Antireflective Coating for Glass Containers

Abstract

A glass container and related methods of manufacturing and coating glass containers. The glass container includes an inorganic-organic hybrid coating over at least a portion of an exterior surface of a glass substrate.

1 . A method of applying an inorganic-organic hybrid coating having anti-reflective properties to a glass container, the method comprising:
 (a) providing a glass container that includes a soda-lime glass substrate that defines a shape of the container;   (b) applying a coating composition over an exterior surface of the glass substrate, the coating composition comprising (1) a UV curable organofunctional silane that includes an alkoxy functional group and an acrylic ester functional group, (2) colloidal silica, (3) water, (4) a catalyst, and (5) an organic solvent, wherein the coating composition does not include any of the following: a photoinitiator, a non-silane monomer that includes an acryl functional group, a non-silane monomer that includes an epoxide functional group, a non-silane polymer that includes an acryl functional group, and a non-silane polymer that includes an epoxide functional group; and   (c) exposing the coating composition to UV light for a time sufficient to cure the coating composition into a monolithic inorganic-organic hybrid coating.   
     
     
         2 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the inorganic-organic hybrid coating provides an optical transmission gain relative to the glass substrate of at least 1% for light at a wavelength of 555 nm. 
     
     
         3 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the inorganic-organic coating provides an average optical transmission gain relative to the glass substrate of at least 1% for light over a wavelength range of 380 nm to 750 nm. 
     
     
         4 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the UV curable organofunctional silane includes a methoxy group and a methacryloxy group. 
     
     
         5 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the UV curable organofunctional silane comprises at least one of methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, or dimethacryloxypropyl-dimethoxysilane. 
     
     
         6 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the inorganic-organic hybrid coating has a thickness in the range of 100 nm to 200 nm. 
     
     
         7 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the coating composition is not heated above 100° C. after being applied over the exterior surface of the glass substrate. 
     
     
         8 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the glass container includes only one monolithic inorganic-organic hybrid coating over the exterior surface of the glass substrate. 
     
     
         9 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , wherein step (a) comprises forming the glass container and annealing the glass container. 
     
     
         10 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is an acid. 
     
     
         11 . The method set forth in  claim 1 , further comprising applying a hot-end coating to the exterior surface of the glass substrate before applying the coating composition, and applying a cold-end coating over the inorganic-organic hybrid coating. 
     
     
         12 . A glass container comprising:
 a glass substrate that defines the shape of the container and provides the container with an axially closed base at an axial end of the container, a body extending axially from the base and being circumferentially closed, and an axially open mouth at another end of the glass container opposite of the base; and   a monolithic inorganic-organic hybrid coating over an exterior surface of the glass substrate, the inorganic-organic coating comprising an inorganic polysiloxane polymer component and an organic polyacrylic polymer component, and wherein the inorganic-organic hybrid coating provides an optical transmission gain relative to the glass substrate of at least 1% for light at a wavelength of 555 nm.   
     
     
         13 . The glass container set forth in  claim 12  wherein the inorganic-organic hybrid coating has a thickness that ranges from about 100 nm to about 200 nm. 
     
     
         14 . The glass container set forth in  claim 12  wherein the inorganic-organic hybrid coating comprises a UV cured reaction product of a coating composition that includes (1) a UV curable organofunctional silane that includes an alkoxy functional group and an acrylic ester functional group, (2) colloidal silica, (3) water, (4) a catalyst, and (5) an organic solvent. 
     
     
         15 . The glass container set forth in  claim 14  wherein the UV curable organofunctional silane comprises at least one of methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, or dimethacryloxypropyl-dimethoxysilane. 
     
     
         16 . The glass container set forth in  claim 14  wherein, with respect to the coating composition, the UV curable organofunctional silane is present at about 1.0 wt. % to about 6.0 wt. %, the colloidal silica is present at about 1.0 wt. % to about 6.0 wt. %, the water is present at about 0.10 wt. % to about 5.0 wt. %, the catalyst is present at about 1.0 wt. % to about 10.0 wt. %, and the organic solvent is present at about 78 wt. % to about 98 wt. %, each based on the total weight of the coating composition. 
     
     
         17 . The glass container set forth in  claim 14  wherein the coating composition does not include a photoinitiator or a non-silane monomer or polymer that includes an acryl functional group or an epoxide functional group. 
     
     
         18 . The glass container set forth in  claim 12  further comprising a hot-end coating applied over the exterior surface of the glass substrate and underneath the inorganic-organic hybrid coating. 
     
     
         19 . The glass container set forth in  claim 12  further comprising a cold-end coating applied over the inorganic-organic hybrid coating. 
     
     
         20 . The method set forth in  claim 12  wherein the glass container includes only one monolithic inorganic-organic hybrid coating over the exterior surface of the glass substrate. 
     
     
         21 . A glass container having a transparent monolithic inorganic-organic hybrid coating with anti-reflective properties, the glass container comprising:
 a soda-lime glass substrate that defines a shape of the container;   a transparent monolithic inorganic-organic hybrid coating that comprises a polysiloxane inorganic polymer component and a polyacrylic organic polymer component bonded together within the same polymer network, the inorganic-organic hybrid coating providing an optical transmission gain relative to the glass substrate of at least 1% for light at a wavelength of 555 nm.   
     
     
         22 . The glass container set forth in  claim 21 , wherein the inorganic-organic hybrid coating has a thickness in the range of 100 nm to 200 nm. 
     
     
         23 . The glass container set forth in  claim 21 , further comprising a hot-end coating applied over an exterior surface of the soda-lime glass substrate, and a cold-end coating applied over the inorganic-organic hybrid coating. 
     
     
         24 . The glass container set forth in  claim 21 , wherein the inorganic-organic hybrid coating is applied directly to an exterior surface of the soda-lime glass substrate. 
     
     
         25 . The glass container set forth in  claim 21 , wherein the inorganic-organic coating provides an average optical transmission gain relative to the glass substrate of at least 1% for light over a wavelength range of 380 nm to 750 nm.