PREPARING ELECTROCONDUCTIVE ARTICLES

1450566 Coated products DOW CHEMICAL CO 10 Oct 1973 [10 Oct 1972] 47364/73 Heading B2E An electro-conducting article is obtained by exposing the surface of an, electrically non- conducting hydrophobic polymer to an electrical discharge, applying to the surface a coating layer of a water-soluble electrically conductive quaternary ammonium resin dispersed in methanol, ethanol, or an aqueous solution containing a normally liquid water-soluble saturated aliphatic oxygen-containing organic compound having 1 to 5 carbon atoms and not more than 1 oxygen atom bonded to any 1 carbon atom or a 5 or 6-membered cyclic ether, provided that when the compound is a ketone it is acetone, and removing the solvent from the coating layer. The polymeric substrate may be a polyimide, polyester (e.g. polyethylene terephthalate), polyolefine (e.g. polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl toluene, styrene-butadiene copolymers) and derivatives thereof such as poly(t-butyl) styrene, poly(alpha-methyl) styrene, polychlorostyrene, polyvinylidene chloride, interpolymers of vinylbenzyl chloride and styrene, and polycarbonates. The electrical discharge treatment increases the surface wetability and may be a Corona discharge treatment. Numerous suitable solvents for the coating compositions are listed. In the Examples films of polyethylene terephthalate, a polyimide, polyethylene, polyvinyl fluoride and rubber-modified polystyrene are coated.