Hybrid inorganic–organic coatings enhancing glass corrosion resistance

This work aims to prepare a functional hybrid organic–inorganic coating on glass using the sol–gel process. The sol–gel coatings are commonly used for changing and/or enhancing optical, chemical and mechanical properties of the substrate glass. The coatings prepared in this work should exhibit high transmittance and good chemical resistance, whereof should be achieved by the combination of default precursor tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and various functionalized silicon alkoxides 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (MEMO) and isobutyl(trimethoxy)silane (IBTMS). Sols were applied on substrate glass via the dip-coating method at different withdrawal speeds. Coatings were dried 1 h at 200 °C in ambient atmosphere. Assessment of transmittance was done by UV-Vis spectrophotometry, chemical resistance was observed by accelerated weathering tests in a humidity chamber, mechanical properties were evaluated with the means of standardized pencil hardness test and cross-cut tape test, and moreover analysis of abrasion resistance was done by model test. The most efficient functionalization was combination of 1% IBTMS + 1% MEMO and functionalization with MEMO up to 2% alone. These coatings showed good resistance against damp heat, they can withstand certain loads of abrasion and concurrently still exhibit high transmittance in the visible spectrum.