Low pressure coated article with polymeric basecoat having the appearance of stainless steel

• US 6,764,775 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vapor Technologies, Inc. (Masco Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vapor Technologies, Inc. (Masco Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Guocun
• Primary Examiner(s): Morris, Terrell
• Assistant Examiner(s): Piziali, Andrew T
• Application Number:
  US10/026,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20020146596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 428/472, 428/621, 428/627, 428/629, 428/632, 428/660, 428/687, 428/698, 428/699, 428/702, 428/413, 428/423.1, 428/469, 428/622, 428/623, 428/628, 428/661, 428/663, 428/666, 428/701, 428/704
• US Class Current: 428/687
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/067 Metallic effect
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0015 characterized by the colour of the layer
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0021 Reactive sputtering or evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0073 by exposing the substrates to reactive gases intermittently
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/00 Coating for obtaining at least two superposed coatings either by methods not provided for in a single one of groups C23C2/00 - C23C26/00 or by combinations of methods provided for in subclasses C23C and C25C or C25D
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12535 with additional, spatially distinct nonmetal component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12542 More than one such component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12549 Adjacent to each other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12576 Boride, carbide or nitride component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12583 Component contains compound of adjacent metal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1259 Oxide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12611 Oxide-containing component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12806 Refractory [Group IVB, VB, or VIB] metal-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12812 Diverse refractory group metal-base components: alternative to or next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12826 Group VIB metal-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12847 Cr-base component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12993 Surface feature [e.g., rough, mirror]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31511 Of epoxy ether
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31551 Of polyamidoester [polyurethane, polyisocyanate, polycarbamate, etc.]

Abstract

An article is coated with a multi-layer decorative and protective coating having the appearance of stainless steel. The coating comprises a polymeric basecoat layer on the surface of said article and vapor deposited on the polymeric basecoat layer a stack layer containing layers of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy alternating with layers containing the reaction products of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy, nitrogen and oxygen. Over the stack layer is vapor deposited at relatively low pressures a protective color layer comprised of the reaction products of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy, oxygen and nitrogen wherein the total nitrogen and oxygen content of these reaction products is from about 4 to about 32 atomic percent, with the nitrogen content being at least about 3 atomic percent.

Claims

1. An article having on at least a portion of its surface a protective and decorative coating having the appearance of stainless steel comprising:

a layer comprised of polymer;

a stack layer comprised of layers comprised of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy alternating with layers comprised of reaction products of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy, nitrogen and oxygen;

vapor deposited at low pressures of below 8 millitorr a color layer comprised of reaction products of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy, nitrogen and oxygen wherein the total nitrogen and oxygen content of said reaction products of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy, nitrogen and oxygen is from about 4 to about 32 atomic percent with the nitrogen content being at least about 3 atomic percent.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein said total nitrogen and oxygen content is from about 5 to about 28 atomic percent with the nitrogen content being at least about 4 atomic percent.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein a layer comprised of refractory metal oxide or refractory metal alloy oxide is on said color layer.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein a refractory metal or refractory metal alloy strike layer is on said polymer layer.

5. The article of claim 1 wherein a chromium layer is on said polymer layer.

6. The article of claim 5 wherein a refractory metal or refractory metal alloy strike layer is on said chromium layer.

7. The article of claim 1 wherein said refractory metal is selected from the group consisting of hafnium, zirconium and titanium.

8. The article of claim 1 wherein said refractory metal alloy is zirconium-titanium alloy.

9. The article of claim 3 wherein said refractory metal is selected from the group consisting of hafnium, zirconium and titanium.

10. The article of claim 6 wherein said refractory metal is selected from the group consisting of hafnium, zirconium and titanium.

11. The article of claim 6 wherein said refractory metal alloy is zirconium-titanium alloy.

12. The article of claim 1 wherein said low pressures are below 5 millitorr.

13. The article of claim 12 wherein said low pressures are below 3 millitorr.

14. The article of claim 1 wherein the color layer has a structure comprised of (1) amorphous metallic refractory metal with oriented, textured nano sized grains of metal nitride phase or (2) oriented, textured, nano-sized grains, of metallic refractory metal.

15. The article of claim 14 wherein the textured metal nitride is zirconium nitride oriented in a plane and smaller than 50 nm in grain size.

16. The article of claim 14 wherein the textured metallic refractory metal is zirconium oriented in a plane and smaller than 80 nm in grain size.