Abstract: Electroless plating on nonmetallic species requires the surface to be metallized.Typically the catalytic palladium nuclei are adsorbed on the particles via stannous chloride sensitization.In this paper,a new activation method has been developed for initiating electroless copper plating on alumina powder based on palladium chemisorption on SAMs of 3Aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS) in the absence of SnCl2 sensitization.XPS study indicates that chemsorption of palladium on the surfaces was achieved by bonding palladium chloride to the outwards pendant amino group of the SAMs.Therefore,the palladium is not easily to be desorpted.The metallized product was characterized by XRD,FTIR and crosssection metallography.The results showed that alumina was covered by a uniform fccstructured crystalline copper layer about 2 μm thick.This concerned activation method has the advantages of decreasing the thickness of the activation layer,improving the storage life of the activated powders and enhancing adhesion between the deposited metal and the substrate without roughening conditioning.It could also be extended to other substrates with hydroxylated surfaces.

Key words: Selfassembled monolayers (SAMs), Palladium chemsorption, Activation method, Alumina powder, Electroless plating