Patent ID: 7815785

Claim:
A method for the direct metallization of a non-conductive substrate surface, the method comprising the following steps in order: (1) etching the substrate surface with an acidic etchant solution comprising a first peroxide; (2) contacting the etched substrate surface with an acidic treatment solution comprising a permanganate which contact yields a treated substrate surface comprising manganese dioxide thereon; (3) activating the treated substrate surface in an acidic activator solution comprising a second peroxide; (4) contacting the activated substrate surface with an acidic catalytic solution comprising a thiophene derivative and a sulfonic acid derivative wherein the manganese dioxide on the substrate surface catalyzes the polymerization of the thiophene derivative into a thiophene polymer; and (5) metallizing by electrolytic plating the thus treated substrate surface in an acidic electrolytic metallization bath.