By modifying the hydrophilicity of PP by blending it with
a PP-b-PEO copolymer, the supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2)
assisted electroless Ni–P plating technique could be applied to PPmade
plastic products. The technique could successfully produce
a markedly uniform Ni–P metal film on a PP-based substrate with
sufficiently strong adhesion. The adhesiveness of the Ni–P metal
film to the polymer substrate was affected by the thickness of the
metal/polymer composite layer. Because the thickness of the composite
layer was determined by the rate of mass transfer of the
plating solution and the rate of the plating reaction, the adhesiveness
could be controlled by adjusting the copolymer weight
percentage and the concentration of the infused Pd complex in the
polymer. The supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2)-assisted electroless
Ni–P plating technique with modification of the hydrophilicity
can increase the potential for applying this technique to other polymers.