Sealing of pinholes in electroless metal coatings

摘要

The present invention provides a method for sealing pinholes in an electroless metal coating, said method comprising: (a) coating a substrate with an electroless metal coating layer to provide a coated article comprising an electroless metal coating in contact with the surface of the substrate, said electroless metal coating being characterized by the presence of pinhole imperfections which allow fluid communication between the substrate and the environment; (b) applying a layer of a curable epoxy sealant over the electroless metal coating layer and filling the pinhole imperfections; (c) curing the curable epoxy sealant to provide a cured epoxy overcoating layer; and (d) removing a substantial portion of the cured epoxy overcoating layer to provide an article comprising an electroless metal coating which is substantially free of pinhole imperfections allowing fluid communication between the substrate and the environment.