System and method for direct electroless plating of 3d-printable glass for selective surface patterning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023095982-A1
Application number	US-202117488453-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 29, 2021
Priority date	Sep 29, 2021
Publication date	Mar 30, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for forming a glass structure having a metallized surface portion. The method may comprise forming a structure using a flowable first material, adapted to form a glass, which includes a metal component. The structure is then treated to remove substantially all solvents and organic components contained in the first flowable material. Finally, the structure is exposed to a bath of a metal salt during which nucleation occurs and a metallized surface coating is formed on at least a portion of an outer surface of the structure.

First claim

1 . A method for forming a glass structure having a metallized surface portion, the method comprising:
forming a glass structure using a flowable material, adapted to form a glass, which includes a catalyst component, such that the catalyst component forms an activated surface of the glass structure and a structural portion of the glass structure; treating the glass structure to remove substantially all solvents and organic components contained in the flowable material; and exposing the glass structure to a bath containing a metal salt during which nucleation occurs and a metallic surface coating is formed on at least a portion of an outer surface of the glass structure containing the catalyst component.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising sintering the glass structure prior to exposing the structure to the bath of metal salt.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming a glass structure using a flowable material comprises forming a metal structure using a flowable mixture of a metal component and salt.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the glass structure using a flowable material comprises forming a metal structure using a flowable mixture of salt, SiO 2 and Pd.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the glass structure using a flowable material comprises forming a metal structure using a flowable mixture of salt, SiO 2 , TiO 2 and Pd.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising heating the bath of the metal salt.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the bath of the metal salt is heated to a temperature of at least about 30° C.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein treating the glass structure comprises performing a drying operation in which the glass structure is heated using a temperature between room temperature up to about 150° C.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein treating the glass structure further comprises performing a burnout operation, after the drying operation is completed, in which the glass structure is further heated to a temperature between about 150° C. to about 600° C.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the bath of the metal salt comprises at least one of copper sulfate or nickel chloride.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the bath of metal salt comprises a reducing agent including at least one of formaldehyde and glyoxylic acid.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein treating the glass structure to substantially remove all solvents and organic components comprises heating the glass structure for a time period of between 24 hours to 96 hours, before the glass structure is exposed to the bath of metal salt.

13 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the sintering of the glass structure is performed at a temperature of about 1100° C. to about 1500° C.

14 . A method for forming a glass structure having a metallized surface portion, the method comprising:
carrying out an additive manufacturing operation to form the glass structure using a flowable first material and a second flowable material, wherein the first flowable material includes SiO 2 and the second flowable material differs from the first material and includes a catalyst, and wherein the second flowable material is applied to form at least a designated portion of an outer surface of the glass structure; treating the structure to remove substantially all solvents and organic components contained in the first flowable material; and exposing the glass structure to a bath of a metal salt solution during which nucleation occurs and a metallized surface coating is formed only on the designated portion of the outer surface of the glass structure which includes the second flowable material containing the catalyst, to provide a metallized pattern on the outer surface.

15 . (canceled)

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the second flowable material including the catalyst comprises a mixture of at least one of:
SiO 2 and Pd; or SiO 2 , TiO 2 and Pd.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the bath of the metal salt solution comprises a salt solution including:
a quantity of at least one of copper sulfate or nickel chloride; and a reducing agent including at least one of formaldehyde and glyoxylic acid.

18 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising sintering the glass structure prior to exposing the glass structure to the bath of the metal salt solution.

19 . A method for forming a glass structure having a metallized surface portion, the method comprising:
carrying out an additive manufacturing operation to form the glass structure using a first flowable material and a second flowable material, wherein the first flowable material includes SiO 2 and the second flowable material differs from the first flowable material and includes a catalyst, and wherein the second flowable material forms an activated portion, as well as a structural portion, of the glass structure and is applied to form at least a designated portion of an outer surface of the glass structure, and the first flowable material forms a remainder of the glass structure; heating the glass structure during a drying/burnout operation to remove substantially all solvents and organic components contained in the first flowable material; sintering the glass structure to produce a consolidated structure; exposing the consolidated structure to a bath of a metal salt solution during which nucleation occurs and a metallized surface coating is formed only on the designated portion of the outer surface of the glass structure containing the second flowable material having the catalyst.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Dudukovic Nikola
• Dylla-Spears Rebecca
• Ellis Megan Elizabeth

Classifications

• C23C18/1608

  from pretreatment step, i.e. selective pre-treatment · CPC title

• C23C18/405

  Formaldehyde · CPC title

• C23C18/1639

  Substrates other than metallic, e.g. inorganic or organic or non-conductive · CPC title

• C23C18/161

  from plating step, e.g. inkjet · CPC title

• C23C18/32

  Coating with nickel, cobalt or mixtures thereof with phosphorus or boron (C23C18/50 takes precedence) · CPC title