Glass article having a durable water repellent surface

• US 6,235,383 B1
• Filed: 01/21/1998
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Corning Precision Glass Company Limited (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Corning Company Limited (Corning Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hong, Byung Sun, Han, Joo Hun
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HOA T
• Application Number:
  US09/009,940
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 428/331, 428/428, 428/429
• US Class Current: 428/331
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/42 at least one coating of an organic material and at least one non-metal coating
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/45 Inorganic continuous phases
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/478 Silica
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/76 Hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 77/08 characterised by the catalysts used
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2666/54 Inorganic substances
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 183/02 Polysilicates
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 183/04 Polysiloxanes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/259 Silicic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31612 As silicone, silane or siloxane

Abstract

A glass substrate is provided with a durable and abrasion-resistant water-repellent surface, by coating a surface of the substrate with a silica solution which has been subjected to a two-step aging process, respectively in the presence of basic and acidic catalysts, which is then thermally treated to provide a coarse-surfaced silica layer including fine crystalline silica particles, which is then coated with a water-repellent layer made of fluoroalkylsilane.

Claims

1. An article having a water-repellent surface, comprising:

a glass substrate having a surface;

a layer of a silica composition formed on said surface of said glass substrate, said silica composition including silica crystal particles evenly distributed within said layer and present at a surface of said layer of silica composition presented away from said surface of said glass substrate; and

a layer of water-repellent film formed on said layer of silica composition, and

wherein said layer of silica composition is formed by;

subjecting a tetraethoxysilane solution to a first aging step under one of basic and acidic conditions, and then to a second aging step under the other of acidic and basic conditions;

coating said surface of said glass substrate with said solution, so aged; and

subjecting said glass substrate as coated by said solution to a thermal treatment.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein:

said layer of silica composition has a thickness in the range of 600-1000 Å

.

3. The article of claim 1, wherein:

as a result of said thermal treatment, said layer of silica composition comprises a polymer of granular colloidal silica cross-linked with a linear polymer of polysiloxane.

4. The article of claim 1, wherein:

at least some of said silica crystal particles are hollow.

5. The article of claim 1 or 4, wherein:

said silica crystal particles range in size from 100 to about 300 Å

in diameter.