US Patent 7297373 Conductive composites

A conductive composite material formed from an organic polymer base, a highly conductive metal interlayer, and an electroless nickel top layer is described. The composite material may be electrically conductive and resistant to corrosion. The highly conductive metal interlayer may be silver or copper. An electroless nickel plating process is described that efficiently deposits the nickel top layer without the use of, surfactants, and stabilizers at low temperatures. The method enables reduction of substantially all of a nickel salt onto the silver surface leaving a spent bath solution free of nickel that can be recycled.