Wet-chemical processing of transparent and antiglare conducting ITO coating on plastic substrates

The paper reviews a low temperature sol-gel processing of transparent and antiglare conducting Sn doped indium oxide (ITO) coatings. The approach uses already crystalline nanoparticles which can be fully redispersed in an ethanolic sol containing a polymerisable organic binder. Thick single layers up to 600 nm can be deposited by spin and dip coating techniques followed either by a low temperature (<130 degrees C) heat treatment or by a UV light irradiation. Stable resistivity down to 9.5 x 10(-2) Omega cm (sheet resistance of 1.7 k Omega(square) for a 560 nm thick layer) have been obtained, together with high visible transparency (T approximate to 87%), good adhesion (DIN 58196-K2, and 53151) and abrasion resistance (DIN 58-196 G10 and H25) and 1 H hardness. Irradiation through a mask allows to easily pattern the coatings. Antiglare-conducting coatings with adjustable gloss (60 to 80 GU) and maintaining a good optical resolution (>8 lines/nm) were obtained by a conventional spraying technique. These techniques have been successfully applied to several plastic substrates such as polycarbonate (PC), polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA), polyimide, polyethylene (PE) as well as glasses.