Superior Scratch Resistant Coating for Safety Eyewear

Tribofilm Research, Inc., Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) An estimated 90% of all eye injuries are avoidable with the use of proper safety eye protection. Our long-term goal is to increase the compliance in the use of safety glasses with lenses that are more durable, easier to clean, and more scratch and impact resistance than is currently available. Our work indicates that a well-designed multi-layer coating with a lubricous topcoat can greatly increase scratch resistance without degrading the impact resistance of the plastic substrate. This hypothesis is based on our discovery that: 1) the lubricious topcoat will cause particles to glide off rather that gouge the surface resulting in a 10-fold increase in scratch resistance, and 2) all currently available scratch resistant coatings for lenses degrade impact resistance. Our specific aims are to utilize this discovery to increase the scratch resistance of the coating using the lubricious topcoat while modifying the underlying layers to prevent crack propagation into the plastic substrate. The proposed coating will allow the production of safety glasses and ophthalmic lenses with a combination of scratch and impact resistance far better than any currently on the market. This coating technology will be of great benefit to eyewear users in the $330 million eye protection market and the $15.8 billion eyewear market. If successful, this work would have widespread applicability in additional plastic applications where optical clarity, scratch resistance, and impact resistance are key requirements.