A composite of epoxy resin/copper(II) acetylacetonae as catalyst of copper addition on insulated substrate

A novel type of Epoxy Resin (EP)/Copper(II) acetylacetonate (Cu(acac) 2 ) composites is developed and applied to improve electroless plating. This efficient and palladium-free process is based on the EP filled with various mass fractions of Cu(acac) 2 via ball milling. The thermal stability of the composite of EP/Cu(acac) 2 was performed with corresponding instruments. Moreover, the results of the viscosity and adhesion strength show that the viscosity of sample is positively correlated with the mass fraction of Cu(acac) 2 in the composite. On the contrary, the shear strength of sample coated on FR-4 diminishes with the increasing fraction of Cu(acac) 2 . Results of parametrical optimizing reach the conclusion that under the condition of 50 °C for 15 min by electroless deposition (ELD) of copper, EP containing 40% Cu(acac) 2 composites yields the best result.