Electroless metallization of dendrimer-coated micropatterns

We combined microcontact printing (muCP), the chemical modification of surfaces, and the binding and reduction of metal ions to produce arrays of metal clusters and metal patterns. Pd2+, was bound in and at polyamine-amide (PAMAM) dendrimer molecules with potential ligands (amides and amines or carboxylate). Pd clusters formed after reduction. They provided chemically well-defined nuclei for the electroless deposition of metals. After producing a passivation pattern with muCP, deposition occurred only on those pixels or lines that were covered with Pd clusters. The method is quite general, as exemplified by two different passivation examples, alkanethiolate on gold and alkylsilane on oxidized silicon wafers