Industrial Science & Technology Network Inc (ISTN) (York, PA) chemists Ruiyun Zhang and Arthur J. Yang engineered a nano-composite coating that may include hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains. The coating may be applied to transparent and non-transparent substrates using a continuous process. The coatings are UV curable and impart antifogging characteristics to the substrate, according to U.S. Patent Application 20100028694.
The antifog (AF) coatings, include optical films, such as, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or triacetyl cellulose (TAC) or cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB). PET films have been widely used as protection films for TV screens and mobile phones and are also a preferred substrate. When an anti-fog coating is applied to PET by a roll-to-roll process, the cost of anti-fog treatment may be significantly lowered. Most existing windows and optical devices can be readily retrofitted with anti-fog function by adding such an AF protective film, says Zhang and Yang.
Although the most important functional properties of coatings include defogging and high transparency, a successful product also generally requires striking a balance among physical, mechanical and optical properties. For example, for many commercial applications, the nano-engineered composite defog (AF) coating should also pass tests designed for evaluating scratch resistance, hardness, stickiness (in swollen conditions) and substrate adhesion. Following the nano-engineering approach developed by ISTN, these different requirements have been met by using hydrophobic and hydrophilic components with the respective functional properties. In particular, UV curable acrylics are used as the base ingredients and anchor a relatively large amount of reactive surfactant(s) to help fine-tune properties of the nano-hydrophilic and nano-hydrophobic domains. The antifog coatings containing nanoparticles are generally 3 to 5 microns thick.
Although the most important functional properties of coatings include defogging and high transparency, a successful product also generally requires striking a balance among physical, mechanical and optical properties. For example, for many commercial applications, the nano-engineered composite defog (AF) coating should also pass tests designed for evaluating scratch resistance, hardness, stickiness (in swollen conditions) and substrate adhesion. Following the nano-engineering approach developed by ISTN, these different requirements have been met by using hydrophobic and hydrophilic components with the respective functional properties. In particular, UV curable acrylics are used as the base ingredients and anchor a relatively large amount of reactive surfactant(s) to help fine-tune properties of the nano-hydrophilic and nano-hydrophobic domains. The antifog coatings containing nanoparticles are generally 3 to 5 microns thick.
Advancements in nanotechnology have led to many exciting designs of new products with superior performance. Among applications in various fields, nanotechnology application in the optical display market is considered to be of particular commercial value. The most important asset of a nanotechnology is its ability to accomplish enhanced performance by controlling a material's composition and morphology at nanometer scales. When the size of phase domains in a composite is made much smaller than the wavelength of light (450 nm to about 600 nm), the composite's transparency and clarity can be dramatically improved
Founded in 1997, Industrial Science & Technology Network, Inc. is a dynamic, innovative advanced technology company specializing in the development of nanotechnology-enabled products. These products rely on the control of material composition, form and structure at the sub-micron level to deliver a superior combination of cost-effectiveness and performance.
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