Physical Properties of Sol-Gel Coatings

One of the most important applications of sol-gel technology is the fabrication of coatings. This is because of the possibility of applying oxide coatings with practically all types of chemical compositions at low ambient temperatures on many substrates of various shapes through the use of liquid solutions. Both oxides and different types of organic-inorganic hybrid coatings have been reported. Both oxides and hybrid coatings are usually amorphous at ambient temperatures but some oxides can be converted to the crystalline phase with heating. Regardless of the intended applications of the coatings their physical properties are always of importance. For instance, an anti-reflective coating for an automobile mirror is of little practical value unless it is fairly scratch-resistant. In this review which covers published information in the past fifteen years, some of the more important results of physical properties of sol-gel derived coatings are discussed firstly for oxides and then for organic-inorganic hybrids. It appears that properties such as the hardness of oxide coatings are inadequate unless the heat-treatment temperatures are in excess of about 400°C. The hybrid coatings, especially when they contain a dispersed phase of a hard solid like colloidal silica, can be processed at temperatures below about 150°C and can improve the performance of organic plastics such as the polycarbonates. There is insufficient scientific understanding of the relationship between physical properties and other interdependent variables such as processing conditions, chemistry and coating thickness. More research in this area will undoubtedly contribute to the availability of better and new coatings via the sol-gel approach.     

Development of Anti-Reflection (AR) Coating on Plastic Panels for Display Applications

Traditionally, various vacuum-based processes have been used for producing interference-type anti-reflection (AR) coatings on large area substrates for different commercial applications. In this paper, the development of sol-gel derived AR coating on large plastic substrates for display application is presented. The sol-gel dip coating process was used to deposit thin films on large size plastic panels. By developing sols with different refractive indices, multi-layer thin-film AR coating stacks were designed and fabricated. These coatings possess good uniformity and meet stringent automotive specifications. This technology has been commercialized successfully for dashboard instrument panel application in Toyota's new hybrid engine car, named Prius.In this paper, AR coatings prepared by the sol-gel process are reviewed. The basic design concept for an AR coating, the coating preparation procedure, and important parameters of the solution coating process are discussed. Optical constants of the coating materials were characterized by using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Optical, mechanical and environmental tests were performed on the sol-gel derived AR coating stack. The sol-gel derived AR coating possesses equivalent or superior properties when compared to the major commercially available AR coating products.     

TG/DTG/DTA/DSC as a tool for studying deposition by the sol-gel process on materials obtained by rapid prototyping

In rapid prototyping (RP), building 3D physical prototypes involves the addition of material in layers. The sol-gel route is an alternative to produce multicomponent oxide materials with chemical, physical and thermal properties that cannot be obtained by other processes. The sol-gel method allows for the preparation of coatings on several kinds of materials, directly influencing the materials’ properties. In this work, metal oxides were prepared by the sol-gel process and deposited further by dip-coating technique on ABS and Nylon substrates obtained by RP. The resulting coating presented good adhesion to the substrates. The obtained materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal analysis (TA).     

Sol-Gel Derived Coatings for Outdoor Bronze Conservation

A new conservation treatment for outdoor bronze sculptures based on inorganic-organic copolymers (ORMOCER^®s) was designed which meets the special requirements defined for this field of conservation. Following a systematic research strategy, a great variety of starting compounds (main components: 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane or γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane), curing conditions, hardeners and additives were considered for modifying the sol-gel materials. The characterization of the lacquers included IR, GPC and viscosity measurements as well as water and epoxy titrations. Screening was carried out by evaluation of the protective effect on bronze substrates. The material properties of the coatings were adjusted to optimize adhesion and resistance against weathering. Particular emphasis was given to curing the sol-gel polymer at ambient temperatures while retaining reversibility even after aging.     

Damage-resistant sol-gel optical coatings for advanced lasers at CEL-V

The research and development program at CEA Limeil-Valenton (CEL-V) concerning the mature technology of Nd:glass high power laser to Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments has urged us to investigate and develop highly laser damage resistant optical coatings. Among the various existing deposition techniques, we have considered, the so-called sol-gel one has revealed very attractive technical and economical features. The chemical method we have explored is quite innovative since it allows making optical thin-films with a low-temperature route, using essentially oxide-based colloidal suspensions. Up to date, we have been able to prepare onto vitreous or plastic or even crystalline substrates antireflective or highly reflective dielectric coatings that can withstand the very high fluences that should deliver the future energy-efficient lasers in the megajoule range. Depending the need, such coatings could be narrow or broadband, abrasion-resistant or also environmentally durable.The aim of this paper is to show how the sol-gel process we are currently validating at CEL-V might serve tomorrow projects such as the harnessing of fusion energy, the greatest technological challenge facing humanity, but also household article uses.     

Protective Properties of a Sol-Gel Coating on Zinc Coated Steel

Galvanised and galvannealed steels are widely used due to their good corrosion resistance in aqueous solutions. However, when additional protection is required, organic coatings, corrosion inhibitors or conversion coatings are used to improve their corrosion protection. In this work, sol-gel coating was used to improve the corrosion behaviour of these two materials. This paper analyses the final protective properties of a sol-gel coating prepared by basic catalysis and its dependence on the sintering temperature and time of treatment. The influence of the sintering conditions on the galvanised and galvannealed substrates is a decisive factor for the coating quality and for the barrier affect against the aggressive media. While heat treatment time is the controlling factor for the galvannealed steels, the temperature is determining in the case of the galvanised. Corrosion mechanisms for sol-gel galvanised steels did not changed with respect to the uncoated steel. However for galvannealed steel, after coating the mechanism is not purely cathodic.     

A new room-temperature deposition technique for optical coatings

We describe a new coating method Laminar Flow Coating (LFC) technique developed to obtain highly reflective (HR) laser damage resistant sol-gel multidielectric coatings. Such coatings are used in high-power lasers for inertial confinement fusion experiments (ICF). This technique uses substrates in an upside-down position and a travelling wave of coating solution is transported with a laminar motion under the substrate surface with a tubular dispense unit. This creates a thin-film coating by solvent evaporation. Satisfactory results have been obtained on 20-cm square glass substrates regarding the optical performances, the thickness uniformity, the edge-effects and the laser damage resistance. This deposition technique combines the advantages of both classical techniques: the non-exclusive substrate geometry such as in dip-coating and the small solution consumption such as in spin-coating.The association of sol-gel colloidal suspensions and LFC coating process has been demonstrated as a promising way to produce inexpensive specific optical coatings [1].     

Photothermal and photocatalytic processes on TiO2 based materials prepared by sol-gel method

In the present work, Fe³⁺ doped TiO₂ coatings on glass substrates were prepared by dip-coating from a sol-gel solution. The influence of the dopant concentration on the structure, optical, photocatalytic and photothermal properties of the films was studied. The results obtained have shown a strong correlation between the catalytic properties and the amount of iron dopant and the temperature of the thermal treatment.     

Thermal behaviour study of some sol-gel TiO2 based materials

Among the great number of sol-gel materials prepared, TiO₂ holds one of the most important places due to its photocatalytic properties, both in the case of powders and coatings. Impurity doping is one of the typical approaches to extend the spectral response of a wide band gap semiconductor to visible light. This work has studied some un-doped and Pd-doped sol-gel TiO₂ nanopowders, presenting various surface morphologies and structures. The obtained powders have been embedded in vitreous TiO₂ matrices and the corresponding coatings have been prepared by dipping procedure, on glass substrates. The relationship between the synthesis conditions and the properties of titania nanosized materials, such as thermal stability, phase composition, crystallinity, morphology and size of particles, and the influence of dopant was investigated. The influence of Pd on TiO₂ crystallization both for supported and unsupported materials was studied (lattice parameters, crystallite sizes, internal strains). The hydrophilic properties of the films were also connected with their structure, composition and surface morphology. The methods used for the characterization of the materials have been: simultaneous thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy (TEM, SAED) and AFM.     

Sol-Gel Deposition of ZrO2 Films in Air and in Oxygen-Free Atmospheres for Chemical Protection of 304 Stainless Steel: A Comparative Corrosion Study

ZrO₂ coatings for corrosion protection were deposited on 304 stainless steel by sol-gel method using zirconium propoxide as precursor and densified in air and in oxygen-free (argon or nitrogen) atmospheres. XRD and IR data of the films were practically independent of the atmosphere used in the densification step showing that the ceramic oxide is properly formed from the precursor. The corrosion behavior of the stainless steel substrate was studied by potentiodynamic polarization curves in the absence and the presence of ZrO₂ coatings prepared in air, argon or nitrogen. The coatings extended the lifetime of the material by a factor of almost eight in a very aggressive environment, independently of the preparation procedure. The possibility of depositing pure or mixed oxide films by sol-gel methods in the absence of additional oxygen will allow the preparation of specific coatings onto oxygen-reactive substrates.     

Cracking and Decohesion of Sol-Gel Hybrid Coatings on Metallic Substrates

Thin film coatings based on organically modified silanes were synthesized using sol-gel technology. Various mixtures of tetraethoxysilane and glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane precursors were used to produce sol-gel coatings on as-received and thermally oxidised copper, aluminium and titanium substrates. The mechanical properties and adhesion behaviour of the coatings were assessed using nano-indentation and microtensile testing, respectively. The relationship between the film structure and its mechanical response is examined. It is shown that the mechanical properties (hardness and Young's modulus) of the coatings are influenced dramatically by the organic substituent and the presence of an oxide layer thermally grown on the substrate material prior to deposition plays an important role on the film/substrate adhesion behaviour.     

不同厚度三倍频SiO2增透膜的设计、制备与改性

本文通过光学计算设计了具有不同厚度的三倍频增透膜。以氨水为催化剂、正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)为前驱体,通过溶胶-凝胶(Sol-Gel)技术制得SiO2溶胶;采用浸渍提拉法镀膜得到符合设计要求的三倍频增透膜。研究结果表明,增透膜的耐磨擦性能随着膜层厚度的增大而增大,本文制得的厚度达到200 nm以上的三倍频增透膜耐磨擦性能显著优于传统的1/4波长三倍频增透膜。此外,本文以甲基含氢硅油为膜表面修饰剂,提出一种全新的超快的表面疏水性改性的方法。经该方法处理后,增透膜由亲水膜转变为疏水膜,对水的接触角从23.4°增大至95°,增透膜的耐环境性显著提高。     

Cerium hybrid silica coatings on stainless steel AISI 304 substrate

AISI 304 Stainless Steel is widely used in different industrial fields because of its mechanical and corrosion properties. However, its tendency to corrosion in presence of halide ions limits the applications. One strategy to improve the corrosion resistance is the use of coatings barriers containing corrosion inhibitors in their formulation. The lanthanides present attractive green and corrosion properties for the substitution of chromates, which are the most common substances used as corrosion protection. However, these compounds are highly toxic, and an intense effort is being undertaken to replace them. Cerium is a good alternative because of its relatively low cost and abundance. It fulfils the basics requirements for being considered an alternative inhibitor: the ions form insoluble hydroxides and they present low toxicity. Inorganic and hybrid sol-gel coatings have been developed to increase the corrosion resistance of metals and they provide an excellent vehicle for the incorporation of secondary phases including particles and metal ions as cerium ions. The aim of this work was to study the influence of the incorporation of cerium ions in hybrid silica sol-gel coatings deposited on AISI 304 stainless steel as substrate as a potential replacement of chromate treatments. This system should combine the barrier protection effect of silica coating with the corrosion inhibitor effect of the cerium ions inside the coatings. After 7 days of immersion in NaCl, coated substrates showed lower current densities than the bare steel, although the coatings produced from Ce (III) salts experience a slight weakening in time and those obtained from Ce (IV) chemicals evidence an enhance in the coating performance, probably due to the plugging of corrosion products in the defective areas of the film.     

Sol-Gel Derived Calcium Phosphate Coatings for Biomedical Applications

Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings have received considerable attention because they exhibit bone bonding capabilities. Unfortunately the common forms of coating production result in cracking and degradation of HA due to the thickness of the coatings and the elevated temperatures employed. This study demonstrates the production of sub-micron, crack-free calcium phosphate coatings on quartz glass substrates using a sol-gel dip-coating technique and firing temperatures below 1000°C.Coatings fired at 1000°C comprised a mixture of hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP). XPS analysis of the coating surface showed that the Ca/P ratio lay in the range 1.5–1.67, and that there was a contribution from carbon in the form of carbonate.It is proposed that the sol-gel coatings comprising a resorbable (TCP) and an insoluble (HA) phase have potential benefits in certain implant applications.     

Optical behaviour of pH detectors based on sol-gel technology

Acidity is an outstanding parameter that affect the correct preservation of most part of materials engaged in artworks and heritage objects. In spite of the new generation of advanced analytical devices, the conservation/heritage management sector claims for some kind of simple, robust and low-cost device to monitor environmental acidity wherever necessary. The purpose of this paper is to offer a suitable alternative for the estimation of environmental acidity by means of detectors to be used without electrodes, solutions, pH meters, wires or batteries.Doped sol-gel thin coatings have been used as transductors for producing pH detectors. The coatings consist of a partially densified polysiloxane network and an organic dye sensitive to pH changes. The siloxane network behaves as a host for immobilisation of the dye molecules, in such a way that chemical-optical properties of the dye are preserved as far as possible. The transductors were applied on common glass substrates by dipping. Further heat-treatment allows the coating partial densification.The optical response of the detectors was analysed by VIS absorption spectroscopy, since a change of colour took place when the detectors were submitted to different pH buffered solutions. With the aim to investigate their optical behaviour as a function of pH, several experimental measurements were undertaken: absorption intensity; maximum spectral wavelength; colour coordinates; colour purity percentages. Time response and memory effect were also studied. The detector operation conditions for monitoring environmental acidity both indoor and outdoor are discussed.     

Layer‐by‐Layer Approach to Superhydrophobic Zeolite Antireflective Coatings

Antireflection surfaces and coatings have attracted considerable interests because they can maximize light transmittance of the substrates. In this work, zeolite antireflective (ZAR) coatings are prepared via layer‐by‐layer (LBL) assembly of MFI ‐type zeolite silicalite‐1 and polyelectrolyte. A micro‐ and macroporous hierarchical structure was obtained which contributes to the antireflective property of the zeolite coatings. The light transmittance of the coating on quartz can achieve as high as 99.3% at 650 nm. Furthermore, a superhydrophobic ZAR coating can be obtained by chemical modification with 1H,1H,2H,2H–perfluorooctyl‐triethoxysilane. This work demonstrates that zeolites are excellent candidates as high transparent superhydrophobic coatings.     

Evaluating the electrochemical capacitance of surface-charged nanoparticle oxide coatings

While transition metal oxides have been thoroughly investigated as coatings for electrochemical capacitors due to their pseudocapacitance, little work has been done investigating other oxide coatings. There exists a whole class of nanoporous oxides typically synthesized by sol-gel chemistry techniques that have very high differential capacitance. This high differential capacitance has been attributed to the surface potential of these materials and the close approach of counterions near the surface of these oxides. This study focuses on investigating the electrochemical capacitance of non-transition metal oxide nanoparticle coatings when deposited on supporting electrodes. Here, we show that, by adding coatings of SiO(2), AlOOH, TiO(2), and ZrO(2) nanoparticles to graphite support electrodes, we can increase the electrochemical capacitance. We also show that the measured electrochemical capacitance of these oxide-coated electrodes directly relates to the electrophoretic mobility of these materials with the lowest values in capacitance occurring at or near the respective isoelectric pH (pH(IEP)) of each oxide.     

Synthesis and characterization of polydimethylsiloxane-cured organically modified silicate hybrid coatings

Hybrid coatings based on polydimethylsiloxane-cured organically modified silicate were synthesized through a sol-gel technique. Amino-terminated siloxane, 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and tetraethoxysilane were used as precursors for the hybrid coatings. These hybrid films were deposited via spin coating onto an aluminum alloy to improve the corrosion protection. The effects induced by the different chain lengths of siloxane on the chain dynamics, thermal stability and corrosion performance of the coated samples were investigated. The rotating-frame spin-lattice relaxation times and scale of the spin-diffusion path length indicated that the configuration of the hybrid films was highly crosslinked, dense and adhered to the aluminum alloy substrates. The thermal stability and the apparent activation energy, evaluated by van Krevelen's method, of the hybrid coatings depended on the siloxane chain length. Potentiodynamic analysis revealed that the hybrid films provided exceptional barrier and corrosion protection in comparison with untreated aluminum alloy substrates.     

Magnetron sputtering Si interlayer: a protocol to prepare solid phase microextraction coatings on metal-based fiber

Use of metal fibers in solid phase microextraction (SPME) can overcome the fragility drawback of conventional fused-silica ones. However, the surface modification of metal substrates is rather difficult, which largely prevents many mature traditional techniques, such as sol-gel and chemical bonding, being used in fabrication of SPME coating on metal-based fibers. This study demonstrates a protocol to resolve this problem by magnetron sputtering a firm Si interlayer on stainless steel fiber. The Si interlayer was easily modified active group, and attached with a multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) coating using the reported approach. The as-prepared MWCNTs/Si/stainless steel wire fiber not only preserved the excellent SPME behaviors of MWCNTs coatings, but also exhibited a number of advantages including high rigidity, long service life, and good stability at high temperature, in acid and alkali solutions. This new surface modification technique might provide a versatile approach to prepare sorbent coatings on unconfined substrates using traditional methods.     

Low Temperature Preparation of High Refractive Index and Mechanically Resistant Sol-gel TiO2 Films for Multilayer Antireflective Coating Applications

TiO₂ sol-gel thin films have attracted a large attention for applications which require high refractive index transparent layers. In this work, sol-gel TiO₂ layers were prepared by Aerosol-gel deposition followed by a thermal treatment procedure in air. Depending on the experimental conditions, abrasion resistant and high refractive index layers could be obtained after post-treatment at only 110°C. In this paper, the experimental parameters which allow the preparation of functional TiO₂ sol-gel layers at such low temperature are discussed. It is concluded that the preparation of high refractive index and mechanically resistant TiO₂ layers can be interpreted in terms of competition between polycondensation and densification mechanisms. This result allows to envisage the sol-gel processing at low temperature of multilayer antireflective coatings.