Porous metallic membrane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9636639-B2
Application number	US-201314654768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2013
Priority date	Dec 21, 2012
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a metallic layer having pores extending therethrough, the method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a cathode substrate with an electrolyte solution comprising at least one cation; reducing the cation to deposit the metallic layer on a surface of the cathode substrate; and (c) generating a plurality of non-conductive regions on the cathode substrate surface during reducing step (b); wherein the deposition of the metallic layer is substantially prevented on the non-conductive regions on the cathode substrate surface to thereby form pores extending through the deposited metallic layer. The present disclosure further provides a metallic porous membrane fabricated by the disclosed process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of forming a metallic layer having pores extending therethrough, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) contacting a surface of a cathode substrate with an electrolyte solution comprising at least one cation;
(b) reducing said cation to deposit the metallic layer on the surface of said cathode substrate; and
(c) generating a plurality of non-conductive regions on the cathode substrate surface during reducing step (b);
wherein:
the deposition of the metallic layer is substantially prevented on said non-conductive regions on the cathode substrate surface to thereby form pores extending through the deposited metallic layer; and
step (c) comprises a step of reducing an electron acceptor species contained within said electrolyte solution to dispose a non-conductive material on the cathode substrate surface to thereby generate said non-conductive regions.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining said electrolyte at a pH of between 3.0 to 3.5.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising passing a constant current flow through said electrolyte, and optionally providing a localized current density at said cathode of between 1 to 60 A/dm 2 .

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a constant concentration of said cations in the electrolyte solution.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said electron acceptor is a hydrogen-generating species or wherein said electron acceptor is a hydrogen ion.

6. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein said cation is selected from monovalent, divalent, trivalent or tetravalent ions of a metallic material selected from the group consisting of gold, palladium, platinum, silver, molybdenum, titanium, cobalt, copper, nickel, zinc, brass, solder and alloys thereof; or
wherein said cation is divalent nickel.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of disposing at least one patternable material on said cathode substrate surface, said material being patterned to cooperate with the non-conductive material to define a desired pore geometry.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising a step of removing the patterned material after deposition of the metallic layer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said cathode substrate surface is an uneven surface, said uneven surface comprising needle-like projections having a diameter of less than 100 nm.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said generating step (c) comprises a step of providing a patterned conductive layer on said cathode substrate surface, wherein the patterned conductive layer comprises a plurality of trench features having an aspect ratio of at least 3, and wherein the patterned conductive layer optionally comprises a resist layer substantially coated with a conductive seed layer.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising a step of removing the patterned conductive layer after deposition of the metallic layer.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said generating step (c) comprises a step of providing a patterned, non-conductive layer on said cathode substrate surface, said non-conductive layer being a resist layer having an aspect ratio of less than 1.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-conductive material is a hydrogen bubble.

Assignees

• Agency Science Tech & Res

Inventors

• Ansari Kambiz
• Chen Shilin
• Tan Christina Yuan Ling
• Rodriguez Isabel

Classifications

• B01D61/145

  Ultrafiltration · CPC title

• C25D5/003

  Electroplating using gases, e.g. pressure influence · CPC title

• C25D1/08

  Perforated or foraminous objects, e.g. sieves (C25D1/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01D69/02

  characterised by their properties · CPC title

• B01D53/228

  characterised by specific membranes · CPC title