Functionalized coatings based on inorganic–organic polymers (ORMOCER®s) and their combination with vapor deposited inorganic thin films

Abstract Hybrid polymers (ORMOCER ® s) with inorganic and organic structural units can be used to generate new functionalized coatings on a variety of substrates (ceramics, metals, polymers, etc.). By processing at temperatures below 150 °C, the formation of both inorganic and organic network structures using the sol–gel approach is possible. Due to the incorporation of special organic functional groups, important application related properties can be accomplished. ORMOCER ® lacquers can be processed by nearly all conventional coating techniques (dipping, spraying, spin on, etc.). The basic application fields for ORMOCER ® coatings are: • abrasion and scratch resistance, decoration; • barrier layers for packaging, corrosion resistant layers; • antisoiling, antifogging, antistatic and antireflective applications. In the past two years, the combination of ORMOCER ® layers with vapor deposited inorganic thin films (e.g. SiO x ) has been investigated, especially for barrier applications. Outstanding barrier properties were achieved, which show synergetic effects by using two different coating techniques together (wet chemical processing, vapor deposition).