Oxygen post-treatment of plastic surfaces coated with plasma polymerized silicon-containing monomers

• US 4,137,365 A
• Filed: 03/21/1977
• Issued: 01/30/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fletcher James C Administrator of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration With Respect To An Invention of, John R. Hollahan, Theodore J. Wydeven Jr
• Original Assignee: Fletcher James C Administrator of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration With Respect To An Invention of, John R. Hollahan, Theodore J. Wydeven Jr
• Inventors: Wydeven, Theodore J. Jr., Fletcher, James C. Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with respect to an invention of, Hollahan, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Newsome, John H.
• Application Number:
  US05/779,883
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 427/39, 427/40, 427/41, 427/38, 428/412, 428/447, 428/451
• US Class Current: 428/412
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/62 Plasma-deposition of organic layers plasma deposition in general C23C14/00, C23C16/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2201/00 Polymeric substrate or laminate
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00865 Applying coatings; tinting; colouring printing, marking or copying processes B41M; identification in general G09F3/00; producing decorative effects in general B44C; positioning or marking of lenses B24B13/0055
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 77/04 Polysiloxanes
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 7/18 using wave energy or particle radiation
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 4/00 Coating compositions, e.g. paints, varnishes or lacquers, based on organic non-macromolecular compounds having at least one polymerisable carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bond ; Coating compositions, based on monomers of macromolecular compounds of groups C09D183/00 - C09D183/16
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31507 Of polycarbonate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31667 Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers, or aldehyde or ketone condensation product

Abstract

The abrasion resistance of plastic surfaces coated with polymerized organosilanes can be significantly improved by post-treatment of the polymerized silane in an oxygen plasma. For optical purposes, the advantages of this post-treatment are developed with a transparent polycarbonate resin substrate coated with plasma polymerized vinyltrimethoxysilane.

Claims

1. A method for improving the abrasion resistance of polymerized organosilane coatings on a plastic substrate which comprises treating the silane coated substrate in an oxygen plasma.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the polymerized organosilane coating is a plasma polymerized monomer selected from the group consisting of vinyltrichlorosilane, tetraethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, tetravinylsilane, vinyltriacetoxysilane, hexamethyldisilazane, tetramethylsilane, vinyldimethylethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, methyltrimethoxysilane and mixtures thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plastic substrate consists of a resin selected from the group consisting of acrylic resins, polystyrenes, aromatic and aliphatic polycarbonates, and mixtures thereof.

4. A method for the production of an optical element combining improved abrasion resistance with anti-reflective characteristics, comprising applying by plasma polymerization to an optically clear polycarbonate resin substrate, a coating of vinyltrimethoxysilane, and subsequently subjecting the coated substrate to an oxygen plasma for a period of at least about 100 seconds.

5. A plastic substrate coated with an oxygen plasma treated polymer of an organosilane compound.

6. An optical component comprising a clear polycarbonate resin substrate coated with a plasma polymerized layer of vinyltrimethoxysilane that has been treated in an oxygen plasma after deposition on the substrate.