Abstract: A method of rendering a substrate catalytic to electroless metal deposition comprising the steps of: (a) depositing a ligating chemical agent on the substrate, which is capable of both binding to the substrate and ligating to an electroless plating catalyst; and (b) ligating the electroless plating catalyst to the ligating chemical agent, wherein the ligating chemical agent has the chemical structure:

Abstract: A method of immobilizing a catalyst on a substrate surface involves providing novel ligating copolymers comprising functional groups capable of binding to a substrate surface and functional groups capable of ligating to catalysts such as metal ions, metal complexes, nanoparticles, or colloids; applying the ligating copolymer to a substrate surface to cause the ligating copolymer to bind thereto, and contacting the modified substrate surface with a solution of a catalyst, causing the catalyst to be ligated by the ligating copolymer and thus immobilized on the substrate surface. The ligating copolymer may be patterned on the substrate surface using a method such as microcontact printing.