COATED ARTICLE WITH ANTIREFLECTION COATING INCLUDING FULLERENE STRUCTURES, AND/OR METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME

• US 20130196139A1
• Filed: 01/30/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lewis, Mark A., Liang, Liang
• Application Number:
  US13/360,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20130196139A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/312.6
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 1/008 for the production of films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/007 containing a dispersed phase, e.g. particles, fibres or flakes, in a continuous phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/213 SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/425 consisting of a porous layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/732 made of a single layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/113 by sol-gel processes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/116 by spin-coating, centrifugation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1216 Metal oxides C23C18/1212 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1245 Inorganic substrates other than metallic
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/125 Process of deposition of the inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1254 Sol or sol-gel processing
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/127 Preformed particles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/1283 Control of temperature, e.g. gradual temperature increase, modulation of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/111 using layers comprising organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/113 using inorganic layer materials only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/118 having sub-optical wavelength surface structures designed to provide an enhanced transmittance, e.g. moth-eye structures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2207/107 Porous materials, e.g. for reducing the refractive index
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249969 Of silicon-containing material [e.g., glass, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/25 : Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and including a second component containing structurally defined particles

Abstract

In certain examples, a porous silica-based matrix may be formed. In an exemplary embodiment, using sol gel methods, a coating solution of or including metal alkoxides such as TEOS and carbon-based structures such as fullerene structures may be used to form a layer(s) of or including silica and fullerene compounds in a solid matrix on (directly or indirectly) a glass substrate. The coated article may be heat treated (e.g., thermally tempered), which may cause the carbon-based fullerene structures to combust, resulting in a porous silica-based matrix. The layer of the porous silica-based matrix may be used as a broadband anti-reflective coating.

Claims

1. A method of making a coated article including a broadband anti-reflective coating comprising porous silica on, directly or indirectly, a glass substrate, the method comprising:

forming a coating solution comprising a silane, fullerene structures comprising at least one functional group, and a solvent;

forming a coating on, directly or indirectly, the glass substrate by disposing the coating solution on the glass substrate;

drying the coating and/or allowing the coating to dry so as to form a coating comprising silica and a fullerene structure-based matrix on the glass substrate;

heat treating the glass substrate with the coating comprising silica and fullerene structure-based matrix thereon so as to combust the fullerene structures, leaving pores following said heat treating in locations where the fullerene structures had been prior to said heat treating, so as to form an anti-reflective coating comprising a porous silica-based matrix on the glass substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a porosity of the anti-reflective coating is from about 20 to 45%.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fullerene structures comprise carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fullerene structures comprise carbon nanobuds.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fullerene structures comprise buckyballs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fullerene structures comprise one or more of CNTs, carbon nanobuds, and buckyballs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the functional group of the fullerene structures comprises a hydroxyl group.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the silane comprises tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the solvent comprises ethanol.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a refractive index of the anti-reflective coating is from about 1.20 to 1.26.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the anti-reflective coating is from about 120 to 160 nm.

12. A method of making an anti-reflective coating, the method comprising:

providing a coating solution comprising at least a metal oxide, carbon-inclusive structures, and a solvent;

disposing the coating solution on a glass substrate so as to form a coating comprising a metal oxide and carbon-inclusive structure-based matrix; and

heat treating the substrate with the coating thereon so as to combust the carbon-inclusive structures, so that after the heat treating pores are located substantially where the carbon-inclusive structures had been prior to the heat treating, so as to form a coating comprising a porous metal oxide.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the metal oxide comprises a silane.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the carbon-inclusive structures comprise fullerene structures.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least some of the fullerene structures comprise a functional group.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the functional group is a hydroxyl group.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the heat treating is performed at a temperature of at least about 560°

C.

18. A coated article comprising:

a glass substrate; and

a coating supported by the glass substrate, the coating comprising a matrix comprising fullerene structures and silica.

19. The coated article of claim 18, wherein at least some of the fullerene structures have a diameter of less than about 2 nm.

20. The coated article of claim 18, wherein the fullerene structures comprise at least one of buckyballs, carbon nanotubes, and carbon nanobuds.

21. A coated article comprising:

a glass substrate with an anti-reflective coating disposed thereon;

wherein the anti-reflective coating comprises porous silica, and comprises pores having carbon residue.

22. The coated article of claim 21, wherein the anti-reflective coating has a porosity of from about 15 to 50%, more preferably from about 20 to 45%, and most preferably from about 27.6 to 36%.

23. A method of making a coated article including an anti-reflective coating comprising porous silica on, directly or indirectly, a glass substrate, the method comprising:

forming a coating solution comprising a silane, carbon-inclusive structures, and a solvent;

forming a coating on, directly or indirectly, the glass substrate by disposing the coating solution on the glass substrate;

drying the coating and/or allowing the coating to dry so as to form a coating comprising silica and a matrix comprising the carbon-inclusive structures on the glass substrate;

heat treating the glass substrate with the coating comprising silica and the matrix comprising the carbon-inclusive structures thereon so as to combust the carbon-inclusive structures, leaving spaces and/or pores following said heat treating in locations where the carbon-inclusive structures had been prior to said heat treating, so as to form an anti-reflective coating comprising a silica-based matrix on the glass substrate.