Process for surface treatment of moldings of liquid-crystalline polyester resin

Claim 1

A process for the surface treatment of a molded article comprising a liquid crystalline polyester which is capable of forming an anisotropic melt phase so as to render the surface well suited for finishing comprising the steps of (a) providing 5 to 80 percent by weight of at least one particulate inorganic filler selected from the oxides, sulfates, phosphates, and silicates of elements belonging to Groups IIa, IIb, IIIa, IVa, and Va of the Periodic Table and metallic elements selected from the group consisting of aluminum, silicon, tin, lead, antimony, and bismuth, dispersed throughout the liquid crystalline polyester when molten at the time of molding to form a molded article having a surface layer consisting of substantially oriented polymeric molecules in association with the inorganic filler, with the concentration of inorganic filler being based upon the total weight of the molding composition, (b) roughening the surface of the resulting molded article comprising said liquid crystalline polyester by contact for a sufficient period of time with an aqueous alkaline solution, and (c) thereafter activating the surface of the resulting molded article comprising said liquid crystalline polyester to render it well receptive for finishing by contact with an effective concentration of an aqueous solution consisting essentially of water and an aminocarboxylate ampholytic surface active agent.