Antiglare coatings and articles

• US 7,780,776 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2010
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Bottari, Frank J., Cairns, Darran R., Richter, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gulakowski; Randy
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOEWE, ROBERT S
• Application Number:
  US12/703,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20100136228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 195 Days
• Field of Search: 528/34, 106/287.1, 106/287.16
• US Class Current: 106/287.1
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3411 with at least two coatings of inorganic materials C03C17/36, C03C17/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/45 Inorganic continuous phases
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/475 Inorganic materials
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/478 Silica
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/113 by sol-gel processes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0226 having particles on the surface
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0278 used in transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24355 Continuous and nonuniform or irregular surface on layer or component [e.g., roofing, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24364 with transparent or protective coating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2438 Coated
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24405 Polymer or resin [e.g., natural or synthetic rubber, 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31 Surface property or characteristic of web, sheet or block
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane

Abstract

The present invention relates to articles comprising an antiglare layer, coating compositions suitable for making antiglare layers, methods of making an antiglare article, and methods of making antiglare coating compositions. In some embodiments the article is a (e.g. illuminated) display article such as a touch screen. The antiglare layer comprises aggregate inorganic oxide particles in a cured inorganic polymer matrix.

Claims

1. A method of making an antiglare article comprising:

providing a transparent substrate;

coating the substrate with the coating composition comprising an organosilane, colloidal silica particles having a mean particle size ranging from 0.05 micrometers to 0.15 micrometers, and flocculated silica particles ranging in size from greater than 2 micrometers to 100 micrometers; and

heating the coating composition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate is selected from glass, polycarbonate, polymethylmethacrylate, and cellulose acetate butyrate.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate has a surface layer having a total surface area and the flocculated silica particles form surface structures that comprise at least 20% of the total surface area.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate has a surface layer having a total surface area and the flocculated silica particles form surface structures that comprise at least 30% of the total surface area.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the substrate has a surface layer having a total surface area and the flocculated silica particles form surface structures that comprise at least 40% of the total surface area.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the coating composition comprises flocculated and colloidal silica particles at a concentration of less than 10 wt-% of the coating composition.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the coating composition comprises flocculated and colloidal silica particles at a concentration of less than 5 wt-% of the coating composition.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the coating composition comprises flocculated and colloidal silica particles at a concentration of less than 2 wt-% of the coating composition.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the coating composition comprises flocculated and colloidal silica particles at a concentration of less than 1 wt-% of the coating composition.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the coating composition comprises flocculated and colloidal silica particles at a concentration of less than 0.5 wt-% of the coating composition.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the organosilane comprises silicon alkoxides.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the silicon alkoxides are selected from tetraethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, and mixtures thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the coating composition is an alcohol-containing coating composition.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein a least a portion of the flocculated particles have a particle size greater than 10 microns.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a least a portion of the flocculated particles have a particle size greater than 20 microns.

16. A method of making an antiglare coating composition comprising

providing an organosilane comprising silicon alkoxides and colloidal inorganic oxide particles having a mean particle size ranging from 0.05 micrometers to 0.15 micrometers;

and

forming an inorganic polymer solution concurrently with flocculating colloidal inorganic oxide aggregates ranging in size from greater than 2 micrometers to 100 micrometers.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the colloidal inorganic oxide particles are present in an amount of less than 1.5 wt-%.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the method comprises the addition of acid.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the method comprises the addition of sodium acetate.