Polyfluorinated ethylene polymermetal article and method

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR BONDING A MASSIVE LAYER OF METAL TO THE SURFACE OF A POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE ARTICLE, WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING THE POLYMER SURFACE TO BE METALLIZED WITH LIQUID AMMONIA HAVING DISSOLVED THEREIN AT LEAST ABOUT 10% BY WEIGHT SODIUM METAL, MAINTAINING SAID CONTACT FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO CHANGE THE NORMAL WHITE POLYMER SURFACE TO A DENSE BROWNINSH BLACK, THEN RAISING THE TEMPERATRURE OF THE THUS TREATED SURFACE TO ABOUT ROOM TEMPERATURE IN THE PRESENCE OF AIR, CONTACTING THE SURFACE WITH A STRONG MINERAL ACID ALSO CONTAINING ACTIVE FLUORIDE IONS FOR A TIME SUFFICIENT TO CHANGE THE SURFACE COLOR TO A DARK NUT BROWN, SENSITIZING THE SURFACE, SEEDING A METAL ONTO THE SURFACE, DEPOSITING A CONDUCTIVE METAL COATING ONTO THE SEEDED SURFACE IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO IMPART A UNIFORM CONDUCTIVE METAL COLOR TO THE SURFACE, ELECTRODEPOSITING A METAL ONTO THE CONDUCTIVE METAL SURFACE, FIRST AT A TERMPERATURE BELOW ABOUT 80*F. TO A THICKNESS OF DEPOSITED METAL SUFFICIENT TO WITHSTAND EXPANSION OF THE POLYMER AT ABOUT 165*F., AND THEN AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 110*F. TO THE DESIRED THICKNESS.