Durable Anti-Smudge Materials for Display Terminals

Abstract

This article describes an anti-smudge layer deposited on an antireflective (AR) film. Several kinds of fluorinated compounds were designed on the basis of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups. Both the perfluoro polyether (PFPE) and an alkoxysilane in the molecule exhibit good anti-smudge properties and a good adhesion to SiO ₂ , which is the outermost layer of the AR coating. A 2-nm film thickness is essential to decrease the surface energy, which does not affect the antireflection properties. The addition of an amine and mineral acids was found to produce a significant increase in the rate of the reaction, and the surface energy decreased to 10 mJ/m ² within several hours. The material endcapped with two alkoxysilyl groups is designed to have a strong interaction with the surface. The kinetic friction force on the AR film is reduced by onehalf when compared to the one side-end PFPE, which also enhances the abrasion resistance.

KEY WORDS:

• Boundary Lubrication Chemistry
• Surface Energy
• Friction Modifiers
• Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA)
• Fluorocarbons
• Friction Mechanisms
• NMR
• FTIR

Acknowledgments

Review led by Tom Karis

Notes

* The surface energy was calculated from the average of contact angles and an experimental error of contact angles are within ± 2 degrees.