Valspar has been granted a patent for a method for making an article comprised of providing a substrate comprised of at least one of ceramic, glass and polymeric materials; contacting a surface of the substrate with a solution comprised of at least one of a Ga, W, Al, Mn, Mo, Sb or Te metal ion or mixtures thereof at a concentration of approximately 0.01 to 3 mmol/1 and pH of approximately 4.0 to 6.0 to form an activated surface on the substrate; and applying a
metal coating on the activated surface of the substrate, wherein the solution does not contain Pd(II) ions, and wherein the article is copper-free.