction. Characterization by powder X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning/transmission electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy indicate that the electrode has a two‐layer structure consisting of polymer/ coating layer of metal alloys. The composite electrode shows high‐performance in the nitrate‐to‐ammonia electroreduction, giving NH3 Faradaic efficiencies of up to 83 % and NH3 yield rates up to 860 μg/(h cm2) at −0.38 V vs. RHE. We show that the electrode can easily be integrated into a Zn‐nitrate battery, giving a power density of 3.8 mW cm−2 with continuous NH3 production. The system combines three productive outputs, that is removal of nitrate pollutants, synthesis of valuable ammonia and generation of "green" electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current industrial revolution derives much of its momentum from value creation based on interconnected products and related data based services. Such products must fulfill both mechanical and electrical requirements, making them mechatronic systems. The production of such systems via additive manufacturing (AM) processes offers advantages in achievable complexity, reduction of the amount of individual components, and cost‐effective as well as sustaina ble production of small quantities. In this work, a process chain is presented that allows for refining additively manufactured 3D structures made from industry‐standard materials into mechatronic components by creating electrically conductive structures directly on their surfaces. The process chain is based on masking the component's surface and selectively removing the masking according to the circuit geometry using laser radiation. In a wet–chemical bath process, the surface is then exposed to palladium nuclei, the masking is fully removed and metal layers (copper/nickel/gold) are deposited by electroless plating. The procedure is developed using stereolithography as a model process for AM and transferred to four additional AM methods. In all cases, despite markedly different surface properties, good selectivity of metal deposition is observed as well as adhesion strength and conductivity comparable to industrially common injection‐molded laser direct structured mechatronic interconnect devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anode‐free potassium (K) metal batteries are promising candidates in high‐energy‐density batteries. Nevertheless, the notorious potassium dendrite growth and poor K plating/stripping efficiency originating from the potassiophobicity of conventional Cu current collectors impede their practical applications. Herein, by means of systematically multi‐scale theoretical simulations, the correlations among K deposition morphology, nucleation sites, and potassiophilicity of mediation layers are well illuminated from thermodynamics and dynamics perspectives. As a proof of concept, a potassiophilic alloy Cu6Sn5 layer is constructed on commercial Cu foils via a facile electroless plating approach. The designed Cu6Sn5@Cu can guide the homogeneous distribution of K+ flux and regulate the electronic field, promoting uniform K+ plating and stripping. Meanwhile, a KF‐rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer with high mechanical strength is electrochemically induced and formed, facilitating the transport of K+ through SEI and enhancing the stability of SEI. Consequently, Cu6Sn5@Cu delivers great performance with durable stability of up to 600 h (1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2) in no‐reservoir half‐cells. Benefiting from the unique mediation layer design, a novel anode‐free K‐metal full‐cell prototype demonstrates ameliorative cyclic stability. This work advances a fundamental understanding and establishes the bridge between the potassium deposition morphology and mediation layer properties for anode‐free potassium‐metal batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ag@ceramic composite papermaking pigment was prepared by coating silver onto red ceramic powder using the electroless plating method. SEM and XRD showed that the ceramic pigments have a porous crystalline structure and that silver particles had been successfully loaded onto the surface and into the pores of the Ag@ceramic. Untreated ceramic pigment and Ag@ceramic pigment were incorporated into paper sheets by coating, filling and filling‐coating. Using spinach as an example, the ability of the different papers to preserve food was then evaluated. Four indicators were used to assess the preservative effect of the papers: inhibition of growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, weight loss of the spinach and retention of vitamin C and chlorophyll in the spinach. Although the ceramic preservative paper has no antibacterial properties, it reduced weight loss from the spinach and increased retention of vitamin C and chlorophyll. The antibacterial preservative papers inhibited the growth of E. coli and S. aureus by >99%, and because of their additional antibacterial activity, these papers preserved the spinach more effectively. The experimental results showed that the antibacterial food‐preservative paper incorporating ceramic pigments had great potential in food packing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports novel, compact, and additively manufactured quadrupole mass filters (QMFs) with adequate filtering performance for practical mass spectrometry applications. The QMFs are monolithically fabricated via vat photopolymerization of glass‐ceramic resin using 57 µm × 57 µm × 100 µm voxels, and selective electroless plating of nickel‐boron. Experimental characterization of QMF prototypes at 1.74 MHz using FC‐43 yields 131 Da peaks with 0.50 Da full width at half maximum (260 resolution), surpassing the resolution of reported miniaturized counterparts under similar conditions, and being on par with commercial, non‐miniaturized, heavier devices. The sensitivity of the 3D‐printed devices is estimated at 0.13 mA Torr−1 (comparable to that of optimized, commercial counterparts), while the devices attained up to 250 Da of mass range (limited by the driving electronics). The work is of interest to low‐cost, capable mass spectrometry, 3D‐printed instruments, and in‐space manufacturing of complex instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, in order to achieve high‐yield Micro‐LED chip bonding and thus further advance the breakthrough of Micro‐LED interconnect technology. In this study, an electroless plating method is used to achieve the highly uniform nickel bump arrays on thin film transistor (TFT) driver substrate. Initially, the photoresists AZ4620 and AZ2070 are chosen for the experiments, which can cover the step structure uniformly of TFT substrate. Subsequently, the morphology of bumps on the TFT substrate influenced by the plasma treatment and the deposition time is investigated. The 1% uniformity of the nickel bump arrays by the electroless plating for 30 minutes after 5‐minute plasma treatment is achieved, which lays the foundation for the electroless plating self‐bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel approach for fabricating copper‐coated alumina microparticles utilizing a pectin‐based coating subsequently followed by electroless deposition is reported. The biopolymer pectin is modified with phosphate groups covalently binding to the particle surface, while the polymer itself promotes the formation of metal centers on the surface due to the high affinity to metal cations. The sugar‐based (galactose, xylose, and glucose) electroless plating process in combination with an organic‐based treatment ensures a homogeneous metal coating method. As a benefit, precious metal activation of alumina particles and hazardous reducing agents typically employed are not required, creating a low‐cost and sustainable process. Metal plated micro particles show a uniform and homogeneous coating rendering them as ideal additives for application in metal matrix composites. These ceramic metal composites can be used in a wide range of applications where high‐strength metal components are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes a facile and economical hybrid additive manufacturing (HAM)technology combining fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing and laser‐activated selective electroless plating (ELP) for fabricating full functional end‐use 3D customized electronics. A functional acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) filament doped with dicopper hydroxide phosphate (Cu2(OH)PO4) catalysts is developed for FDM 3D printing. The 3D printed structure is selectively laser‐activated to generate CuI plating seeds on the ABS surface and then electrolessly plated. The poor surface finish, especially the layer lines, is an intrinsic defect of extrusion 3D printing, which not only affected the fabrication quality of the 3D substrates but also the electrical performance of the attached circuitry. Herein, a chemical polishing process based on acetone vapor is explored and characterized to significantly improve the surface quality and thereby the electrical performance of the attached copper layer. In this way, highly conductive metallic circuitry can be freeformly deposited and patterned on the 3D structure which is extremely attractive for customized 3D electronics. To show the application potential of this technology, a 3D conformal 555 timer astable oscillator circuit board and a hot‐wire flowmeter are developed as demonstrators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical activity (polarization rotation of light) is one of the most desired features of chiral media, as it is important for many polarization‐related applications. However, in the THz region, chiral media with strong optical activity are not available in nature. Here, a chiral metamaterial (CMM) structure composed of pairs of vertical U‐shape resonators of "twisted" arms is studied, and it is revealed that it demonstrates large pure optical activity (i.e., optical activity associated with negligible transmitted wave ellipticity) in the low THz regime. The experimental data show polarization rotation up to 25° for an unmatched bandwidth of 1 THz (relative bandwidth 80%), from a 130 µm‐thickness structure, while theoretical optimizations show that the rotation can reach 45°. The enhanced chiral response of the structure is analyzed through an equivalent RLC circuit model, which also provides simple optimization rules for the enhancement of its chiral response. The proposed chiral design allows for easy fabrication via direct laser writing (DLW) and electroless metal plating, making the associated structures suitable candidates for polarization control applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study has explored the physical and chemical properties of nickel‐boron/nano‐diamond composite coatings upon pre/post heat treatment. The nano‐composite coatings were produced by electroless plating. In fact, the effects of using the nano‐diamond additives (0 g l−1, 0.1 g l−1, 0.3 g l−1, 0.5 g l−1, 0.7 g l−1) were investigated in pre/post heat treatment. According to the results, the micro‐hardness of the nickel‐boron/nano‐diamond composite coating produced in the bath containing 0.5 g l−1 nano‐diamond additive reached to 1005 HV 0.05 upon post‐heat treatment. Also, the corrosion resistance of the nickel‐boron/nano‐diamond composite coatings was modified by using the nano‐additive or heat treatment. But, adding nano‐diamond particles reduced the ductility and wear resistance of the nickel‐boron coatings. We also found, modification of the properties (ductility and wear resistance) of the composite coatings was achieved by using the heat treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible transparent electrodes (FTEs) with embedded metal mesh composed of composite materials or structures have excellent comprehensive performance, which has attracted extensive attention, but it also brings great challenges to its manufacturing. Herein, a simple and cost-effective fabrication process free of template, vacuum processes is proposed for high-performance FTEs with ultra-fine embedded Cu/Ag(shell)-P4VP(core) conductive grid via a microscale hybrid additive manufacturing technique. The produced FTE exhibits excellent properties with a sheet resistance of 2.5 O, a transmittance of 93% at a line pitch of 250 µm, and an ultra-fine line width of 4 µm, low surface roughness (Ra = 5.28 nm), and excellent mechanical stability (no change in Rs after 100 adhesion and 150 scratch tests). The FTEs expose only a few conductive areas, which make it excellent environmental stability (no change in Rs after exposure to humidity environment for 72 h). The flexible electroluminescent device fabricated with this FTE has good bending and luminescent properties, showing great potential for flexible optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of facet types affects the functionality of the surfaces of polycrystalline films. However, we are not aware of a previously published convenient method to determine their distribution. This work describes and demonstrates a process to determine and map the Miller indexes (hkl) of crystal facets exposed at the surfaces of polycrystalline films. To find facet types in non‐trivial cases, one must know the orientation of the crystal and the direction in which the facet is facing. The method presented here combines the crystal orientations obtained with electron backscatter diffraction with the topography of the same sample area measured with atomic force microscopy. A challenging step is to transfer the data from the two instruments into a common coordinate system. The sequence of steps in the data processing is presented, with methods to verify the results. The process is illustrated with the analysis of an etched copper clad laminate (CCL) and an electroless Cu film deposited on the CCL. This example relates to facet selection in electroless and galvanic plating processes in printed circuit board production, where an uncontrolled transition from epitaxial to non‐epitaxial growth can lead to surfaces with unacceptable roughness. Lay Description: Crystals are usually recognized by having distinct facets at their surface. The study of crystals and facets has a long tradition. To identify a crystal facet, one must know the orientation of the surface relative to stacking pattern of the atoms within the crystal. Both these tasks can be accomplished separately, but it is difficult to put the two pieces of information together for hundreds or thousands of crystals at a time. As the dimensions of the electronic circuits become smaller, for example in mobile phones, it is becoming increasingly important to know and control the facets present at the surface of the electrical connections. We measure the topography of the sample surface with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and identify flat parts of the surface as facets. On the same sample, we use a scanning electron microscope with a specialized module (Electron backscatter diffraction, EBSD) to find the directions in which the atoms are stacked below these facets. Combining the data from these two instruments allows us to find the facet types. The mathematical steps needed to do this are described and illustrated. This new technique will allow improved process design and process control in electronics manufacturing and other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodisperse polystyrene-silver (PS-Ag) composite microspheres were used to enhance the electrical conductivity of epoxy resin-based anisotropic conductive adhesives (ACAs). Specially designed PS-Ag composite microspheres were used as conductive elements to construct anisotropic conductive arrays. In addition, the surface microstructure and morphology of PS-Ag composite microspheres were controlled by adjusting the silver precursor concentration and implemented electroless plating method. The size and conductivity of the final composite microspheres used for ACAs were 2.572 µm and 81,967 S cm-1, respectively. In addition, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy resin and polyamide resin were used as the matrix resin and curing agent, respectively, to predict the optimum curing process parameters based on curing kinetics. Based on this premise, carboxyl-terminated butadiene-acrylonitrile (CTBN) and PS-Ag composite microspheres were used as the toughening agent and conductive filler, respectively, and a facile strategy was developed to prepare ACAs (viz., PS-Ag/Ep-ACAs). As the PS-Ag composite microspheres exhibited a submicron structure, PS-Ag/Ep-ACAs creatively exhibited satisfactory anisotropic electrical and mechanical properties. Therefore, the research strategy and fabrication methods proposed demonstrate immense potential for the fabrication of large-scale ACAs in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe a digital fabrication method used for custom MRI receive coils with vacuum forming and electroless copper plating. Methods: Our process produces intricate copper traces on curved surfaces. A three‐dimensional scan of a desired anatomy is obtained and used to design coil elements. The layout is predistorted with a self built simulation of the vacuum forming process and the geometric overlaps are tested with electromagnetic simulation software. The desired coil geometry is patterned onto a polycarbonate sheet by sandblasting through a tape mask. The sandblasted areas are then catalyzed with a palladium‐tin solution and vacuum formed. The catalyzed, three‐dimensional part is placed into a custom built plating tank and copper plated. Electronic components are attached to the copper traces to form resonant receive coils. The methods described here are demonstrated and tested with an 8 channel visual cortex coil array. Results: The prototype coils exhibit quality factor ratios higher than three, indicating body noise dominance. The coil array shows high signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) near the periphery of a head shaped phantom. In vivo images with up to 0.37×0.37×0.67 mm3$$ 0.37\times 0.37\times 0.67\;{\mathrm{mm}}^3 $$ spatial resolution were acquired on a human volunteer. Conclusion: This work presents the first example of vacuum formed coils with direct electroless copper plating. Our fabrication method results in coil arrays that are in close proximity to the body. This methods described here may enable the rapid development of a set of coils of different sizes for applications including longitudinal fMRI studies and MR‐guided therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of electromagnetic pollution issues caused by the advancement of communication technology, it is of great significance to develop materials with high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding capability as well as high absorption efficiency. The nickel‐coated silicon carbide whiskers (Ni@SiCw)/graphene nanosheets (GNP)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) EMI shielding composites with the asymmetric structure are constructed by simple solution mixing and multiple hot pressing. Specifically, the Ni@SiCw in the top layer is prepared by simple electroless plating, and the saturation magnetization intensity reaches 12.50 emu/g. The combination of dielectric and magnetic losses provides reliable electromagnetic wave absorption performance with a reflection coefficient less than 0.35. GNP is selectively enriched in the bottom layer with a maximum conductivity of 85.43 S/m. The composite shows an EMI shielding performance of 36.83 dB when the GNP content is just 4 wt%, which means 99.98% of microwaves can be shielded. Furthermore, due to the distinct structure, the composites display various shielding mechanisms when electromagnetic waves are incident from different faces. Without a doubt, this asymmetric structure offers a novel approach to the preparation of directional EMI shielding materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel coating of reinforcing fibers via electroless plating can provide superior properties to polymer composites, particularly for radar stealth, although its effect on thermomechanical properties and thermal cycling response are relatively unverified. Thermal cycling of strained nickel‐coated glass fiber epoxy laminates was performed to evaluate its effect through in‐plane shear mechanical testing and fiber‐matrix interface region microscopic observations. Laminates were subjected to 4000 cycles of thermal conditioning (regular and strained). Subsequent in‐plane shear tensile tests revealed a ~10% increase in their ultimate shear strength, which was credited to polymer relaxation and increased plastic energy storage capacity. Atomic force microscopy in force modulation mode showed the most significant fiber‐matrix interface region changes for strained thermal cycled specimens, which we attribute to their higher stress during conditioning and plastic deformation. A relatively short fiber‐matrix interface region length was observed, which we attribute to the lower surface energy of Ni‐glass fiber. Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) revealed a glass‐transition temperature range of 71–110°C, and coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) were evaluated for several laminate configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles functionalized poly‐p‐phenylene terephthamide (PPTA) fiber was fabricated through the electroless plating method. To facilitate the efficient deposition of silver nanoparticles, the PPTA fiber surface was modified by using dopamine and γ‐methacryloxypropyl trimethoxy silane (MPTES). Various techniques including scanning electron microscope (SEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the surface morphology and chemical composition of surface modified and silver‐plated PPTA fibers. The silver‐plated PPTA fiber showed a surface resistance of 0.53 Ω over a length of 1 cm with reliable coating fastness under ultrasonic washing and high temperature treatment. Furthermore, the silver‐plated PPTA fiber exhibited antibacterial resistance against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as good electrical heating performance with surface temperature of 100.4°C at a voltage of 4.5 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroless plating of membranes offers a viable pathway to create flexible electrodes for soft sensors and actuators, as well as flexible electronics and batteries. Ionic polymer metal composites are a promising class of active materials, realized through electroless plating of ion‐exchange membranes. The plating and electrode‐membrane interface play a key role on their performance, but computational tools to inform the selection of the plating material and optimize the plating process are currently lacking. Here, this gap is filled through the study of the electrode‐membrane interface in different types of ion‐exchange membranes via molecular dynamics simulations. Both commercially available cation‐ and research‐grade anion‐exchange membranes are studied here. For platinum coating, it is predicted that cation‐exchange membranes will have a superior interface than anion‐exchange membranes, in terms of metal penetration into the membrane, reliability of actuation performance, and interface stability. The results are in line with previous endeavors documenting the higher stability of the interface for cation‐ than for anion‐exchange membranes, easier plating processes, and better electrochemical performance when working with cation‐exchange membranes. The proposed computational framework offers a versatile environment for testing different types of coatings for specific membranes, toward optimizing the performance of electrochemical devices with plated flexible electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical electrophysiological sensors that can study the body and diagnose diseases depend on consistently low impedance electrode–skin interfaces. Clinical‐standard wet electrodes use hydrogels and skin abrasion to improve the interface and thus the recorded signal quality. These electrodes are challenging to self‐administer and impede in‐home care. Wearable dry electrodes are more practical; however, they show higher impedances than wet electrodes and are costly to customize. This work presents a fabrication method for rapidly producing low impedance, anatomically fit dry electrodes that do not require hydrogels. By using electroless copper and gold plating with 3D printing, biocompatible electrodes can be optimized for individuals at a fraction of the cost of existing vacuum deposition‐based techniques. Example 3D dry electrodes made with this process are evaluated alongside clinical‐standard devices in typical scenarios to compare electrical performance and comfort. The resulting dry electrodes exhibit an average electrode‐skin impedance of 66.7 kΩ at 50 Hz and DC offset of −20 mV without any hydrogel, which, when area normalized, is within the range achieved by wet electrodes without skin abrasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noble metal nanocrystals are a family of important catalysts for a broad range of processes (especially electrocatalytic ones), which are usually obtained as a hybrid each containing a metallic core and a ligand shell. It is well recognized that the ligand plays a critical role in regulating the crystal growth into different shapes and maintaining the colloidal stability of the nanocrystals. Recently, more effects of the ligand were revealed in controlling both the synthesis and the surface property of noble metal nanocrystals, which could be maneuvered to achieve distinctive catalytic properties. In this review, we present a summary of the roles of the ligand based on typical results from the literature. The review begins with a discussion on the roles of the ligand in the controlled synthesis of noble metal nanocrystals, including the shape control, the reduction potential control for suppressing self‐nucleation and galvanic replacement reaction, and the electroless plating effect for noble metal/non‐noble metal co‐reduction. The following section includes a discussion of the effects of the ligand on the surface property of noble metal nanocrystals, including the ensemble size engineering, the ligand‐metal electron transfer, and the local microenvironment construction, toward designable electrocatalytic properties. At the end, we provide our perspectives on the future research of ligand engineering as an advanced technique for tailoring electrocatalytic properties of noble metal nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three‐dimensional (3D) printing is gaining wide attention recently. It is particularly effective in fabricating topographically complicated structures on a small scale. However, the library of 3D printable material is highly limited which heavily hindered its further applications. Herein, we developed a convenient method to replicate the 3D‐printed structures into different functional materials. Consequently, many unprintable materials can be readily made into arbitrary geometry without reengineering their printability nor developing new 3D printing methods. These materials are thermally curable, chemically crosslinkable, or liquid/solid phase change at mild temperatures, such as polydimethylsiloxane, polyacrylamide, and paraffin. 3D structures with multiscale sizes and topographic complexity including a trifurcating network, an octahedron lattice, a Mario figure and a tetrahedron framework array were used for demonstration here. Our method shows a high fidelity during the replication and the replica can remain the high‐resolution of feature from a two‐photon polymerization 3D printer, which can generate 3D structures with resolution down to 1 μm or even smaller. In addition, electroless plating of metal in the internal walls of the mold can allow us to further shrink feature sizes in the final replica, which suggests an approach to obtain resolutions beyond the 3D printer at the start. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a dual conductive network of nickel‐coated carbon fiber woven fabrics (Ni‐CFWF) was presented for indirect and direct lightning strike protection (LSP) of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. The Ni‐CFWF prepared by electroless plating was bonded to the top surface of a CFRP composite. Excellent electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of Ni‐CFWF/CFRP composite was achieved with a value of 92.87 dB in the frequency range 8.2–12.4 GHz, 189.22% greater than that of the pristine CFRP composite. Moreover, the prepared Ni‐CFWF also exhibited a good direct lightning strike (LS) protection performance. The maximum LS damage depth and area of the Ni‐CFWF/CFRP composites were reduced by 21.59% and 6.11% under a simulated lightning current with the peak of 100 kA, respectively. Correspondingly, the residual strength of the Ni‐CFWF/CFRP composites was maintained at 92.65% after LS, demonstrated the LSP effectiveness. Our work provides an effective strategy for the design of a protective system that considers both indirect and direct LSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the interfacial bonding between copper and graphite, copper was coated on the graphite by electroless plating. Copper/graphite composites with copper‐coated graphite were fabricated by spark plasma sintering. The effects of copper‐coated graphite on the density, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, friction and wear properties of copper/graphite composites were studied. The results show that: copper plating on the graphite surface can improve the wettability of graphite and copper, and the interface between them is well bonded. Compared with pure copper, the microstructure of the composites was significantly refined after adding copper‐coated graphite. The mechanical properties of the composites were significantly improved, with yield compressive strength and elastic modulus increasing by 220 % and 240 %, respectively. With the increase of copper‐coated graphite contents, the density and the conductivity of the composites gradually decreased. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the composites were significantly reduced. The friction and wear mechanisms of the composites are mainly oxidation wear, fatigue wear and adhesive wear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high‐performance sulfur‐based composite cathodes is a promising strategy to accelerate the reaction kinetics of sulfur and decelerate the irreversible loss of polysulfides. Herein, a strategy for fabricating high‐performance metal‐sulfur composite cathodes is proposed to achieve a facile synthesis process, adjustable high sulfur content, and excellent electrochemical performance. Electroless nickel plating is applied to achieve a nickel‐sulfur nanocomposite with metallic nickel to inhibit the high resistance of the active solid‐state materials (i. e., sulfur and lithium sulfide) and the rapid diffusion of the active liquid‐state materials (i. e., lithium polysulfides). Therefore, the electroless nickel‐plated sulfur (ENS) composite cathode attains high, tunable sulfur contents of 60 wt %–95 wt %, large sulfur loadings of 2–10 mg cm−2, and excellent charge‐storage capacity values of 822–1,362 mAh g−1, corresponding to high areal capacity and energy density values of 8.2 mAh cm−2 and 17.3 mWh cm−2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To expand the application of insulating glass fiber (GF) in the field of microwave absorption, one type of GF hybrids with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nickel (Ni) was successfully synthesized by chemical vapor deposition and electroless plating methods. By changing the reaction conditions, the morphology of GF hybrids including CNT's length, CNT's growth density, and Ni′s thickness could be adjusted. The as‐produced hybrids were used as multifunctional reinforcement to fabricate epoxy composites. The dielectric properties of composites were particularly measured from 1 to 18 GHz. It was found that the variation of GF hybrids structure significantly changed the dielectric properties of the composites in the tested frequency range. Furthermore, the analytical simulation work based on the experimental results was conducted for optimizing the structural parameters of multilayered composites. The results showed that the best reflection loss of −60 dB with a −10 dB range of 5.6 GHz could be obtained in an absorber with a triple‐layered structure composed by GF‐CNTs/epoxy with different CNT contents and GF‐CNTs@Ni/epoxy. Thus, the proposed hybrid method might be quite efficient for developing composites that can achieve high‐performance electromagnetic absorbing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of an additively manufactured V‐band bandpass filter is proposed using spherical resonators with elliptical waveguides feeds. Compared with the traditional rectangular form, the curvilinear architecture seeks to mitigate corner radius effects in both the electromagnetic performance and additive manufacturing process. The filter and calibration components required for measurement are printed as single structures and then electroless silver plated using a closed‐loop bidirectional pump‐driven fluidic system. Simulated and measured results are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report a technique that can deposit metal micro/nano structures irrespective of the type of polymer substrate to obtain electrical conductivity of substrate with in situ solution process. Existing electronic products are made on Si‐based substrates, but as newly developed markets such as wearable devices are created, there is a need to manufacture electronic devices on organic‐based substrates. In order to meet the needs of this market, studies of fabricating a conducting layer on an organic based substrate are reported, techniques using interfacial layer materials that require a complex synthesis process. Here, BSA (bovine serum albumin) assisted metal deposition technique with simple, and excellent adhesion property of conducting layer, is reported. The chemical principle that BSA activates the catalyst ion of electroless plating is investigated, and the principle of increasing adhesion by cross‐linking the catalyst nanoparticles formed in this way is also investigated. In addition, electrical/mechanical characteristics are compared with previous studies, and it is proved that it is a durable and robust technology applicable to flexible electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flexible stretchable sensors have great potential for implementation in various applications, such as intelligent soft robots, health monitoring, and motion detection. However, most of the flexible stretchable sensors with microstructures and high sensitivities are fabricated by expensive templates and complex processes. In consideration of large‐scale fabrication, a low cost and efficient way is in great demand. Herein, electroless plating on Nafion films with decent swelling ratios are proposed to fabricate stretchable sensors with wrinkle‐structured electrodes. By adding isopropanol (IPA) to the electroless plating process, the H2O‐IPA sensor with larger swelling ratio shows deeper surface wrinkles, higher surface roughness, and better sensitivity to strain. At the same time, the H2O‐IPA sensor exhibit good durability (500 cycles). By mounting the sensor on the joint of human finger, the motion of the finger bending and even the bending degree can be accurately detected, indicating the potential use in the field of wearable devices and soft electronic skins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroless plating is commonly associated with metallizing macroscopic work pieces, but also represents a surprisingly powerful nanomanufacturing tool. This review details the technique's use for creating nanomaterials of arbitrary dimensionality, ranging from nanoparticles over nanotubes, nanowires, and ultrathin films to nanostructured lattices, focusing on the solution chemistry and mechanistic aspects. The synthesis of defined nanostructures serves as overarching perspective, which is enriched by drawing connections to and insights from related fields. Strategies for controlling the size, shape, crystallinity, porosity, composition, and arrangement of electrolessly plated nanostructures are outlined, including templating (which harnesses the method's exceptional conformality to guide and limit deposit formation), the complementary approach of selective growth, tailored seeding, and bath design. Being able to strike convincing compromises between material quality and ease of preparation, electroless nanoplating has a distinct potential to facilitate the application of metal nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, electrically conductive meta‐aramid fiber paper (MAFP) was prepared by combining low‐temperature plasma treatment and electroless plating. The influence of various plasma treatment parameters including nozzle speed, plasma cycle time and nozzle height on the electrical conductivity, washing fastness and bending fastness of silver‐coated MAFP was investigated. The results show that low‐temperature plasma treatment etched the surface of meta‐aramid fiber and increased the oxygen content on the MAFP surface. The optimal plasma treatment condition is: nozzle speed of 1 m/min, plasma cycle time of 80%, and nozzle height of 4–5 cm. The electrical resistance of the silver‐plated MAFP pre‐treated under this condition reached as low as 0.15 Ω/sq. In addition, the silver‐plated MAFP maintained high electrical conductivity (sheet resistance below 0.5 Ω/sq) after five washing cycles and 1000 bending cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new advanced oxidation technology, photocatalytic technology has broad application prospects in the field of wastewater treatment. However, in the actual use process, there will be difficulties in catalyst recovery and reuse. This article successfully prepared bacterial cellulose (BC) loaded silver and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Ag‐plated TiO2/BC composite pellicle) by in situ embedding method. BC not only works as the carrier to load TiO2 and Ag NPs but also adsorbs dyes to promote the reaction. As a reusable photocatalytic film, it is convenient to use and recycle in terms of testing and characterization compared with powders. The results show that Ag and TiO2 nanoparticles were closely embedded in BC. We evaluated the photocatalytic degradation performance of the catalyst on methylene blue (MB), active red X‐3B, and Rhodamine B. When the reaction time was 2 h, the dye removal rates were 71%, 68%, and 82.6%. At the same time, through the inhibition zone experiment, it was found that the material has a certain inhibitory effect on both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, the supported catalyst prepared by this method has the advantages of high catalytic activity, relatively stable property, easy recovery, and tailorability, making it potentially applicable in sewage post‐treatment links. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable Zn ion batteries are regarded as a preferable candidate for nextgeneration energy storage systems owing to their merits of environmental benignity, low cost, and high safety. Nevertheless, unsatisfactory cycling stability stemming from dendrite growth and undesired side reactions of Zn anodes prevent their widespread commercial adoption. Here, a novel 3D Zn metal anode with multi-channel lattice structures employing the combined 3D printing and electroless plating/electroplating techniques is reported. The constructed 3D Ni-Zn anode with multi-channel lattice structure and super-hydrophilic surface can effectively ameliorate the electric-field distribution and induce the uniform deposition of Zn without Zn dendrite growth, as confirmed by simulation of current density distribution of the electrode in electrolyte and in situ microscopic observation of Zn plating/stripping. As expected, the 3D Ni-Zn cell shows highly reversible Zn plating/stripping with satisfactory Coulombic efficiency due to the low Zn nucleation overpotential and homogeneous distribution of localized electric field. Consequently, a full cell built with a 3D printed Zn anode and polyaniline-intercalated vanadium oxide cathode exhibits remarkable performance. The simple and cost-effective fabrication of conductive metal lattices with tunable 3D multi-channel architecture opens up new opportunities to develop other high-performance metal (such as Li, Na, K, Mg, Al) batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral plasmonic films with gold nanohelices in polymer matrix are fabricated by templated electroless plating using self‐assembled enantiomeric polylactide‐based block copolymers (BCPs) as templates. By taking advantage of the helicity control of forming helical phase from the self‐assembly of chiral BCPs, mirror‐image signals from Cotton effect in electronic circular dichroism spectra can be clearly identified. The polymeric films with gold nanohelices show chiral plasmonic properties, as further evidenced by simulation from finite‐difference time‐domain method. This study may shed the light on fabrication of chiral plasmonic materials with adaptability in the applications for optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum (Al) was successfully bonded with alumina (Al2O3) using Ni films of different thicknesses (3, 6, 12 μm) through electroplating and electroless plating processes after annealing at the relatively low melting point of Al. The microstructure, bonding area percentage, shear strength, and thermal conductivity of Al/Al2O3 joints were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, scanning acoustic tomography (SAT), the ISO 13124 test, and the laser flash method respectively. No reaction layer was found at the interface of the Al/Al2O3 joint, and the Ni film diffused completely into Al to form an intermetallic compound, Al3Ni, in the Al foil. The amount and size of the Al3Ni phase in the Al foil increased gradually with the thickness of the Ni film. The samples with Ni deposited via electroplating had a higher shear stress and bonding area than the samples with Ni deposited via electroless plating. The Al/Al2O3 specimen with a 3‐μm‐thick Ni film interlayer deposited using electroplating had the highest shear strength (50.6 MPa), thermal conductivity (39.45 W/mK), and bonding area percentage (~99.97%); therefore, specimens produced under these conditions were considered suitable for use as a substrate in high‐power devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the poor sinterability and wettability between TiN ceramic and pure metal via using coated composite powders, dense TiN‐Ni cermets with uniform microstructure and fine grains were developed at a low sintering temperature of 1300℃ in this work. TiN powders were firstly activated in a strong acid solution, in order to achieve a step‐like surface; Ni‐coated TiN powders showed an uniform and controllable morphology. Two types of TiN‐Ni cermets based on conventional milled powders and Ni‐coated TiN composite powders were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS), and used for the comparison concerning the sintering behavior, microstructure and related mechanical properties. Results showed that Ni‐coated TiN composite powders helped to improve the sinterability between ceramic and metal, which is rather beneficial to obtain dense TiN‐Ni cermets with homogeneous microstructure and high mechanical properties. Compared to those of conventional TiN‐Ni, the relative density, Rockwell hardness and fracture toughness increased from 84.9% to 96.6%, 80.2 to 84.3, and 10.2 MPa·m1/2 to 14.7 MPa·m1/2, with a rather low sintering temperature of 1300 ℃, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a simple pickling process in H3PO4 and NH4HF2 solution was used for electroless Ni–P plating on AZ61 magnesium alloy. It is found that the corrosion rate of magnesium alloy during pickling significantly decreased because NH4HF2 was added into H3PO4 pickling solution. Ni–P coating plated only with pickling process shows poor adhesion because of the low F/O ratio of the substrate surface. However, F/O ratio, adhesion, and corrosion resistance of Ni–P coating are obviously enhanced after pickling followed by activation. The optimal pretreatment process is pickling for 120 s and activation for 4 min, under which the Ni–P coating has an optimum F/O ratio of 1.8 and the coating gets a dense structure, better adhesion, and higher corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Electroless plating was used to prepare nickel particles as catalysts to generate hydrogen by methane decomposition. Nickel particles were supported on SBA‐15 mesoporous silica structures which have good mechanical strength and are thermally stable. Ag particles were first prepared and attached on the support surface as seeds for the Ni particles. Electroless nickel plating provides a uniform deposition of Ni particles on the Ag/support surface and produces varying loadings of nickel deposits. These favorable features of the combined electroless nickel plating and catalyst support are a good catalyst candidate for thermal decomposition of methane. The results showed medium interaction of the catalyst with the support and exposed a higher nickel loading on the support surface. The activity of the catalysts was investigated under two temperature‐programmed processes involving a constant temperature mode and a stepwise heating temperature mode. The Ni/SBA‐15 catalyst was characterized using ion chromatography, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and hydrogen temperature‐programmed reduction. The performance of the catalyst was dependent on the catalyst loading and reaction temperature. The 32 wt% Ni/SBA‐15 catalyst exhibited the best catalytic performance with a stable methane conversion of 0.44 at 575°C. The 32 wt% Ni/SBA‐15 catalyst also withstood the highest resistance to deactivation. The results of this study demonstrated the feasibility of using electroless nickel plating technique for the preparation of catalyst for the catalytic methane decomposition reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel method of incorporating fluidized bed chemical vapor deposition (FBCVD) with electroless plating was developed to effectively prepare the core‐shell structured WC‐Co composite powders. The Co nanoparticles decorated on the surface of WC particles by FBCVD acted as active catalysts for the subsequent electroless plating process. The particle size and quantity of the decorated Co particles determined the electroless plating rate but the particle size played more important role. For the conditions tested, the maximum electroless plating rate of 2.34 mg/g/min was obtained by using an optimal FBCVD pretreatment at 750°C for 3 minutes. WC‐12Co composite powders with a commercial composition widely used for atmospheric plasma spraying (APS) were efficiently prepared. The composite powders exhibited excellent suitability for APS by forming a homogenous Co‐W‐C ternary liquid stream. The APS coating is not only well‐bonded with the substrate but also consisted of hard nonequilibrium Co3W3C and W2C phases with a uniform distribution. Both remarkably improved the hardness and tribological properties of the APS coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deposition of metallic electrodes on a semiconductor medium is an indispensable factor in governing carrier injection, and a metal/semiconductor contact that can be formed via solution process is highly desired in printed electronics. However, fine‐patterning the solution processes of metallic electrodes without damaging the excellent electronic properties of organic semiconductors (OSCs) is still a challenge. In this work, electroless plating, a metal coating technique that involves auto‐catalytic reaction in an aqueous solution, is used to fabricate top‐contact organic thin‐film transistors (OTFTs). An electroless‐plated gold pattern with a spatial resolution of 10 micrometers is transferred and laminated on a monolayer of OSCs to serve as a hole‐injection electrode. The fabricated OTFTs exhibit reasonably high field‐effect mobility of up to 13 cm2 V−1 s−1 and decent contact resistance as low as 120 Ω · cm, which implies that an ideal metal/semiconductor contact can be realized. This electroless plating technique can provide possibilities for practical mass production of organic integrated circuits because it is in principle cost‐effective, capable of covering large areas, high‐vacuum free, and environmentally friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroless plating is a powerful tool in nanofabrication and is available for many of the noble transition metals. There is, however, a striking lack of electroless plating procedures for the rarer platinum‐group metals. In this work, two plating baths for nanoscale iridium coatings are developed and their conformality and nanofabrication potential are showcased by coating ion‐track‐etched polycarbonate membranes, creating Ir nanotubes in the process. Both plating solutions yield morphologically different deposits, indicating that the microstructure of the film can be tuned by adjusting the composition of the plating bath. The catalytic performance of the deposited materials is investigated by using membrane‐embedded nanotubes as catalysts for the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol and methyl orange by borohydride, showing remarkable activity and stability. Operation in flow‐through configuration, in which the metallized membrane is implemented as a microreactor greatly enhances the interaction with the catalyst surface, considerably increasing product yield. The results highlight the potential of Ir nanoplating for realizing sophisticated nanostructures and heterogeneous catalysts, but also illustrate the intricacies related to the complex chemistry of electroless Ir plating baths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facile deposition of transition metal boride (TMB) with high‐boron content as highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst has been realized by a facile one‐step electroless‐plating (EP) method. Boron content of the TMB catalyst shows an appreciable impact on its intrinsic HER activity. NiB/NF electrode with thin amorphous nickel boride (NiB) deposition on nickel foam (NF) required overpotential of only 41.2 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for HER in 1.0 M KOH alkaline electrolyte. Meanwhile, this kind of electrode also shows satisfied stability which can work at large current density of 1000 mA cm−2 for over 72 h without performance degradation. The advance on the TMB electrode may pave a way to the development of practical electrodes for water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]