Coating composition and method of making and using the same

• US 9,944,822 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2010
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Jing, Naiyong, Riddle, Justin A., Yu, Zhigang, Xiong, Mingna, Wang, Zhengjun, Chu, Yiwen, Pan, Rui, Tiers, George Van Dyke, Brown, Katherine A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walters, Jr., Robert S
• Application Number:
  US13/876,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20130225760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,750 Days
• Field of Search: 4273855
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/008 comprising a mixture of materials covered by two or more of the groups C03C17/02, C03C17/06, C03C17/22 and C03C17/28
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/42 consisting of particles only
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/732 made of a single layer
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 2201/005 Additives being defined by their particle size in general
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/36 Silica
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 175/04 Polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/028 Pigments; Filters
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 7/67 Particle size smaller than 100 nm
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02366 of the substrate or of a layer on the substrate, e.g. textured ITO/glass substrate or superstrate, textured polymer layer on glass substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/18 Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of these devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

The present application is directed to a method of making an article. The method comprises coating a composition to a surface of a substrate. The coating composition comprises an aqueous continuous liquid phase, a silica nano-particle dispersed in the aqueous continuous liquid phase, and a polymer latex dispersion. The coated substrate is then heated to at least 300° C.

Claims

1. A method of making an article, the method comprising

providing an aqueous silica nano-particle composition,

providing an alkaline pH stable polymer latex dispersion;

mixing the aqueous silica nano-particle composition with the polymer latex dispersion to create a mixture comprising an aqueous continuous liquid phase comprising at least 50% by weight of water,

adjusting the pH of the mixture to less than 6 to form core-shell particles and create a coating composition,

coating the surface of a substrate with the coating composition;

heating the coated substrate to at least 300°

C.,

wherein the coating composition has a pH of less than 6,

wherein the coating composition is capable of regenerating the polymer latex dispersion and the silica nano-particle composition upon raising the pH of the coating composition, and

wherein the coating on the substrate is antireflecting after the heating step.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the silica nano-particle is a nominally spherical particle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the silica nano-particle is an elongated particle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the silica nano-particle composition comprises a blend of nominally spherical and elongated silica nano-particles.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the silica nano-particle is a chain of nominally spherical particles.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the silica nano-particle is a chain of elongated particles.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the silica nano-particle is a chain of nominally spherical and elongated particles.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein each core-shell particle comprises a polymer core surrounded by a shell consisting essentially of nonporous nominally spherical silica particles disposed on the polymer core, wherein the nonporous nominally spherical silica particles have a volume average particle diameter of 60 nanometers or less.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the volume average particle diameter is 20 nanometers or less.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate surface comprises a glass panel.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the glass panel has a flat surface.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the glass panel has a structured surface.

13. The method of claim 10 comprising adding the coated glass panel to a photovoltaic cell to make a photovoltaic module.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the coated substrate is heated to at least 400°

C.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the coated substrate is heated to at least 500°

C.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the coated substrate is heated to at least 600°

C.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the coated substrate is heated to at least 700°

C.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the silica nano-particle is nonporous.