Abstract: A composition comprising nanocellulose is disclosed, wherein the nanocellulose contains very low or essentially no sulfur content. The nanocellulose may be in the form of cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose nanofibrils, or both. The nanocellulose is characterized by a crystallinity of at least 80%, an onset of thermal decomposition of 300° F. or higher, and a low light transmittance over the range 400-700 nm. Other variations provide a composition comprising lignin-coated hydrophobic nanocellulose, wherein the nanocellulose contains very low or essentially no sulfur content. Some variations provide a composition comprising nanocellulose, wherein the nanocellulose contains about 0.1 wt % equivalent sulfur content, or less, as SO4 groups chemically or physically bound to the nanocellulose. In some embodiments, the nanocellulose contains essentially no hydrogen atoms (apart from hydrogen structurally contained in nanocellulose itself) bound to the nanocellulose.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure describe techniques for providing an apparatus with a substrate provided with plasma treatment. In some instances, the apparatus may include a substrate with a surface that comprises a metal layer to provide signal routing in the apparatus. The metal layer may be provided in response to a plasma treatment of the surface with a functional group containing a gas (e.g., nitrogen-based gas), to provide absorption of a transition metal catalyst into the surface, and subsequent electroless plating of the surface with a metal. The transition metal catalyst is to enhance electroless plating of the surface with the metal. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a holding device that includes a conductive member and holds a substrate, a conduction path structure that includes a conductive material and positioned such that the conduction path structure is in contact with the holding device, a supply device that supplies a processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding device, and a grounding structure including a variable resistance device that changes a resistance such that the grounding structure has a first end portion connected the conduction path structure and a second end portion connected to a ground potential.

Abstract: A system for building a structure. The system includes a reservoir; an immiscible fluid in the reservoir; a membrane operatively connected to the reservoir; channels and delivery ports in the membrane; a microliter amount of curable resin; a delivery system for delivering the microliter amount of curable resin to channels and delivery ports in the membrane and to the reservoir in contact with the immiscible fluid in the reservoir; and an energy source adapted to deliver energy to the reservoir onto the microliter amount of curable resin for building the structure.

Abstract: Provided are cleaning methods and systems to remove unintended metallic deposits from electroplating apparatuses using reverse current deplating techniques. Such cleaning involves positioning a cleaning (deplating) disk in an electroplating cup similar to a regular processed substrate. The front surface of the cleaning disk includes a corrosion resistant conductive material to form electrical connections to deposits on the cup's surfaces. The disk is sealed in the cup and submerged into a plating solution. A reverse current is then applied to the front conductive surface of the disk to initiate deplating of the deposits. Sealing compression in the cup may change during cleaning to cause different deformation of the lip seal and to form new electrical connections to the deposits. The proposed cleaning may be applied to remove deposits formed during electroplating of alloys, in particular, tin-silver alloys widely used for semiconductor and wafer level packaging.

Abstract: Methods include selectively depositing a phase change resist having high light transmittance onto a dielectric to form a pattern, etching away portions of the dielectric not covered by the resist and depositing a metal seed layer on the etched portions of the dielectric. A metal layer is then deposited on the metal seed layer by light induced plating.

Abstract: An electroless plating bath composition of matter and corresponding method are described. The plating bath is an aqueous solution including an amino acid having at least one amino moiety and at least one carboxylic acid moiety or a polypeptide thereof, and having a molar ratio of amino moieties to carboxylic acid moieties of 1 or greater, a nickel-containing or a cobalt-containing salt, and a boron-containing reducing agent. The composition of matter is used in a method of electroless nickle-boron and cobalt-boron coating of substrates.

Abstract: A dual electroplating cell comprising: (a) an electrolyte component containing therein ions of a first metal; (b) a porous cathode current collector having surface areas to capture and store metal ions directly thereon, wherein the cathode current collector has a specific surface area greater than 100 m2/g that is in direct contact with said electrolyte; (c) a porous anode current collector having surface areas to capture and store metal ions thereon, wherein the anode current collector has a specific surface area greater than 100 m2/g that is in direct contact with the electrolyte; (d) a porous separator disposed between the anode and the cathode; and (e) an ion source of the first metal disposed in the anode current collector or the cathode current collector and in electronic contact therewith to obtain an open circuit voltage (OCV) from 0.3 volts to 3.5 volts when the cell is made.

Abstract: A method of producing a displacement plating precursor, including a deposition step of depositing a Cu layer on a surface of a core particle formed of Pt or a Pt alloy by contacting a Cu ion-containing acidic aqueous solution with at least a portion of a Cu electrode, and contacting the Cu electrode with the core particle or with a composite, in which the core particle is supported on an electroconductive support, within the acidic aqueous solution or outside the acidic aqueous solution, and moreover contacting the core particle with the acidic aqueous solution under an inert gas atmosphere.

Abstract: A method for providing a structure in a magnetic recording transducer is described. The method includes plating a first layer in a plating bath using a first plurality of plating conditions. The first layer has a first galvanic potential. The method also includes modifying the plating bath and/or the first plurality of plating conditions to provide a modified plating bath and/or a second plurality of plating conditions. The method further includes plating a second layer using the modified plating bath and/or the second plurality of plating conditions. The second layer has a second galvanic potential. The first galvanic potential is between the second galvanic potential and a third galvanic potential of a third layer if the third layer adjoins the first layer. The second galvanic potential is between the first galvanic potential and the third galvanic potential of the third layer if the third layer adjoins the second layer.

Abstract: A modification rate at a surface of an anode formed on a substrate is controlled. The anode is connected to a cathode comprised of a material having a higher nobility than the anode. An electrically conductive path is established between the anode and the cathode through an electrolyte to induce formation of an oxide layer at the anode surface that is more resistive to modification than the anode.

Abstract: Dried nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), in particular films of NCC, of controlled water dispersibility and a method to control the dispersibility of dried NCC by controlling electrolyte solution ionic strength and ion valency is described. Neutral M-NCC suspensions containing monovalent counterions (e.g., M=Na+, K+, NH4+, Et4N+) produced by neutralization of acid-form NCC (H-NCC) with the appropriate hydroxide, are readily dispersible in water when fully dried; this is in contrast to H-NCC. The dispersion of dried M-NCC in aqueous media is effectively prevented by a combination of (1) increased electrolyte concentration and ionic strength, and (2) higher valency of the cation component of the dissolved salt. Additionally, pre-treatment of dried M-NCC films with an electrolyte solution having a polyvalent cation, for example a divalent or trivalent cation is sufficient to prevent the subsequent dispersion of the M-NCC film in pure water.

Abstract: A product which at least partly comprises an agglomerate formed from a powder having a pre-determined wettability.

Abstract: Voltage delay in an active metal anode/liquid cathode battery cell can be significantly reduced or completely alleviated by coating the active metal anode (e.g., Li) surface with a thin layer of an inorganic compound with Li-ion conductivity using chemical treatment of Li surface. Particularly, preferred examples of such compounds include lithium phosphate, lithium metaphosphate, and/or their mixtures or solid solutions with lithium sulphate. These compounds can be formed on the Li surface by treatment with diluted solutions of the following individual acids: H3PO4, HPO3 and H2SO4, their acidic salts, or their binary or ternary mixtures in a dry organic solvent compatible with Li, for instance in 1,2-DME; by various deposition techniques. Such chemical protection of the Li or other active metal electrode significantly reduces the voltage delay due to protected anode's improved stability toward the electrolyte.

Abstract: Stabilization of aqueous resinous dispersions containing a pigment of a divalent metal such as strontium chromate is disclosed. Stabilization is achieved by incorporating a chelating agent in the dispersion.

Abstract: A conductive oxide solid formed through an electrochemical process. The resulting solid predominantly contains oxides of the highest oxidation state. Additionally, the solid can be thick, uniform, stable across a wide range of acidity and temperature, fully hydrated, and conductive with a very low redox potential. A preferred embodiment is an iridium solid formed at high temperature in molten carbonate, said solid containing intercalated lithium. The solid has application as an electrode with reduced drift. An electrochemical acidity sensor is disclosed which pairs an electrode bearing the solid with a reference electrode. Additionally, sensor apparatuses for measuring carbon dioxide and other materials as well as methods for measuring materials using an embedded acidity sensor are disclosed.

Abstract: There is provided a method for fabricating electrical wirings capable of being manufactured with low cost and easily applied to large-scale substrates. A photosensitive ground resin film is formed on an insulating substrate by coating process. The ground resin film is subjected to exposure and development processes, by which a ground resin film patterned into a wiring pattern is obtained. Then, on the patterned ground resin film, a low-resistance metal film made of Cu is formed by electroless plating.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and methods for immersion depositing highly adherent silver layers. The compositions contain silver ions, water and a carboxylic acid-substituted nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound. Such compositions and methods are particularly useful in the manufacture of electronic devices.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for touching up and/or repairing minor surface damage in a large-format pressing plate or an endless strip 3 made of steel sheet, with a textured surface 4, for surface embossing of wood materials or laminate panels, whereby the damaged surface is subjected to microgalvanic treatment, In order to simply repair the damage locations and to allow a longer tool life of the pressing sheets, it is provided, according to the invention, that an electrolyte solution that contains metal ions and iron is used, which is coordinated with the base material of the pressing plate or the endless strip 3. This yields the particular advantage that no color deviations are formed as compared with the damaged locations and that a conventional chrome-plating process can be used, whereby the damaged locations 2 are not washed out and thereby become visible again, during subsequent touch-up chrome-plating, because of the electrolyte used.

Abstract: A process for galvanic depositing of a dispersion layer on a surface of a work piece, in particular a contact layer on a plain bearing half liner, is described, where an electrolyte with the dispersed phase finely distributed therein is moved opposite the work piece surface to be coated with formation of a flow component parallel to the surface. In order to create advantageous processing conditions, the surface of the work piece to be coated is profiled prior to coating with an average minimum profile depth of 5 &mgr;m and is then coated transversely to a salient profile direction in a flow component of the electrolyte opposite the work piece surface.

Abstract: A zinc/air button cell comprising a cathode casing and an anode casing wherein the anode casing is inserted into the cathode casing. The anode casing is formed of multiclad metal layers, for example nickel/stainless steel/copper. A protective metal is plated onto the exposed peripheral edge of the anode casing. The protective metal is desirably selected from copper, tin, indium, silver, brass, bronze or gold. The application of the protective metal covers the multiclad metals exposed along the peripheral edge surface. The protective metal is also desirably plated onto the portion of the outside surface of the anode casing abutting the insulating material placed between the anode and cathode casing. Application of the protective metal to the anode casing peripheral edge eliminates the potential gradients caused by exposure of the different metals comprising the multiclad material.

Abstract: A nickel plug (31) filling an aperture in an insulating layer (30), such as polyimide, separating two metallization levels of copper wires (28, 25) is formed by an electroless process in a plating bath (solution) containing ions of hypophosphite and of nickel. In preparation for this electroless process, the copper wires (28, 25) are first plated with a nickel layer (29) by a pseudo-electroless process-that is, a process in which the copper wires (28, 25) are located in contact with an underlying extended chromium layer (14) that is placed in electrical contact (including intimate physical contact) with an auxiliary metallic member (41) that contains nickel, while both the copper wires (28, 25), the chromium layer (14), and at least a portion of the external metallic layer (41) are immersed in a plating solution likewise containing ions of hypophosphite and of nickel.