Abrasion resistant ultraviolet light curable hard coating compositions

Claim 2

A radiation curable coating composition having improved abrasion resistance, comprising: (A) 100 parts by weight silica provided as colloidal silica; (B) 5 to 500 parts by weight of an acid hydrolysis product of a compound selected from acryloxy-functional silanes having a general formula: ##STR3## wherein R 3 and R 4 are the same or different monovalent hydrocarbon radicals, R 5 is a divalent hydrocarbon radical having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, R 6 is hydrogen or a monovalent hydrocarbon radical, b is an integer from 1 to 3, c is an integer from 0 to 2, and d is an integer equaling 4-b-c; or glycidoxy-functional silanes having a general formula: ##STR4## wherein R 7 and R 8 are the same or different monovalent hydrocarbon radicals, R 9 is a divalent hydrocarbon radical having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, e is an integer from 1 to 3, f is an integer from 0 to 2, and g is a integer equaling 4-e-f, and mixtures thereof; (C) 10 to 500 parts of a non-silyl acrylate; and (D) a catalytic amount of ultraviolet light sensitive photoinitiator.

Claim 3

A composition as in claim 1 wherein said acryloxy-functional silane is selected from the group consisting of 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane 3-acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane 2-methacryloxyethyltrimethoxysilane 2-acryloxyethyltrimethoxysilane 3-methacryloxypropyltriethoxysilane 3-acryloxypropyltriethoxysilane 2-methacryloxyethyltriethoxysilane 2-acryloxyethyltriethoxysilane.

Claim 4

A composition as in claim 1 wherein said glycidoxy-functional silane is selected from the group consisting of 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane 2-glycidoxyethyltrimethoxysilane 3-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane 2-glycidoxyethyltriethoxysilane.

Claim 5

A composition as in claim 1 wherein said non-silyl acrylate is selected from the group consisting of: 2-Hydroxy ethyl acrylate 2-Hydroxy ethyl methacrylate 3-Hydroxy propyl acrylate 3-Hydroxy propyl methacrylate 2-Hydroxy-3-methacryloxy propyl acrylate 2-Hydroxy-3-acryloxy propyl acrylate 2-Hydroxy-3-methacryloxy propyl methacrylate Diethylene glycol diacrylate Triethylene glycol diacrylate Tetraethylene glycol diacrylate Trimethylol propane triacrylate Tetrahydro furfuryl methacrylate 1-6-Hexanediol diacrylate.

Claim 6

A composition as in claim 1 wherein said photoinitiator is a radiation sensitive aromatic onium salt having a formula: (R.sup. --C.sub.6 H.sub.4).sub.n X.sup.+ MQ.sub.h.sup.- wherein X is a radical selected from I, P or S; and M is a metal or metalloid and Q is a halogen radical selected from Cl, F, Br, or I; R 10 is hydrogen or a monovalent hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, h is an integer having a value of 4 to 6 inclusive, and n is an integer having a value of 2 or 3.

Claim 7

A composition as in claim 5 wherein MQ h - is selected from SbF 6 - , AsF 6 - , BF 4 - , and PF 6 - .

Claim 8

A composition as in claim 1 wherein said photoinitiator is present in an amount from approximately 0.05 to 5 parts by weight of the total mixture.

Claim 9

A composition as in claim 5 wherein said photoinitiator is further combined with 0.5 to 5.0 parts of a radical-type photoinitiator.

Claim 10

A composition as in claim 8 wherein said radical-type photoinitiator is selected from ethyl benzoin ether, isopropyl benzoin ether, dimethoxyphenylacetophenone or diethoxyacetophenone.

Claim 11

The cured product of claim 1.

Claim 12

A solid substrate having at least one surface coated with the coating composition of claim 1.

Claim 13

An article as defined in claim 11 wherein the solid substrate is comprised of a synthetic organic polymer.

Claim 14

An article as defined in claim 11 wherein said solid substrate is a metal.

Claim 15

An article as defined in claim 11 wherein said solid substrate is a synthetic organic polymer having a metallized surface.

Claim 16

An article as defined in claim 12 wherein said polymer is a transparent polymer.

Claim 17

An article as defined in claim 15 wherein said polymer is a polycarbonate.

Claim 18

An article as defined in claim 16 wherein said polycarbonate is transparent.

Claim 19

An article as defined in claim 16 wherein said polycarbonate is a poly (bisphenol-A carbonate).

Claim 20

An article as defined in claim 11 wherein the coating composition has been cured on said surface of said solid substrate by an effective amount of ultraviolet radiation.

Claim 21

An article as defined in claim 11 wherein said surface of said solid substrate has been primed with a primer composition prior to having been coated with the coating composition of claim 1.

Claim 22

An article as defined in claim 20 wherein said primer composition is comprised of a thermosetting acrylic emulsion.

Claim 23

An article as defined in claim 12 wherein said polymer is polymethylmethacrylate.

Claim 24

A process for improving the abrasion resistance of a substrate with a radiation curable coating composition comprising the steps of combining: (A) 100 parts by weight silica provided as colloidal silica; (B) 5 to 500 parts by weight of an acid hydrolysis product of a compound selected from acryloxy-functional silanes having a general formula: ##STR5## wherein R 3 and R 4 are the same or different monovalent hydrocarbon radicals, R 5 is a divalent hydrocarbon radical having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, R 6 is hydrogen or a monovalent hydrocarbon radical, b is an integer from 1 to 3, c is an integer from 0 to 2, and d is an integer equaling 4-b-c; or glycydoxy-functional silanes having a general formula: ##STR6## wherein R 7 and R 8 are the same or different monovalent hydrocarbon radicals, R 9 is a divalent hydrocarbon radical having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, e is an integer from 1 to 3, f is an integer from 0 to 2, and g is an integer equaling 4-e-f, and mixtures thereof; (C) 10 to 500 parts of a non-silyl acrylate; (D) a catalytic amount of ultraviolet light sensitive photoinitiator; coating said radiation curable coating composition upon said substrate; and curing said coating composition upon said substrate with an amount of radiation effective for forming an improved abrasion resistant coating upon said substrate.

Claim 25

A process for improving the abrasion resistance of a substrate with a radiation curable coating composition comprising the steps of combining: (A) 100 parts by weight silica provided as colloidal silica; (B) 5 to 500 parts by weight of an acid hydrolysis product of a compound selected from acryloxy-functional silanes having a general formula: ##STR5## wherein R 3 and R 4 are the same or different monovalent hydrocarbon radicals, R 5 is a divalent hydrocarbon radical having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, R 6 is hydrogen or a monovalent hydrocarbon radical, b is an integer from 1 to 3, c is an integer from 0 to 2, and d is an integer equaling 4-b-c; or glycydoxy-functional silanes having a general formula: ##STR6## wherein R 7 and R 8 are the same or different monovalent hydrocarbon radicals, R 9 is a divalent hydrocarbon radical having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms, e is an integer from 1 to 3, f is an integer from 0 to 2, and g is an integer equaling 4-e-f, and mixtures thereof; (C) 10 to 500 parts of a non-silyl acrylate; (D) a catalytic amount of ultraviolet light sensitive photoinitiator; coating said radiation curable coating composition upon said substrate; and curing said coating composition upon said substrate with an amount of radiation effective for forming an improved abrasion resistant coating upon said substrate.