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

• US 6,770,384 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• 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, Terrel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Piziali, Andrew T
• Application Number:
  US10/034,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20020146578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 428/687, 428/472, 428/621, 428/627, 428/629, 428/632, 428/660, 428/663, 428/698, 428/699, 428/702, 428/413, 428/423.1, 428/469, 428/622, 428/623, 428/628, 428/661, 428/666, 428/701, 428/704
• US Class Current: 428/687
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/067 Metallic effect
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2004/62 Submicrometer sized, i.e. from 0.1-1 micrometer
• CPC Class Codes: C01P 2004/84 one phase coated with the other
• CPC Class Codes: C09C 1/66 Copper alloys, e.g. bronze
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0015 characterized by the colour of the layer
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/024 Deposition of sublayers, e.g. to promote adhesion of the coating C23C14/027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0676 Oxynitrides
• 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: C23C 28/042 including a refractory ceramic layer, e.g. refractory metal oxides, ZrO2, rare earth oxides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/044 coatings specially adapted for cutting tools or wear applications
• 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.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 : Of metal

Abstract

An article is coated with a multi-layer decorative and protective coating having the appearance of stainless steel. The coating comprises a polymer basecoat layer on the surface of said article and vapor deposited at relatively low pressure on the polymer layer a protective and decorative color layer comprised of the reaction products of refractory metal or refractory metal alloy, nitrogen and oxygen wherein the nitrogen and oxygen content of the reaction products are each 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:

at least one layer comprised of polymer,

vapor deposited at a low pressure 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,

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

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 or refractory metal alloy is on said at least one layer comprised of nickel.

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

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

6. The article of claim 1 wherein said coating has the appearance of brushed stainless steel finish.

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

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

9. The article of claim 5 wherein said refractory metal is selected from the group consisting of zirconium, titanium and hafnium.

10. The article of claim 1 wherein said polymer is electrocoated on said article.

11. The article of claim 1 wherein said low pressure is below 5 millitorr.

12. The article of claim 11 wherein said low pressure is below 3 millitorr.

13. The article of claim 1 wherein the textured metal nitride is zirconium nitride oriented in a plane and smaller than 50 nm in grain size.

14. The article of claim 1 wherein the textured metallic refractory metal is zirconium oriented in a plane and smaller than 80 nm in grain size.