^{Metalized Polymer Thin Films and Structures}

Wright Materials Research Co. (WMR) has developed a processing method for preparing metallized polymer thin films and structures.  A thin metal layer was formed on the surfaces of polymer thin films or structures by an in situ chemical process. The polymer substrate and the thin metal layer have excellent bonding strength without the use of an adhesive.  We have demonstrated our invention for preparing various metallized polymer thin films and sheets including poly (arylene ether), polyamide, polyimide, polyester, and polyolefin thin film, as well as their copolymer, blend, and composite thin films.  We can tailor the thermal-mechanical and electrical properties of the metallized polymer thin films and structures via our nano-composite technology.  Conventional metallized polymer thin films were fabricated by either sputtering or bonding techniques.  Compared to the conventional metallized polymer thin films our products have the following features:

·        robust mechanical properties;

·        higher temperature stability;

·        no bonding and interface problems between the  coating and the base material;

·        no internal stresses in the film due to the coating process;

·        no need for expensive coating or sputtering equipment;

Example of a metallized thin film processed from biphenyl endcapped poly (arylene ether) shows that both surfaces are highly reflective with golden color.