Convergent analytical approach for the characterization of solutions and deposits of nano-colloids

Electrochemical deposition of metals on polymer substrates is a widely used industrial application, for example in surface finishing. The polymer surface requires a pre-treatment in order to get activated. In a first step, a thin layer of palladium-tin nano-colloids is deposited on the surface, followed by a Cu-Sn exchange step, which enhances the conductivity and enables the electrodeposition of metals like Cu. The colloids deposited in the first step from an acid suspension arc supposed to have a core, which consists of a Pd-Sn alloy and a stabilising shell of tin. The size of the colloids is similar to2 nm. Aim of this study is to get. a deeper insight into the nature of the colloidal suspension and the adsorbed surface layers by combining different experimental techniques for a chemical and structural analysis at the nanometer scale, such as SAXS, XPS, Cryo-Electron Microscopy, RBS and EELS.