Method of producing one or more topographical structures and plastic substrate

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of producing one or more topographical structures appearing outside or inside the surface of an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a plastic substrate based on a plastic material having a front surface and a back surface, the plastic substrate being an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the hard coating covering at least one of the front surface and back surface; (b) depositing droplets of a structured ink on at least one of the front surface and back surface; (c) irradiating the droplets of the structured ink deposited on at least one of the front surface and back surface; (d) removing the deposited droplets after having been irradiated, and providing one or more topographical structures appearing outside or inside the at least one of the front surface and back surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating. The invention further relates to a plastic substrate based on a plastic material having a front surface and a back surface, the plastic substrate being an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the hard coating covering at least one of the front surface and back surface, wherein one or more topographical structures appear outside or inside the surface of the plastic material of the uncoated plastic substrate or appear outside or inside the hard coating of the coated plastic substrate.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a method for producing one or more morphological structures outside or within the surface of an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating. Furthermore, this application relates to a plastic substrate based on a plastic material having a front surface and a rear surface, said plastic substrate being either uncoated or coated with a hard coating.

[0002] WO 2022 / 084557 A1 relates to a method of manufacturing an eyeglass lens, wherein the eyeglass lens comprises a lens substrate and at least one coating. At least one of an uncoated or pre-coated front surface and / or a rear surface is provided with at least one coating. This coating on the front and / or rear surface is then brought into complete or partial contact with at least one medium. Subsequently, at least one single electromagnetic pulse is applied to the at least one coating and the at least one medium on the front and / or rear surface. The at least one medium may contain at least one saturated or unsaturated, optionally substituted, organic aliphatic monocarboxylic acid. This at least one medium modifies the surface of the at least one coating and can be applied via inkjet printing. The at least one single electromagnetic pulse can be applied from a flash lamp.

[0003] The at least one coating that can be modified is a photochromic coating or a coating based on a paint composition that can be used in a photochromic coating but does not contain any photochromic dye.

[0004] The requirement for photochromic coatings, or coatings based on paint compositions that can be used for photochromic coatings but do not contain any photochromic dyes, is a limiting factor and is associated with unfavorable high costs.

[0005] WO 2021 / 260196 A1 discloses a method for manufacturing a coated lens, wherein the coated lens comprises an uncoated or pre-coated optical lens substrate. The uncoated or pre-coated optical lens substrate, comprising a front surface and a rear surface, is provided with at least one coating precursor material on at least one of these surfaces. The coating precursor material is converted into a coating by irradiation with at least one single electromagnetic pulse. The electromagnetic pulse irradiation, for example using a flash lamp, is at a frequency of 0.01 W / cm². 2 Up to 200W / cm 2 The peak intensity within the range generates heat in a short time. Due to the pulsed application of energy, the optical lens substrate itself is heated less compared to the heat applied through conventional thermosetting processes.

[0006] WO 2021 / 260196 A1 relates to applying a complete layer or coating on an optical lens substrate without considering the morphological structuring of the surface of the plastic substrate.

[0007] EP 3 812 142 A1 relates to a method for producing spectacle lenses comprising a substrate and at least one coating, wherein the surface of the coating is morphologically structured by contacting the at least one coating with at least one medium. Subsequently, the separately prepared spectacle lenses are irradiated with a xenon lamp at a temperature of 35°C for several hours, for example, 16 to 20 hours. The process disclosed in EP 3 812 142 A1 is unsuitable for efficient production due to the requirement of irradiation over a longer period (e.g., several hours).

[0008] WO 2012 / 138516 A1 relates to a method for drying a film stack having a film located on a substrate, wherein the film stack is conveyed through a flash lamp. The film stack is irradiated with a composite light pulse to remove solvent from the film, wherein the composite light pulse is formed by a plurality of micropulses from the flash lamp. The total duration of the composite light pulse is shorter than the total thermal equilibrium time of the film stack. WO 2012 / 138516 A1 does not permit the formation of one or more morphological structures on the surface of a plastic substrate.

[0009] US2022 / 0146857 A1 discloses ophthalmic lenses for reducing the progression of myopia and methods for manufacturing them.

[0010] EP 4 147 862 A1 discloses a method for applying a surface pattern to the surface of an eyeglass lens substrate and an eyeglass lens substrate having a surface pattern.

[0011] EP 4 006 624 A1 discloses methods for designing and manufacturing eyeglass lenses and methods for providing eyeglass lenses for at least slowing the progression of myopia.

[0012] US2021 / 0165244 A1 discloses an ophthalmic lens with light scattering for the treatment of myopia.

[0013] US2021 / 0356763 A1 discloses optical articles incorporating optical elements and methods for manufacturing the same.

[0014] US2022 / 0146857 A1 discloses ophthalmic lenses for reducing the progression of myopia and methods for manufacturing them.

[0015] The purpose of this invention is to provide an efficient method for generating one or more morphological structures on a plastic substrate, particularly an eyeglass lens substrate.

[0016] Furthermore, the object of the present invention is to provide a plastic substrate, particularly a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses, which includes one or more morphological structures.

[0017] The object of this invention is achieved by providing a method for producing one or more morphological structures that appear outside or within the surface of an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the method comprising the following steps:

[0018] (a) Providing a plastic substrate based on a plastic material having a front surface and a rear surface, the plastic substrate being an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the hard coating covering at least one of the front surface and the rear surface;

[0019] (b) Depositing droplets of structured ink on at least one of the front and rear surfaces;

[0020] (c) Irradiating droplets of the structured ink deposited on at least one of the front and rear surfaces;

[0021] (d) After irradiation, the deposited droplets are removed, and one or more morphological structures are provided outside or within at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating.

[0022] The one or more morphological structures described herein are formed by at least one of a raised portion appearing outside the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, and a recessed portion appearing in the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating.

[0023] The object of the present invention is also achieved by providing a method for producing one or more morphological structures that appear outside or inside the surface of an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the method comprising the following steps:

[0024] (a) Providing a plastic substrate based on a plastic material having a front surface and a rear surface, the plastic substrate being an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the hard coating covering at least one of the front surface and the rear surface;

[0025] (b) Depositing droplets of structured ink on at least one of the front and rear surfaces, the structured ink comprising at least an organic acid;

[0026] (c) Irradiating droplets of the structured ink deposited on at least one of the front and rear surfaces;

[0027] (d) After being irradiated, the deposited droplets are removed, and one or more morphological structures are provided outside or inside at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating.

[0028] Preferred embodiments of the method of the invention are provided in dependent claims 3 to 10.

[0029] The present invention also aims to provide a plastic substrate based on a plastic material having a front surface and a rear surface, said plastic substrate being an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, said hard coating covering at least one of said front and rear surfaces, wherein one or more morphological structures are manifested outside or inside the surface of said plastic material on the uncoated plastic substrate or outside or inside the hard coating on the plastic substrate coated with the hard coating, said morphological structures each having a diameter in the range of 200 nm to 5 mm and a height or depth in the range of 50 nm to 4 μm.

[0030] Preferred embodiments of the plastic substrate are described in detail in dependent claims 12 to 15.

[0031] According to the invention, the term "plastic substrate" refers to a substrate having two substantially facing primary surfaces and optionally one or more secondary surfaces, wherein the ratio of the secondary surfaces to the primary surfaces is preferably at least 1:10, more preferably at least 1:20. According to one embodiment of the invention, the "plastic substrate" is a planar substrate, wherein these surfaces can be spatially spaced substantially constantly such that these surfaces are substantially parallel to each other. However, the two primary surfaces can also form an angle, for example, within a range of 0° to 70°, preferably above 5° to below 40°, and more preferably above 15° to below 25°.

[0032] The term "plastic substrate" also means a plastic lens substrate having a lens shape, particularly a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses, such as a biconvex lens, a biconcave lens, a convex-concave lens, a concave-convex lens, a plano-convex lens, and / or a plano-concave lens.

[0033] The "plastic substrate" according to the invention may be uncoated, which means that the plastic substrate is preferably manufactured as a solid, which preferably consists of only one plastic material composition.

[0034] The "plastic substrate" may also be coated with a hard coating that makes the surface of the "plastic substrate" scratch-resistant. The hard coating may be applied to only one of the two main surfaces, or it may be applied to both main surfaces. The side surfaces (if any) may also be coated with a hard coating.

[0035] The feature "coated with a hard coating" means that the "plastic substrate" is coated with at least one hard coating. Therefore, the plastic substrate, preferably the "eyeglass plastic lens substrate", may also be coated with two, three or more hard coatings, the composition of which may be the same or different from each other.

[0036] The inventors have discovered that uncoated plastic substrates or plastic substrates coated with a hard coating can be efficiently provided with one or more morphological structures.

[0037] The method of the present invention allows for the direct provision of uncoated plastic substrates having one or more morphological structures, which significantly simplifies previously known processes, such as those known from WO 2022 / 084557A1. For example, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to provide an expensive photochromic coating or a coating based on a paint composition that can be used for photochromic coatings but does not contain any photochromic dyes in a first step before the morphological structure can be produced, which is mandatory according to the teachings of WO 2022 / 084557A1.

[0038] This invention allows for the provision of one or more morphological structures, wherein it is not necessary to include an additional photochromic coating or an additional coating based on a coating composition that can be used for photochromic coatings but does not contain any photochromic dyes. Therefore, the freedom to provide one or more morphological structures for a plastic substrate is significantly increased. Furthermore, advantageously, the cost of producing one or more morphological structures can be significantly reduced. In a preferred embodiment, the plastic substrate is an eyeglass plastic lens substrate.

[0039] To improve the mechanical properties of plastic lens substrates for eyeglasses, a hard coating is typically applied. This hard coating is a scratch-resistant coating that provides durability and increased lifespan to the plastic lens substrate.

[0040] Without a hard coating, plastic materials, especially the substrate for eyeglass lenses, are easily scratched, for example, by mechanical impacts from dust.

[0041] As a result, plastic substrates coated with a hard coating can also be morphologically structured using the method of the present invention. This discovery was unexpected, as it was anticipated that hard coatings that make plastic surfaces scratch-resistant would not be easily morphologically structured.

[0042] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one intermediate layer, preferably one intermediate layer, is placed between a plastic substrate, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate, and a hard coating layer. Preferably, the first surface of the intermediate layer is in complete and direct contact with the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass plastic lens substrate, and the second surface of the intermediate layer is in complete and direct contact with the surface of the hard coating layer, wherein the first and second surfaces of the intermediate layer can also be described as a lower surface and an upper surface, respectively.

[0043] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one intermediate layer, preferably one intermediate layer, is applied directly to the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably directly to the surface of the eyeglass plastic lens substrate, wherein the hard coating is applied directly to the at least one intermediate layer, preferably one intermediate layer.

[0044] Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the one or more morphological structures are manifested outside or inside the surface of the hard coating, which is directly stacked on the at least one intermediate layer, preferably an intermediate layer, which is then directly coated on the plastic substrate, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate.

[0045] The intermediate layer is preferably selected from the group consisting of: acrylic layers, methacrylic layers, methyl butyl arylates, epoxy-based resins, acrylates and mixtures of epoxy-based resins, and mixtures thereof.

[0046] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the hard coating is applied directly to the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably directly to the surface of the eyeglass plastic lens substrate, such that the hard coating is in complete and direct contact with the surface of the plastic substrate. Therefore, according to this preferred embodiment of the invention, the one or more morphological structures are manifested outside or within the surface of the hard coating directly applied to the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass plastic lens substrate.

[0047] According to the invention, the at least one intermediate layer, particularly an intermediate layer, is not a photochromic coating or a coating based on a paint composition that can be used in a photochromic coating but does not contain any photochromic dye.

[0048] Therefore, the method of the present invention can be applied, on the one hand, to uncoated plastic substrates, particularly uncoated eyeglass plastic lens substrates, and on the other hand, to plastic substrates coated with a hard coating, particularly eyeglass plastic lens substrates coated with a hard coating.

[0049] The hard coating can be a conventional hard coating that is either a thermosetting hard coating or a UV-curing hard coating.

[0050] In the case of thermosetting hard coatings, the plastic substrate, particularly eyeglass lens substrates, can be passed through a solvent-based hard coating liquid bath, in which the coating solution adheres to both the front and back surfaces of the plastic substrate. The hard coating can then be cured in a curing oven at a curing temperature until stable.

[0051] In the case of UV-cured hard coatings, a liquid hard coating solution can be applied to the front and / or back surfaces of a plastic substrate, particularly a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses, and then cured under ultraviolet light for a specific period of time.

[0052] The plastic substrate is based on plastic materials, and preferably consists of a defined plastic composition.

[0053] Plastic materials can be selected from the group consisting of: polyallyl diethylene glycol carbonate, polyurea, polyurethane, polycarbonate, polysulfide, polycyclic sulfide, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, and mixtures thereof.

[0054] If the plastic substrate is a "plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses", the front surface is typically convex and, if worn by a user, faces away from the eyes according to DIN EN ISO 13666:2019-12. In the case of a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses, the rear surface is typically concave and, if worn by a user, faces towards the eyes according to DIN EN ISO 13666:2019-12. In the case of a "plastic substrate", the front surface can also be designated as a first surface, and the rear surface can also be designated as a second surface.

[0055] According to the method of the invention, droplets of structured ink are deposited, preferably targeted, onto at least one of the front and rear surfaces. The droplets of structured ink remain on at least one of the front and rear surfaces. Therefore, droplets of structured ink are preferably deposited at a defined location on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of an uncoated spectacle plastic lens substrate or a spectacle plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating.

[0056] Preferably, the number / area (e.g., spots) of droplets deposited on at least one surface can be strictly controlled. More preferably, the distance between one or more droplets of structured ink deposited at certain locations on the front and / or rear surfaces of the plastic substrate is specifically adjusted according to the desired characteristics to be achieved on the respective surfaces.

[0057] More preferably, the number of droplets deposited at a specific location (e.g., a spot) on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the plastic surface can also be adjusted according to the properties to be achieved on the respective surfaces.

[0058] Droplets of structured ink deposited on at least one of the front and rear surfaces are exposed to high-energy electromagnetic irradiation in the form of at least one electromagnetic pulse, preferably more than one electromagnetic pulse (e.g., at least two electromagnetic pulses). Exposure to high-energy electromagnetic pulses can also be described as flash lamp curing.

[0059] To apply at least one single electromagnetic pulse using a so-called flash annealing or photonic curing method, a plastic substrate with droplets of structured ink deposited on its surface, or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate or an eyeglass plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating, is exposed to a high-intensity, ultrashort light pulse. A key advantage of this photonic curing method is its ability to achieve temperatures above 1000°C, for example, in a very short time, without affecting the plastic substrate, which may be based on temperature-sensitive plastic materials or optical plastic lens materials that would not be able to withstand such high temperatures.

[0060] The very short timescale of each single electromagnetic pulse allows for selective processing of the deposited droplets of structured ink without degrading the plastic substrate based on temperature-sensitive or optical plastic materials. This at least one single electromagnetic pulse can be applied from at least one electromagnetic source selected from the group consisting of: at least one flash lamp (preferably at least one xenon flash lamp), at least one halogen lamp, at least one directional plasma arc, at least one laser, at least one microwave generator, at least one induction heater, at least one electron beam, at least one stroboscopic observer, and at least one mercury lamp.

[0061] The at least one single electromagnetic pulse is preferably applied from at least one flash lamp. Preferably, the at least one flash lamp is a flash lamp filled with a gas selected from xenon, krypton, and / or argon, preferably xenon. The at least one single electromagnetic pulse preferably has a wavelength in the range of 100 nm to 1800 nm, more preferably in the range of 150 nm to 1300 nm, more preferably in the range of 170 nm to 1100 nm, and further preferably in the range of 200 nm to 1000 nm. The at least one single electromagnetic pulse also preferably has a wavelength in the range of 350 nm to 1000 nm, more preferably in the range of 400 nm to 800 nm, and most preferably in the range of 420 nm to 700 nm. The wavelength of the at least one single electromagnetic pulse applied from at least one of the aforementioned electromagnetic sources is preferably within these wavelength ranges.

[0062] At least one single electromagnetic pulse is applied to at least one surface of a plastic substrate, preferably an optical plastic lens substrate, i.e., (i) applied to the front surface, (ii) applied to the rear surface, or (iii) applied to both the front and rear surfaces. In case (iii), when applying at least one single electromagnetic pulse to both the front and rear surfaces, the position of one of the aforementioned electromagnetic sources can be replaced, such that the at least one single electromagnetic pulse is applied directly to the front surface or directly to the rear surface. Alternatively, in case (iii), at least two of the aforementioned electromagnetic sources are positioned such that the at least one single electromagnetic pulse is applied directly to the front surface and simultaneously or alternatively directly to the rear surface. In any case, at least two electromagnetic sources are used, which may be of the same type or different types.

[0063] When only one surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass plastic lens substrate, contains a deposited droplet, the at least one single electromagnetic pulse can be applied to the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass plastic lens substrate, containing the deposited droplet, or the at least one single electromagnetic pulse can be applied to the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass plastic lens substrate, not containing the deposited droplet.

[0064] The wavelength of at least one single electromagnetic pulse applied from at least one of the previously mentioned electromagnetic sources is preferably within these wavelength ranges. The at least one single electromagnetic pulse is applied to at least one surface of a plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate, i.e., (i) applied to the front surface of the plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate, (ii) applied to the rear surface of the plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate, or (iii) applied to both the front and rear surfaces of the plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate.

[0065] In case (iii), when at least one single electromagnetic pulse is to be applied to the front and rear surfaces of the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass lens substrate, one of the previously mentioned electromagnetic sources can be replaced, such that the at least one single electromagnetic pulse is applied directly to the front surface or directly to the rear surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass lens substrate. Alternatively, in case (iii), at least two of the previously mentioned electromagnetic sources are positioned such that the at least one single electromagnetic pulse is applied directly to the front surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass lens substrate, and the at least one single electromagnetic pulse is simultaneously or alternatively applied directly to the rear surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass lens substrate. According to a preferred embodiment, at least two electromagnetic sources are used, wherein these at least two electromagnetic sources may be of the same type or different types.

[0066] The term "single electromagnetic pulse" refers to light delivered and applied by at least one of the electromagnetic sources mentioned above to at least one surface of a plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate, comprising a deposited droplet of structured ink. At least one single electromagnetic pulse may be applied within one of the wavelength ranges defined above.

[0067] The at least one single electromagnetic pulse preferably has a defined duration, i.e., a defined envelope. The envelope may be in the range of 50 ps to 300 ms, preferably in the range of 100 ps to 250 ms, and more preferably in the range of 120 ms to 230 ms. Each single electromagnetic pulse may include at least two micropulses, each of the at least two micropulses having a defined duration within the envelope of each single electromagnetic pulse.

[0068] The durations of the at least two micropulses within the envelope of a single electromagnetic pulse may be the same or different from each other. The percentage of the duration of all micropulses within the envelope of a single electromagnetic pulse is defined as the duty cycle of the single electromagnetic pulse. Furthermore, the at least one single electromagnetic pulse or the at least one micropulse has a defined peak intensity.

[0069] Peak intensity is defined as the rate at which light energy is applied to a unit area of ​​at least one corresponding surface per unit time. The peak intensity is preferably 0.01 W / cm². 2 Up to 200W / cm 2 Within the range, it is further preferred to be within 0.1 W / cm. 2 Up to 150W / cm 2 0.5W / cm is preferred 2 Up to 100W / cm 2 Optimal 1W / cm 2 Up to 60W / cm 2 Further optimization of 2W / cm 2 Up to 30W / cm 2 Further optimization of 3W / cm 2 Up to 10W / cm 2 Within the range of a single electromagnetic pulse, the peak intensities of at least two micropulses within the envelope of the single electromagnetic pulse may be the same or different from each other. Preferably, the peak intensities of at least two micropulses within the envelope of the single electromagnetic pulse are the same as each other. The peak intensities between two consecutive micropulses within the envelope of the single electromagnetic pulse do not need to be zero, or constant, or equal.

[0070] If desired, each single electromagnetic pulse can be repeated to provide an electromagnetic pulse sequence. Within the electromagnetic pulse sequence, each single electromagnetic pulse can be repeated at least twice and up to 1000 times, preferably between 2 and 500 times. Preferably 5 to 300 times, more preferably 50 to 250 times, and even more preferably 100 to 200 times. Within the electromagnetic pulse sequence, the same single electromagnetic pulse is preferably repeated. Within the electromagnetic pulse sequence, the envelopes of each single electromagnetic pulse can be the same or different from each other. Preferably, the envelopes of each single electromagnetic pulse are the same within the electromagnetic pulse sequence. Within the electromagnetic pulse sequence, each single electromagnetic pulse may include at least two micropulses, which (e.g., 2 to 10 micropulses) can be the same or different from each other with respect to their peak intensity, duration, and / or duty cycle. Each electromagnetic pulse can have a peak intensity as indicated above, for example, at 0.5 W / cm². 2 Up to 100W / cm 2 Optimal 1W / cm 2 Up to 60W / cm 2 Further optimization of 2W / cm 2 Up to 30W / cm 2 Further optimization of 3W / cm 2 Up to 10W / cm 2 Peak intensity within the range.

[0071] Preferably, within an electromagnetic pulse sequence, each single electromagnetic pulse may include at least two micropulses, which are identical to each other in peak intensity, duration, and / or duty cycle. Within an electromagnetic pulse sequence comprising at least two single electromagnetic pulses, these at least two single electromagnetic pulses may be repeated at a repetition rate within the range of 0.1 Hz to 5 Hz, preferably 0.2 Hz to 4 Hz, more preferably 0.3 Hz to 3.5 Hz, and most preferably 0.4 Hz to 2 Hz.

[0072] The peak intensity of at least one single electromagnetic pulse within the envelope of at least one single electromagnetic pulse may gradually decrease within the envelope and / or with each micropulse within the at least one single electromagnetic pulse. For example, this decrease may be due to limitations of the charging capacitor of the electromagnetic source used to generate the at least one single electromagnetic pulse. The dose applied by the at least one single electromagnetic pulse to an eyeglass lens containing the at least one coating (which is completely or at least partially covered by the at least one medium) is the average intensity delivered by each single electromagnetic pulse over the total duration of the envelope, wherein each single electromagnetic pulse may or may not contain at least two micropulses, each delivering a discrete amount of intensity. The dose applied by the at least one single electromagnetic pulse may preferably be 0.001 J / cm². 2 Up to 50J / cm 2 Further optimization to 0.1 J / cm2 Up to 30J / cm 2 More preferably 1J / cm 2 Up to 20J / cm 2 And the optimal value is 2.0 J / cm. 2 Up to 15J / cm 2 The applied dose is within the range of 3 J / cm². Particularly preferably, the applied dose is within the range of 3 J / cm². 2 Up to 8J / cm 2 Within the range.

[0073] Any change to any of the previously mentioned process parameters of the at least one single electromagnetic pulse can affect the one or more morphological structures obtained when the at least one single electromagnetic pulse is applied to the deposited droplets of the structured ink.

[0074] When the exposed droplets of structured ink (i.e., irradiated droplets) remain or adhere only to one of the corresponding surfaces of the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate, the at least one single electromagnetic pulse can be applied to the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate, including the deposited droplets, or the at least one single electromagnetic pulse can be applied to the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate, excluding the deposited droplets. When droplets are deposited on both the front and rear surfaces of the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate, the at least one single electromagnetic pulse can be applied to (i) the front surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate, (ii) the rear surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate, or (iii) both the front and rear surfaces of the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate. In case (iii), the previously mentioned possibilities regarding electromagnetic sources apply.

[0075] After the deposited droplets have been exposed to irradiation, raised areas are formed on the corresponding surface, which is either the surface of an uncoated plastic substrate or the surface of a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating. The exposed droplets can be removed, for example, by rinsing the plastic substrate, preferably the front and / or back surfaces of an eyeglass plastic lens substrate, with a removal agent (e.g., a suitable solvent such as an aqueous solvent, an organic solvent, or a mixture thereof).

[0076] The organic solvent can be any organic solvent capable of removing residual droplets from the surface without damaging or affecting the optical and / or mechanical properties of the front and / or back surfaces of the plastic substrate, preferably the front and / or back surfaces of the eyeglass plastic lens substrate. The organic solvent can be selected from, for example, the group consisting of: methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, acetone, methyl butyl ketone, water, and mixtures thereof.

[0077] Rinsing can be completed automatically using a rinsing cycle in a washing machine. Additionally, plastic substrates, especially those for eyeglass lenses, can be mechanically abraded during rinsing to facilitate the removal of deposited, cured droplets.

[0078] According to a preferred embodiment, the deposited droplets of the structured ink have a defined volume. The droplet volume is preferably in the range of 1 pL to 1 ml, more preferably 10 pL to 0.5 ml, further preferably 15 pL to 0.25 ml, further preferably 50 pL to 0.1 ml, further preferably 50 pL to 0.25 ml to 50 μl, further preferably 75 pL to 10 μl, further preferably 100 pL to 5 μl, further preferably 150 pL to 1000 pL, and further preferably 200 pL to 800 pL.

[0079] The drop volume and the number / area of ​​drops (e.g., spots) can both be chosen independently of each other, taking into account the morphology to be produced.

[0080] According to another embodiment of the invention, the droplets may also have a defined size distribution.

[0081] According to another embodiment of the invention, the drop volume may also be undefined and may have, for example, any size distribution.

[0082] The term "structured ink" is intended to describe an ink that is preferably printable by a printing press, preferably by an inkjet printer, and that can induce structural changes in the plastic surface when irradiated with high-energy electromagnetic radiation, preferably with one or more electromagnetic pulses as described above.

[0083] Preferably, the structured ink does not contain adhesives, and more preferably, it does not contain curable adhesives. If the structured ink contains adhesives, removing it from the plastic surface after irradiation with high-energy electromagnetic radiation may be impossible or at least significantly complicated.

[0084] Structured inks preferably contain at least organic acids.

[0085] The structured ink preferably contains about 40 wt.-% to about 99 wt.-%, more preferably about 45 wt.-% to about 98 wt.-%, more preferably about 50 wt.-% to about 97 wt.-%, more preferably about 60 wt.-% to about 96 wt.-%, more preferably about 80 wt.-% to about 95 wt.-%, more preferably about 90 wt.-% to about 94 wt.-%.

[0086] If the at least one organic acid is a monocarboxylic acid, the structured ink preferably contains about 70 wt.% to about 99 wt.%, more preferably about 75 wt.% to about 98 wt.%, more preferably about 80 wt.% to about 97 wt.%, more preferably about 85 wt.% to about 96 wt.%, more preferably about 90 wt.% to about 95 wt.%.

[0087] If the at least one organic acid is a polycarboxylic acid preferably having two to four carboxyl groups, preferably three carboxyl groups, the structured ink preferably contains about 40 wt.-% to about 75 wt.-%, more preferably about 42 wt.-% to about 70 wt.-%, more preferably about 44 wt.-% to about 65 wt.-%, more preferably about 46 wt.-% to about 60 wt.-%, more preferably about 48 wt.-% to about 50 wt.-%.

[0088] The at least one organic acid is preferably at least one liquid-saturated or unsaturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acid, which may optionally be substituted and preferably contains 2 to 22 carbon atoms, more preferably 3 to 18 carbon atoms.

[0089] For example, structured inks preferably contain at least one organic acid selected from the group consisting of: acetic acid, propionic acid, acrylic acid, lactic acid, butyric acid, isobutyric acid, valeric acid, heptanoic acid, hexanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, myristone acid, palmitoleic acid, linolenic acid, α-linolenic acid, γ-linolenic acid, oleic acid, ricinoleic acid, octadecanoic acid, stearic acid, arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and mixtures thereof.

[0090] Furthermore, the structured ink preferably contains at least one organic acid selected from the group consisting of: acetic acid, lactic acid, butyric acid, hexanoic acid, octanoic acid, nonanoic acid, linolenic acid, α-linolenic acid, γ-linolenic acid, oleic acid, and mixtures thereof. More preferably, the composition contains at least one organic acid selected from the group consisting of: oleic acid, lactic acid, octanoic acid, and mixtures thereof.

[0091] Alternatively, structured inks may contain at least one polycarboxylic acid, preferably a tricarboxylic acid such as citric acid, or an inorganic acid such as hydrochloric acid.

[0092] According to another embodiment of the invention, the structured ink contains at least one organic acid selected from the group consisting of oleic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, and mixtures thereof.

[0093] Structured inks are preferably formulated as inkjet printing inks so that they can be printed using inkjet printers.

[0094] Structured inks may contain a solvent, which may be an organic solvent, water, or a mixture of water and an organic solvent. The organic solvent may be a single organic solvent or a mixture of organic solvents, including, for example, a mixture of two, three, four, or more organic solvents. According to a preferred embodiment, the organic solvent is at least one alcohol solvent and / or at least one ketone solvent.

[0095] The structured ink may further contain one or more additives, such as additives for adjusting viscosity and / or additives for adjusting surface tension. The amount of each surfactant to be added is preferably in the range of 0 wt.% to 8, preferably 0.1 wt.% to 8 wt.%, more preferably 0.3 wt.% to 5 wt.%, more preferably 0.5 wt.% to 2 wt.%, each based on the total weight of the structured ink.

[0096] The additives used to adjust the viscosity of structured inks are preferably selected from the group consisting of solvents such as alcohol solvents, MBK (methyl butyl ketone), water, and mixtures thereof.

[0097] According to another embodiment of the invention, the structured ink may contain at least one thickener, such as PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), polyethylene glycol, polyacrylic acid copolymer, or mixtures thereof. Thickeners may also be added to adjust the ink viscosity. The amount of each thickener to be added is preferably in the range of 0 wt.% to 8, preferably 0.1 wt.% to 8 wt.%, more preferably 0.3 wt.% to 5 wt.%, and more preferably 0.5 wt.% to 2 wt.%, each based on the total weight of the structured ink.

[0098] The additives used to adjust the surface tension of the structured ink are preferably selected from the group consisting of: FC4430 based on fluoropolymers, SF-1188A, BYK 333, BYK 345, Evonik Tego Glide 450, and mixtures thereof based on silicones. The amount of the surfactant to be added is preferably in the range of 0 wt.% to 5, more preferably 0.1 to 2 wt.%, and more preferably 0.2 wt.% to 1.5 wt.%, each based on the total weight of the structured ink.

[0099] Furthermore, the structured ink may contain decorative elements, such as dyes or pigment particles. The dye may be a solvent-soluble dye or a water-soluble dye. Decorative elements may be added to the structured ink, for example, in amounts of 0 wt.% to 5, preferably 0.1 to 3 wt.%, more preferably 0.2 wt.% to 2 wt.% (each based on the total weight of the structured ink).

[0100] According to a preferred embodiment of the method, the one or more morphological structures are formed by at least one of a protrusion appearing outside the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, and a depression appearing within the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating.

[0101] According to another preferred embodiment of the method, the raised portion of the one or more morphological structures is formed by expanding the plastic material of the uncoated substrate or by expanding the hard coating of the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, and / or

[0102] The recesses of one or more morphological structures are formed within the respective surfaces by removing (preferably by etching) plastic material from the surface of an uncoated substrate or by removing (preferably by etching) the hard coating of the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating.

[0103] During the exposure of droplets of structured ink deposited on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle lens substrate, to high-energy electromagnetic radiation in the form of an electromagnetic pulse, localized high temperatures are generated at the locations, preferably spots, where the droplets adhere to at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle lens substrate. A certain amount of heat energy generated at these high temperatures during the exposure of the structured ink droplets is dissipated from the deposited droplets to surface spots on the front and / or rear surfaces of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, wherein the plastic substrate is preferably a spectacle lens substrate. Therefore, a certain amount of heat energy is transferred to the contact area between the deposited droplets and the corresponding surface. Furthermore, the heat energy is directed to the uncoated plastic material or hard coating below the contact area, resulting in localized heating of the plastic material or hard coating below the contact area.

[0104] Localized heating can cause localized expansion, or localized cratering or pinholes. It is assumed that the expansion in one aspect, or the cratering or pinholes in the other, are diffusion-controlled effects. These diffusion-controlled expansions or diffusion-controlled cratering or pinholes are limited to the contact area between the exposed droplet and the corresponding surface of the uncoated plastic substrate, preferably an uncoated spectacle plastic lens substrate, or the surface of the plastic substrate with a hard coating, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate.

[0105] The expansion of the surface creates a morphological structure, in which raised portions appear on the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or outside the hard coating of the plastic substrate with a hard coating. Therefore, the resulting raised portions are not formed by the deposition of structured ink droplets. Instead, the resulting raised portions are formed by the plastic material of the plastic substrate or by the hard coating applied to the plastic substrate.

[0106] In other words, the raised portion is formed by the underlying uncoated plastic substrate, particularly the material of an uncoated eyeglass plastic lens substrate, or the hard coating of a plastic substrate, particularly the hard coating of an eyeglass plastic lens substrate.

[0107] The size and / or number of structured ink droplets to be deposited on a specific location, preferably a spot, on the corresponding surface can be appropriately selected. The structure and / or shape of the agglomerated droplets deposited at said location (preferably a spot) can be adjusted according to the size and / or number of these droplets. Thus, for example, the total volume and / or shape of the agglomerated droplets can be defined in a suitable manner. If the size and / or number of droplets increases, the volume / spot of the agglomerates of deposited droplets also increases. Furthermore, the shape of the droplets or their agglomerates can depend on the surface tension difference between the structured ink and the underlying lens substrate. Preferably, a relatively spherical shape of the droplets is obtained.

[0108] When a corresponding agglomerate of droplets is exposed to irradiation by at least one single electromagnetic pulse, preferably two or more, as described above, the amount and / or intensity of thermal energy freely disposed at each location or spot on the corresponding surface can be adjusted. The amount of thermal energy or heat applied to a certain location or spot on the corresponding surface can affect the amount of bulges outside the corresponding surface, or the amount of pinholes or cavities within the corresponding surface.

[0109] Therefore, by depositing droplets of defined volume and / or aggregated droplets of defined shape, the properties of one or more morphological structures can be tuned.

[0110] The one or more morphological structures can also be defined by the density / area of ​​the morphological structure.

[0111] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the density / area of ​​the morphology can be adjusted based on its position on the respective surface. Therefore, depending on the type of surface, such as the front and / or rear surface of a plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate, the density / area of ​​a particular type of morphology can be appropriately adjusted. Furthermore, depending on its position on the respective surface—that is, at the center or edge of the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate—the density / area of ​​at least one type of morphology can differ from each other, for example, in terms of shape, and / or height, and / or depth.

[0112] Therefore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, one or more morphological structures may be formed by protrusions that appear outside the surface of an uncoated plastic substrate, preferably an uncoated spectacle plastic lens substrate, or outside the surface of a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating.

[0113] According to another embodiment of the invention, one or more morphological structures may be formed by recesses appearing within the surface of an uncoated plastic substrate, preferably an uncoated spectacle plastic lens substrate, or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating.

[0114] According to another embodiment of the invention, the one or more morphological structures have a three-dimensional shape selected from the group consisting of: Gaussian shape, hemispherical microlens, cone, truncated cone, cylinder, and mixtures thereof.

[0115] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the shape, and / or height, and / or depth of a respective morphological structure can be adjusted, for example, based on its position on a corresponding surface of the plastic substrate, particularly on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the spectacle plastic lens substrate. Therefore, the type of morphological structure can be appropriately adjusted according to the type of surface, such as the front and / or rear surfaces of the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate. Furthermore, the type of morphological structure can differ from one another, for example, in terms of shape, and / or height, and / or depth, and / or density / area, depending on its position on the corresponding surface, i.e., the center or edge position on the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate.

[0116] As explained above, the size and / or number of structured ink droplets to be deposited on a specific location, preferably a spot, on the corresponding surface can be appropriately selected. The structure and / or shape of the agglomerated droplets deposited at said location (preferably a spot) can be adjusted according to the size and / or number of these droplets. Thus, for example, the total volume and / or shape of the agglomerated droplets can be defined in a suitable manner. If the size and / or number of droplets increases, the volume / location (preferably a spot) of the agglomerate of deposited droplets also increases. In particular, the shape of the agglomerate can be adjusted to have a Gaussian shape, a hemispherical microlens, a cone, a truncated cone, a cylinder, or a mixture thereof. A hemispherical microlens can also be described as an array of hemispherical microlenses.

[0117] Therefore, the present invention allows for one or more arrays of raised and / or recessed portions to be provided on the surface of a plastic substrate, particularly on the surface of a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses.

[0118] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method of the present invention provides a plastic substrate having an array of morphological structures as Gaussian-shaped protrusions, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating. The present invention also relates to a corresponding product, which is preferably obtained by the method of the present invention.

[0119] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method of the present invention allows for the provision of a plastic substrate having an array of morphological structures as protrusions having a hemispherical microlens shape, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating. The present invention also relates to a corresponding product, which is preferably obtained by the method of the present invention.

[0120] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method of the present invention provides a plastic substrate having an array of morphological structures as ridges having a truncated conical shape, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate, or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating. The present invention also relates to a corresponding product, which is preferably obtained by the method of the present invention.

[0121] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method of the present invention provides a plastic substrate having an array of morphological structures as cylindrical protrusions, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate, or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating. The present invention also relates to a corresponding product, which is preferably obtained by the method of the present invention.

[0122] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method of the present invention provides a plastic substrate having an array of morphological structures as Gaussian-shaped recesses, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating. The present invention also relates to a corresponding product, which is preferably obtained by the method of the present invention.

[0123] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method of the present invention allows for the provision of a plastic substrate having an array of morphological structures as recesses having a hemispherical microlens shape, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably an eyeglass plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating. The present invention also relates to a corresponding product, which is preferably obtained by the method of the present invention.

[0124] Therefore, by depositing droplets of defined volume and / or aggregated droplets of defined shape, the properties of one or more morphological structures can be tuned.

[0125] Structured ink droplets can be deposited on the corresponding surface, for example, by pipetting, spraying, or printing. For example, structured inks, especially larger volumes, can be easily applied in a controlled manner using a pipette.

[0126] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes the step of depositing droplets of the structured ink by inkjet printing.

[0127] When using inkjet printing technology, droplets can be deposited at at least one specific location on a corresponding surface. Furthermore, the volume of the droplets can be precisely adjusted. Additionally, the periodicity and density of the droplets deposited via inkjet printing can be appropriately adjusted. Furthermore, the number of droplets to be deposited at the specific location on the corresponding surface can be adjusted.

[0128] The shape of the droplet aggregates can also be defined. For example, if the aggregated droplets deposited on the corresponding surface should have a conical shape, the number of droplets deposited at a specific location, preferably a spot, on the surface via inkjet printing can be made to continuously increase from the circular edge region of that location, preferably the center. If the aggregates of droplets deposited on the corresponding surface should have a cylindrical shape, the number of droplets from the circular edge to the center can be adjusted to be constant across the circular cross-section of that location, preferably the spot.

[0129] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the at least one hard coating (HC) preferably comprises or is composed of a polysiloxane. The at least one hard coating is transformed from a hard coating precursor material into a polymerized and / or cured and / or sintered and / or hardened coating or layer, for example, through a chemical reaction (such as polymerization), by curing, sintering, and / or hardening.

[0130] The at least one hard coating precursor material preferably contains

[0131] A)a) At least one having formula (I)Si(OR) 1 (OR) 2 (OR) 3 (OR) 4 ) silane derivatives, wherein R 1 R 2 R 3 and R 4 They can be the same or different, selected from alkyl, acyl, alkylene acyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, or alkylene aryl—each of which may optionally be substituted, and / or

[0132] b) at least one hydrolysis product of the at least one silane derivative having formula (I), and / or

[0133] c) at least one condensation product of at least one silane derivative having formula (I), and / or

[0134] d) Any mixture of its components a) to c);

[0135] B)a) At least one of the following has formula (II)R 6 R 7 3- n Si(OR 5 ) n Silane derivatives, of which R5 Selected from alkyl, acyl, alkylene acyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, or alkylene aryl groups—each of which may optionally be substituted, R 6 It is an organic group containing an epoxy group, R 7 Selected from alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, or alkylene aryl groups—each of which may optionally be substituted, n being 2 or 3; and / or

[0136] b) at least one hydrolysis product of the at least one silane derivative having formula (II), and / or

[0137] c) at least one condensation product of at least one silane derivative having formula (II), and / or

[0138] d) Any mixture of its components a) to c);

[0139] C) At least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, oxide hydrate, fluoride and / or fluoride oxide;

[0140] D) At least one epoxy compound having at least two epoxy groups; and

[0141] E) At least one catalyst system comprising at least one Lewis acid and at least one latent Lewis acid-base adduct.

[0142] The term “at least one hydrolysis product” of at least one silane derivative having formula (I) or (II) expresses the fact that each of the at least one silane derivative having formula (I) or (II) has been at least partially hydrolyzed to form a silanol group.

[0143] The term "at least one condensation product" having at least one silane derivative of formula (I) or formula (II) expresses the fact that it has also undergone some degree of cross-linking through the condensation reaction of silanol groups.

[0144] The at least one silane derivative having formula (I) may be selected from tetramethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, tetrapropoxysilane, tetraisopropoxysilane, tetrabutoxysilane, tetraisobutoxysilane, tetra(methoxyethoxy)silane, tetra(methoxypropoxy)silane, tetra(ethoxyethoxy)silane, tetra(methoxyethoxyethoxy)silane, trimethoxyethoxysilane, dimethoxydiethoxysilane, or mixtures thereof.

[0145] The at least one silane derivative having formula (II) may be selected from 3-epoxypropoxy-methyltrimethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyltrihydroxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyldimethyl-hydroxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyldimethylethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropylmethyldiethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyltriethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyldimethoxymethylsilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyldiethoxymethylsilane, 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane or mixtures thereof.

[0146] The at least one colloidal inorganic oxide may be selected from silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, zirconium dioxide, tin dioxide, antimony oxide, aluminum oxide, or mixtures thereof.

[0147] The average particle size of the at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, fluoride, or fluoride is preferably selected such that the transparency of the at least one coating is not affected. Preferably, the at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, oxide hydrate, fluoride, and / or fluoride has an average particle size in the range of 2 nm to 150 nm, or even more preferably 2 nm to 70 nm. The average particle size is preferably determined by dynamic light scattering. The at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, oxide hydrate, fluoride, or fluoride contributes to increased scratch resistance by incorporating it into an existing network. Furthermore, selecting at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, oxide hydrate, fluoride, or fluoride allows the refractive index of at least one coating to match the refractive index of the optical lens substrate.

[0148] The at least one epoxy compound having at least two epoxy groups is preferably a polyglycidyl ether compound, more preferably a diglycidyl ether or triglycidyl ether compound.

[0149] The catalyst system comprising at least one Lewis acid and at least one latent Lewis acid-base adduct can achieve very uniform crosslinking and therefore also constant high strength over the entire thickness of at least one coating. The term "Lewis acid" refers to an electrophilic electron pair acceptor compound, and the term "Lewis base" is understood to mean an electron pair donor compound. The at least one Lewis acid is preferably a Lewis acid that exhibits catalytic activity even at relatively low temperatures, such as at room temperature. The at least one Lewis acid can be selected from ammonium salts, metal salts (especially metal salts of metals from Group 1 (i.e., alkali metal salts), Group 2 (i.e., alkaline earth metal salts), or Group 13 (preferably Al or B) of the periodic table), halides of elements from Group 13 of the periodic table (especially AIX3 or BX3, where X is chlorine or fluorine), organic sulfonic acids and their amine salts, alkali metal salts or alkaline earth metal salts (e.g., alkali metal salts or alkaline earth metal salts of carboxylic acids), fluoride salts, organotin compounds, or mixtures thereof. Preferred metal salts of metals from Groups 1, 2, and 13 of the periodic table are, for example, perchlorates or carboxylates (i.e., carboxylic salts). Preferred Lewis acids are, for example, ammonium perchlorate, magnesium perchlorate, sulfonic acids, and their salts, such as trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and its salts.

[0150] The at least one Lewis acid-base adduct should be understood to mean a compound that is catalytically active only at relatively high temperatures (for the chemical reaction in question) and essentially inactive at room temperature. A latent catalytic compound can be converted to a catalytically active state simply by supplying sufficient thermal energy or heat.

[0151] The at least one silane derivative having formula (I) and / or at least one hydrolysis product of the silane derivative having formula (I) and / or at least one condensation product of the silane derivative having formula (I) are preferably present in the at least one coating precursor material in an amount of 5% to 50% by weight, more preferably 5% to 20% by weight. The amounts given above apply to the at least one silane derivative having formula (I), the at least one hydrolysis product of formula (I), the at least one condensation product of formula (I), or any mixture thereof. The amounts given above also apply to mixtures of silane derivatives having formula (I), mixtures of hydrolysis products of the at least one silane derivative having formula (I), mixtures of condensation products of the at least one silane derivative having formula (I), or any mixture thereof.

[0152] The at least one silane derivative having formula (II) and / or at least one hydrolysis product of the silane derivative having formula (II) and / or at least one condensation product of the silane derivative having formula (II) are preferably present in the at least one coating precursor material in an amount of 5% to 50% by weight, more preferably 5% to 20% by weight. The amounts given above apply to the at least one silane derivative having formula (II), the at least one hydrolysis product of formula (II), the at least one condensation product of formula (II), or any mixture thereof. The amounts given above also apply to mixtures of silane derivatives having formula (II), mixtures of hydrolysis products of the at least one silane derivative having formula (II), mixtures of condensation products of the at least one silane derivative having formula (II), or any mixture thereof.

[0153] The weight ratio of the at least one silane derivative having formula (I), the at least one hydrolysate of the silane derivative having formula (I), and / or the at least one condensation product of the silane derivative having formula (I) relative to the at least one silane derivative having formula (II), the at least one hydrolysate of the silane derivative having formula (II), and / or the at least one condensation product of the silane derivative having formula (II) is preferably in the range of 95 / 5 to 5 / 95, more preferably in the range of 70 / 30 to 30 / 70, and even more preferably in the range of 60 / 40 to 40 / 60.

[0154] Based on the total weight of the hard coating precursor material, the at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, fluoride, and / or fluorine oxide is preferably present in an amount of 5% to 50% by weight, more preferably 5% to 25% by weight. The foregoing amounts apply to a type of colloidal oxide, a type of hydroxide, a type of fluoride, a type of fluorine oxide, mixtures thereof, mixtures of different colloidal oxides, mixtures of different colloidal hydroxides, mixtures of different colloidal fluorides, mixtures of different colloidal fluorine oxides, or mixtures thereof. Mixtures of different colloidal oxides, hydroxides, fluorides, or fluorine oxides may comprise one type of each with different particle sizes or different types of each having the same or different particle sizes.

[0155] Based on the total weight of the at least one hard coating precursor material, the at least one epoxy compound having at least two epoxy groups is preferably present in an amount of 0.1% to 10% by weight, more preferably 0.5% to 10% by weight. The amounts given above apply to one type of epoxy compound or a mixture of different types of epoxy compounds.

[0156] Based on the total weight of the hard coating precursor material, the at least one catalyst system is preferably present in an amount ranging from 0.01% to 5% by weight, more preferably from 0.1% to 3% by weight.

[0157] The weight ratio of at least one Lewis acid to the at least one latent Lewis acid-base adduct is preferably in the range of 20 / 1 to 1 / 2, more preferably 5 / 1 to 2 / 1. The coating precursor material preferably contains at least one solvent, including an alcohol, ether, ester, or water. If the at least one solvent contains two different solvents, the boiling point of the first solvent S1 and the boiling point of the second solvent S2 are S1 / S2 ≥ 1.2 or S1 / S2 ≤ 0.8. Furthermore, if the at least one solvent contains two different solvents, the weight ratio of the first solvent to the second solvent is preferably in the range of 5 to 0.01, more preferably in the range of 2 to 0.2.

[0158] Based on the total weight of the hard coating precursor material, water is preferably present in an amount of 2% to 15% by weight.

[0159] The components of the at least one coating precursor material that produce at least one hard coating are used in an aggregate of 100% by weight.

[0160] The at least one hard coating precursor material that produces at least one hard coating is preferably applied by dip coating or spin coating to at least one coated or uncoated surface of an uncoated or coated optical lens substrate.

[0161] Using at least one hard coating precursor material comprising components (A) to (E) (i.e., at least one silane derivative of formula (I), at least one hydrolysis product thereof, and / or at least one condensation product thereof; at least one second silane derivative of formula (II), at least one hydrolysis product thereof, and / or at least one condensation product thereof; at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, fluoride, or fluoride oxide; at least one epoxy compound; and at least one catalyst system), sufficient heat energy is applied to produce at least one hard coating that exhibits very good adhesion strength to various optical lens substrates, high hardness, high scratch resistance, and low crack formation tendency on various optical lens substrates. Furthermore, the degree of direct heat application is sufficient to initiate the catalytic activity of the at least one Lewis acid-base reaction, but below a threshold temperature at which the optical and / or mechanical and / or functional properties of the uncoated or coated optical lens substrate and the coated lens will not deteriorate due to thermal effects. Therefore, by directly applying heat, the coating precursor material reaches an equilibrium state and cannot be further adjusted, modified, or altered. The already excellent mechanical and / or optical and / or functional properties of the at least one hard coating are adjustable, modifiable, or changeable upon application of at least one single electromagnetic pulse. The adjustment or change, or adjustability, of at least one mechanical and / or at least one optical or at least one functional property is preferably provided by using at least two schemes that allow variation of at least one specific target value within a given range of one or more selected mechanical and / or optical and / or functional properties. The at least two schemes may include at least one of the following process parameters: total process duration, wavelength of each single electromagnetic pulse, total dose delivered by the at least one single electromagnetic pulse, number of micropulses within a single electromagnetic pulse, average duty cycle, total number of repetitions of the at least one single electromagnetic pulse, or repetition rate of the at least one single electromagnetic pulse. Variation of at least one of the process parameters provides different schemes that allow selection of different values ​​for the indentation hardness of the coated lens.

[0162] The at least one hard coating precursor material more preferably includes

[0163] A)a) At least one of the following has formula (III)R 1 R 2 3- n Si(OR 3 ) n Silane derivatives, of which R 1 Including alkyl, cycloalkyl, acyl, aryl, or heteroaryl groups—each of which can be substituted, R 2 It is an organic residue containing an epoxy group, R 3 Including alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, or heteroaryl groups—each of which can be substituted, n = 2 or 3, and / or

[0164] b) at least one hydrolysis product of the silane derivative having formula (III), and / or c) at least one condensation product of the silane derivative having formula (III), and / or d) any mixture of components a) to c);

[0165] B) At least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, oxide hydrate, fluoride and / or fluoride oxide;

[0166] C) at least one epoxy component containing at least two epoxy groups; and

[0167] D) At least one catalyst system comprising at least one Lewis acid and at least one latent Lewis base adduct.

[0168] The term “at least one hydrolysis product” of at least one silane derivative having formula (III) expresses the fact that the at least one silane derivative having formula (III) has been at least partially hydrolyzed to form a silanol group.

[0169] The expression "at least one condensation product" of at least one silane derivative having formula (III) also indicates that the condensation reaction of the silanol group has undergone a certain degree of cross-linking.

[0170] The total amount of the at least one silane derivative of formula (III) and / or the at least one hydrolysate of the at least one silane derivative of formula (III) and / or the at least one condensate of the at least one silane derivative of formula (III) and / or any mixture thereof present in the at least one hard coating precursor material is preferably from 9% to 81% by weight, more preferably from 13% to 76% by weight, more preferably from 19% by weight, and most preferably from 23% to 66% by weight, each based on the total weight of the at least one hard coating precursor material. The amounts given above apply to the at least one silane derivative of formula (III), the at least one hydrolysate of formula (III), the at least one condensate of formula (III), or any mixture thereof. The amounts given above also apply to mixtures of silane derivatives of formula (III), mixtures of hydrolysates of the at least one silane derivative of formula (III), mixtures of condensates of the at least one silane derivative of formula (III), or any mixture thereof.

[0171] The total amount of the at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, oxide hydrate, fluoride, and / or fluorine oxide in the at least one hard coating precursor material is preferably from 3% to 60% by weight, more preferably from 6% to 58% by weight, more preferably from 9% to 57% by weight, and most preferably from 13% to 55% by weight, each based on the total weight of the coating precursor material. The amounts given above apply to one type of colloidal inorganic oxide, one type of colloidal inorganic hydroxide, one type of colloidal inorganic oxide hydrate, one type of colloidal inorganic fluoride, one type of colloidal inorganic fluorine oxide, and any mixture thereof. The amounts given above also apply to mixtures of different colloidal inorganic oxides, mixtures of different colloidal inorganic hydroxides, mixtures of different colloidal inorganic oxide hydrates, mixtures of different colloidal inorganic fluorides, mixtures of different colloidal inorganic fluorine oxides, or any mixture thereof. The mixtures mentioned may each contain colloidal inorganic oxides, hydroxides, oxide hydrates, fluorides and / or fluorine oxides of different particle sizes or types.

[0172] The amount of the at least one epoxy compound containing at least two epoxy groups in the at least one hard coating precursor material is preferably from 0.01% to 14% by weight, more preferably from 0.07% to 11% by weight, more preferably from 0.1% to 6% by weight, and most preferably from 0.2% to 13% by weight, each based on the total weight of the at least one hard coating precursor material. The amounts given above apply to one type of epoxy compound and mixtures of different epoxy compounds.

[0173] The amount of the catalyst system comprising at least one Lewis acid and at least one latent Lewis base adduct in the at least one hard coating precursor material is preferably from 0.04% to 4% by weight, more preferably from 0.1% to 3% by weight, more preferably from 0.2% to 2% by weight, and most preferably from 0.3% to 1% by weight, each based on the total weight of the at least one hard coating precursor material. The weight ratio of the at least one Lewis acid to the at least one latent Lewis base adduct is preferably from 20:1 to 2:1, more preferably from 18:1 to 1:2, more preferably from 13:1 to 1:1, and most preferably from 6:1 to 1:1.

[0174] The at least one hard coating precursor material may contain at least one organic solvent and / or water. The components of the at least one hard coating precursor material that produce at least one hard coating are used in an aggregate of 100% by weight.

[0175] As at least one silane derivative having formula (III), such as 3-epoxypropoxymethyltrimethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyltrihydroxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyl-dimethylhydroxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyl-dimethylethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropylmethyldiethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyltriethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyl-dimethoxymethylsilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyl-diethoxymethylsilane and / or 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane, 3-epoxypropoxypropyltrimethoxysilane are used in the at least one coating precursor material. Preferably, 3-epoxypropoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and / or 3-epoxypropoxypropyltriethoxysilane are used as silane derivatives having formula (III).

[0176] The at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, or oxide hydrate may be a metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxide hydrate, wherein the metal ion of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxide hydrate includes or is one of the following metals: titanium, preferably TiO2; silicon, preferably SiO2; zirconium, preferably ZrO2; tin, preferably SnO2; antimony, preferably Sb2O3; aluminum, preferably Al2O3 or AlO(OH) and / or mixed oxides and / or mixtures thereof. Preferably, the colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, or oxide hydrate is a metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxide hydrate, wherein the metal ion of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxide hydrate includes or is one of the following metals: titanium, silicon, zirconium, or mixtures thereof, more preferably silicon. More preferably, the at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, or oxide hydrate forms core-shell particles. In such core-shell particles, the core preferably comprises a metal oxide, a metal hydroxide, or a metal oxide hydrate, wherein the metal ion of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxide hydrate includes or is composed of the following metals: titanium, preferably TiO2, and / or zirconium, preferably ZrO2, and the shell preferably comprises a metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxide hydrate, wherein the metal ion of the metal oxide, metal hydroxide, or metal oxide hydrate includes or is composed of silicon, preferably SiO2. Magnesium fluoride can be used as a colloidal inorganic fluoride. The at least one colloidal oxide, hydroxide, oxide hydrate, fluoride, and / or fluorine oxide has an average particle size in the range of preferably 3 nm to 70 nm, more preferably 6 nm to 64 nm, more preferably 8 nm to 56 nm, and most preferably 9 nm to 52 nm.

[0177] As at least one epoxy compound (comprising at least two epoxy compounds), such as diglycidyl ether, ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, propylene glycol diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether, 1,6-hexanediol diglycidyl ether, trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether, triglycidylglycerol and / or trimethylolethane triglycidyl ether, can be used in the at least one coating precursor material. Preferably, the at least one epoxy compound includes trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether, butanediol diglycidyl ether and / or 1,6-hexanediol diglycidyl ether.

[0178] As at least one Lewis acid, such as ammonium perchlorate, magnesium perchlorate, sulfonic acid and / or sulfonate (such as trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and / or its salts) can be used in the at least one catalyst system.

[0179] As at least one Lewis base adduct, such as a metal complex, such as aluminum acetylacetonate, iron acetylacetonate, and / or zinc acetylacetonate, it can be used in the at least one catalyst system.

[0180] At least one hard coating precursor material comprising components (A) to (D) (i.e., at least one silane derivative of formula (III), at least one hydrolysis product thereof and / or at least one condensation product thereof, at least one colloidal inorganic oxide, hydroxide, hydrate oxide, fluoride or fluoride oxide, at least one epoxy compound and at least one catalyst system) is capable of producing at least one hard coating upon application of sufficient thermal energy. This hard coating exhibits excellent adhesion strength on various optical lens substrates, high hardness, high scratch resistance, and low crack initiation tendency on various optical lens substrates. Furthermore, the degree of direct application of heat is sufficient to initiate the catalytic activity of the at least one Lewis acid-base, but below a threshold temperature at which the optical and / or mechanical and / or functional properties of the uncoated or coated optical lens substrate and the coated lens will not deteriorate due to thermal effects. Therefore, by directly applying heat, the coating precursor material reaches an equilibrium state and cannot be further adjusted, modified, or altered. The already excellent mechanical and / or optical properties of the at least one hard coating are adjustable, modifiable, or changeable upon application of at least one single electromagnetic pulse. The adjustment or modification, or adjustability, of at least one mechanical property and / or at least one optical property or at least one functional property is preferably provided by using at least two schemes that allow variation of at least one specific target value within a given range of one or more selected mechanical and / or optical and / or functional properties. The at least two schemes may include at least one of the following process parameters: total process duration, wavelength of each single electromagnetic pulse, total dose delivered by at least one single electromagnetic pulse, number of micropulses within a single electromagnetic pulse, average duty cycle, total number of repetitions of the at least one single electromagnetic pulse, or repetition rate of the at least one single electromagnetic pulse. Variation of at least one of the process parameters provides different schemes that allow selection of different values ​​for the indentation hardness of the coated lens.

[0181] The average thickness of the at least one hard coating is preferably in the range of 0.6 μm to 7.1 μm, more preferably in the range of 0.8 μm to 6.6 μm, more preferably in the range of 1.1 μm to 5.8 μm, and most preferably in the range of 1.6 μm to 4.9 μm. The average thickness of the at least one hard coating is preferably determined by measuring spectral reflectance and / or spectral transmittance.

[0182] The at least one hard coating precursor material that produces at least one hard coating is preferably applied, for example, by dip coating or spin coating, to at least one uncoated surface of a plastic substrate, preferably to at least one uncoated surface of a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses.

[0183] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, each morphological structure has a diameter in the range of 200 nm to 35 mm, preferably 300 nm to 10 mm, preferably 500 nm to 5 mm, and preferably 1 μm to 2 mm.

[0184] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, each morphological structure has a height or depth in the range of 5 nm to 5 μm, preferably 50 nm to 4 μm, and preferably 500 nm to 2 μm.

[0185] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one morphological structure is spaced apart from another morphological structure in the range of 10 μm to 5 mm, preferably 50 μm to 3 mm, preferably 100 μm to 2 mm, preferably 120 μm to 1.8 mm, preferably 170 μm to 1.6 mm, preferably 180 μm to 1.5 mm, preferably 190 μm to 1.4 mm, preferably 210 μm to 1.2 mm, preferably 240 μm to 1.1 mm, preferably 370 μm to 1 mm.

[0186] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of the diameter of the morphological structure to the height or depth of the morphological structure is preferably in the range of 10:1 to 5000:1, preferably 20:1 to 4000:1, more preferably 50:1 to 3000:1, preferably 75:1 to 2500:1, and preferably 100:1 to 2000:1.

[0187] The morphological structure can be, for example, a single ridge or a single depression. Therefore, the diameter of the ridge can be defined as the maximum distance along the baseline (from which the ridge rises and returns). The diameter of the depression can be defined as the maximum distance along the baseline (from which the depression descends and returns). The baseline can be defined as the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably an eyeglass lens substrate, without any ridges or depressions.

[0188] According to another embodiment of the invention, the method includes the additional step of coating the one or more morphological structures with one or more layers of a material different from the material of the one or more morphological structures, thereby embedding the one or more morphological structures in or beneath the one or more layers of the material different from the material of the one or more morphological structures.

[0189] The at least one additional layer may be selected from the group consisting of: antireflective layers (e.g., a sequence of one or more high-refractive and low-refractive layers), ultraviolet protection layers, blue light blocking layers, hydrophobic layers, superhydrophobic layers, and combinations thereof. These layers may be applied conventionally, for example by vapor deposition (e.g., physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition), dip coating, spin coating, and / or spray coating.

[0190] Preferably, the at least one additional coating is applied over the entire layer with a defined layer thickness. The at least one layer may be applied to at least one of the front and rear surfaces of a plastic substrate, preferably a spectacle plastic lens substrate. The layer may be applied completely or partially to a topographically structured surface.

[0191] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the hard coating is partially or completely cured, and then droplets of the structured ink are deposited on the hard coating and irradiated.

[0192] As a result, the properties of the resulting morphology can vary and / or be altered in diameter and / or height and / or depth depending on the degree of curing of the hard coating.

[0193] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hard coating portion is cured, then structured ink is deposited, and subsequently irradiated with an electromagnetic pulse as described above.

[0194] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hard coating is fully cured, then structured ink is deposited, and subsequently irradiated with an electromagnetic pulse as described above.

[0195] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the one or more morphological structures have varying heights and / or depths and / or diameters. For example, the height and / or depth and / or diameter of the morphological structures can vary independently of each other.

[0196] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plastic substrate is a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses.

[0197] The substrate for eyeglass plastic lenses is preferably based on an optical material defined as a transparent material capable of being manufactured into optical components according to Section 3.3.1 of DIN EN ISO 13666:2019-12. The eyeglass lens substrate may be made of mineral glass according to Section 3.3.1 of DIN EN ISO 13666:2019-12 and / or of organic hard resins (such as thermosetting hard resins) according to Section 3.3.3 of DIN EN ISO 13666:2019-12; of thermoplastic hard resins according to Section 3.3.4 of DIN EN ISO 13666:2019-12; or of photochromic materials according to Section 3.3.5 of DIN EN ISO 13666:2019-12.

[0198] Preferably, the plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses is based on at least one of the optical materials mentioned in the table below, and particularly preferably on at least one of the organic hard resins.

[0199] Table: Examples of Optical Materials

[0200]

[0201]

[0202] The present invention also relates to a plastic substrate based on a plastic material having a front surface and a rear surface, said plastic substrate being an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, said hard coating covering at least one of said front and rear surfaces, wherein one or more morphological structures are manifested outside or within the surface of said plastic material on the uncoated plastic substrate or outside or within the hard coating on the coated plastic substrate. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the plastic substrate is a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses.

[0203] The explanations provided regarding the method of the present invention also apply to plastic substrates, preferably eyeglass plastic lens substrates, that can be processed or obtained by the method of the present invention. In particular, the explanations provided regarding the hard coating and the dimensions of the morphological structure also apply to plastic substrates, preferably eyeglass plastic lens substrates, that can be processed or obtained by the method of the present invention.

[0204] According to another embodiment of the invention, the one or more morphological structures are embedded in one or more layers of a material different from the material of the one or more morphological structures.

[0205] Therefore, the plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate (which includes one or more morphological structures appearing outside and / or inside the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate, or outside and / or inside the surface of the plastic substrate with a hard coating, preferably the spectacle plastic lens substrate with a hard coating), may include one or more additional layers. The at least one additional layer may be selected from the group consisting of: antireflective layers (e.g., a sequence of one or more high-refractive layers and low-refractive layers), ultraviolet protection layers, blue light blocking layers, hydrophobic layers, or superhydrophobic layers.

[0206] A high-refractive-index layer can be defined as having a refractive index of 1.80 or greater at a wavelength of 550 nm. A low-refractive-index layer can be defined as having a refractive index of less than 1.80 at a wavelength of 550 nm. Preferably, the refractive index difference between the sequences of high-refractive-index and low-refractive-index layers is 0.1 or greater.

[0207] The one or more morphological structures are embedded in a first layer directly applied to the morphological structure. The one or more morphological structures are then transferred to the first layer. Subsequently, the one or more morphological structures are transferred from the first layer to each of one or more subsequently applied layers. Finally, the one or more morphological structures are formed on the outermost layer.

[0208] The morphology of the outermost layer can improve the surface properties of the plastic substrate, preferably the plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses. For example, this morphology can be used to change or adjust hydrophilicity, such as to change or reduce the contact angle of water.

[0209] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the one or more morphological structures are transparent (preferably where each of the morphological structures has a diameter in the range of 2 μm to 35 mm and more preferably where the height or depth of the morphological structure is in the range of 5 nm to 5 μm), and maintain the transmittance level of the uncoated plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass plastic substrate, or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, preferably the eyeglass plastic lens substrate coated with a hard coating.

[0210] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the one or more morphological structures form a functional top surface selected from the group consisting of: hydrophobic surfaces, superhydrophobic surfaces (e.g., easy-to-clean surfaces), anti-fogging surfaces, antimicrobial surfaces, and mixtures thereof.

[0211] This morphological structure can also be used to modify or adjust hydrophobicity, for example, to change or increase the water contact angle. If the water contact angle is approximately 90°, the surface is defined as hydrophobic. If the water contact angle exceeds 90°, for example, exceeding 95°, preferably exceeding 100°, preferably exceeding 110°, preferably exceeding 130°, the surface is defined as hydrophobic. If the contact angle is approximately 160°, the surface is defined as having the so-called lotus leaf effect. The contact angle can be measured, for example, using the OCA 15CE device from DataPhysics Instruments GmbH, Filderstadt 70794, Germany, according to the manufacturer's instructions.

[0212] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the plastic substrate, preferably the eyeglass plastic lens substrate, may have at least one array of morphological structures with hydrophilic properties and at least one array with hydrophobic properties.

[0213] According to another aspect of the invention, the one or more morphological structures can provide self-cleaning properties (e.g., an easy-to-clean surface) to the surface of a plastic substrate, preferably to the surface of a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses, or modify the self-cleaning properties of the surface. The surface can be uncoated or coated with a hard coating.

[0214] As a result, the one or more morphological structures do not impair the optical properties of the plastic substrate, particularly the plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses. Therefore, compared with corresponding plastic substrates, particularly plastic lens substrates for eyeglasses, without any morphological structure, visual or other properties (such as transparency and / or anti-reflective properties and / or UV protection and / or blue light protection properties) are not compromised.

[0215] The invention is further illustrated below by way of examples and accompanying drawings; however, these examples and drawings should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined only by the claims.

[0216] Attached Figure

[0217] Figure 1a The structuring of an uncoated CR39 spectacle plastic lens substrate via inkjet printing of structured inks and ultrashort pulse light treatment is shown (morphological height: 122 nm).

[0218] Figure 1b The structuring of an uncoated spectacle plastic lens substrate of MR8 via inkjet printing of structured ink and treatment with ultrashort pulse light is shown (height of morphology: 133 nm).

[0219] Figure 1c The structuring of an uncoated spectacle plastic lens substrate of MR7 via inkjet printing of structured ink and ultrashort pulse light treatment is shown (height of morphology: 95 nm).

[0220] Figure 2a The surface structuring of a hard-coated plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses is shown via inkjet printing of structured inks and ultrashort pulse light treatment (microlens distance: 1.5 mm).

[0221] Figure 2b The surface structuring of a hard-coated plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses is shown via inkjet printing of structured inks and ultrashort pulse light treatment (microlens distance: 0.8 mm).

[0222] Figure 2c The surface structuring of a hard-coated plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses is shown via inkjet printing of structured inks and ultrashort pulse light treatment (microlens distance: 0.4 mm).

[0223] Figure 2d The surface structuring of a hard-coated eyeglass plastic lens substrate (microlens distance: 0.2 mm) is shown via inkjet printing of structured inks and ultrashort pulse light treatment.

[0224] Figure 3a A topographically structured HC surface with raised portions is shown, obtained by structuring with 10 pL–20 layers. By increasing the amount of structuring ink, positive raised portions and negative recesses are achieved.

[0225] Figure 3b A topographically structured HC surface with recesses is shown, which is obtained by structuring with 10pL–20 layers.

[0226] Figure 3c A topographically structured HC surface with recesses is shown, which is obtained by structuring with 10pL–30 layers.

[0227] Figure 4a The different characteristic heights produced by structuring fully cured HC resin are shown.

[0228] Figure 4b Different characteristic heights are shown by structuring partially cured HC resin.

[0229] Figure 5a The surface structuring of a partially cured hard coating on a spectacle plastic lens substrate is shown via inkjet printing with oleic acid-containing structured inks and ultrashort pulse light treatment.

[0230] Figure 5b The surface structuring of a partially cured hard coating on a spectacle plastic lens substrate is shown via inkjet printing with lactic acid-containing structured inks and ultrashort pulse light treatment.

[0231] Figure 5c The surface structuring of a partially cured hard coating on a spectacle plastic lens substrate is shown via inkjet printing with citric acid-containing structured inks and ultrashort pulse light treatment.

[0232] Figure 6a The optical properties (reflectivity) of a plastic lens surface coated with a hard coating for eyeglasses, as measured using a UV-vis spectrometer, are shown.

[0233] Figure 6b The optical properties (transmittance) of a plastic lens surface coated with a hard coating for eyeglasses, as measured using a UV-vis spectrometer, are shown.

[0234] Example

[0235] Examples 1-3: Surface structuring of uncoated eyeglass plastic lens substrates

[0236] In Examples 1 to 3, the uncoated plastic lens substrates for eyeglasses were CR39 (Example 1) with a refractive index of 1.50, MR8 (Example 2) with a refractive index of 1.60, and MR7 (Example 3) with a refractive index of 1.67. All of these uncoated plastic lens substrates were thermosetting plastics, which are considered stable to heat (below 115°C) and in the presence of common chemicals.

[0237] However, when the aforementioned lens substrate with selectively deposited structured ink droplets is exposed to a high-energy electromagnetic pulse, a morphological structure can be formed.

[0238] In Examples 1-3, structured inks were deposited via an inkjet printing process using a Süss Microtec SE Pixdro LP50 inkjet printer equipped with a Spectra-S type printhead with 128 nozzles and a nozzle size of 80 pL, printing at 972 dpi. The deposited droplets were aggregates of 81 printed droplets with a droplet spacing of 1 mm on the aforementioned uncoated spectacle plastic lens substrate. The structured inks were deposited on a substrate with a diameter of 40 cm. 2 The entire lens substrate is printed at the specified dimensions. The printing temperature is 50℃-55℃.

[0239] The structured ink droplets (ink) have the following composition: 94.5 wt.% oleic acid (99% purity, Sigma-Aldrich), 0.5 wt.% silicone-based surfactant SF1188A (Momentive Performance Materials, a copolymer of polydimethylsiloxane and polyoxyethylene ether), and 5 wt.% 1-methoxy-2-propanol.

[0240] Following droplet deposition, a high-energy electromagnetic pulse is applied to the top of the lens substrate (also known as photonic curing): the process conditions for applying the electromagnetic pulse sequence are designated as Condition 1. Condition 1 is set to an electromagnetic pulse sequence consisting of 160 electromagnetic pulses over a total process duration of 107 seconds in ambient air. The wavelength of each single electromagnetic pulse is between 200 nm and 1000 nm (full range).

[0241] Each of the 160 electromagnetic pulses delivers a dose of 5.35 J / cm². Each of the 160 electromagnetic pulses is divided into 8 micropulses with an average duty cycle of 30%. The envelope of each of the 160 electromagnetic pulses is 225 ms.

[0242] After photon curing, the deposited droplets were removed by rinsing with isopropanol for 30 seconds.

[0243] After removing the deposited droplets, the morphological structure with a height of about 100-150 nm, a diameter of about 1 mm, and a cylindrical to hemispherical lenticular shape was detected.

[0244] The combined process from ink deposition to ink removal is completed in a few minutes (less than 5 minutes).

[0245] The results are summarized in Table 1.

[0246] The results showed that even uncoated thermosetting plastic eyeglass lens substrates were structured into clearly defined features.

[0247] Table 1: Surface structuring of plastic lens substrates for eyeglasses (without any coating)

[0248]

[0249] Example 4-7: Surface structuring of eyeglass plastic lens substrates coated with a hard coating

[0250] A thermosetting siloxane-based resin (MP-1154D, SDC Technologies, Inc.) was coated as a hard coating onto a CR39 spectacle plastic lens substrate (Examples 4-7) with a refractive index of 1.50. The siloxane-based resin was applied to the spectacle plastic lens substrate at a layer thickness of 2.5 μm using spin coating, and then thermo-cured at 60°C for 5 min (pre-curing) and at 110°C for 120 min (final curing).

[0251] Structured inks made of oleic acid (94.5 wt.% oleic acid (99% purity, Sigma-Aldrich), 0.5 wt.% silicone-based surfactant SF1188A and 5 wt.% 1-methoxy-2-propanol) were deposited on HC-coated lens substrates at different droplet distances: 1.5 mm (Example 4), 0.8 mm (Example 5), 0.4 mm (Example 6) and 0.2 mm (Example 7).

[0252] The structured ink droplets are then exposed to the electromagnetic pulses described above with respect to Examples 1 to 3. The deposited structured ink droplets are then removed as described above with respect to Examples 1 to 3.

[0253] In Table 2, the results show that protrusions with a height range of 12-50 nm are produced on the finally cured hard coating.

[0254] Changing the process parameters used in photonic curing yields even higher structures. By adjusting the droplet spacing of the deposited structured ink, starting with a spacing of 1.5 mm and decreasing to 200 μm, the structure density increases significantly.

[0255] Table 2: Surface structuring of eyeglass plastic lens substrates coated with hard coating

[0256]

[0257] Example 8-10: Structured hard-coated surface showing characteristics from positive ridges to negative depressions

[0258] A thermosetting siloxane-based resin (same as in Examples 4-7) was coated onto a CR39 spectacle plastic lens substrate with a refractive index of 1.50 as a hard coating (HC). The siloxane-based resin was applied to the spectacle plastic lens substrate with a layer thickness of 2.5 μm using spin coating and thermocured at 60°C for 5 min (pre-curing) and at 110°C for 120 min (final curing).

[0259] Structured inks made of oleic acid (94.5 wt.% oleic acid (99% purity, Sigma-Aldrich), 0.5 wt.% silicone-based surfactant SF1188A, and 5 wt.% 1-methoxy-2-propanol) were deposited on HC-coated lens substrates at different droplet distances: 0.2 mm, but with different amounts of ink obtained by repeating the deposition process: 1 layer deposition (10 pL, Example 8), 20 layers deposition (200 pL, Example 9), and 30 layers deposition (300 pL, Example 10).

[0260] The structured ink droplets are then exposed to the electromagnetic pulses described above with respect to Examples 1 to 3. The deposited structured ink droplets are then removed as described above with respect to Examples 1 to 3.

[0261] Table 3 shows the results for raised areas or protrusions with a height range of 15-20 nm (Example 1), and recesses ranging from -20 nm (Example 2) in 20-layer deposition to -35 nm (Example 3) in 30-layer deposition. This height can be further adjusted by selecting different structured inks.

[0262] Table 3: Structured surfaces (hard coatings) with varying amounts of structured ink

[0263]

[0264] Examples 11-12: Structured HC Surfaces: Fully Cured vs. Partially Cured

[0265] A thermocurable siloxane-based resin (same as in Examples 4-7) was coated onto a spectacle plastic lens substrate CR39 with a refractive index of 1.50 as a hard coating (HC). The siloxane-based resin was applied to the spectacle plastic lens substrate at a layer thickness of 2.5 μm using spin coating and thermocured at 60°C for 5 min (partial curing, Example 12) or first cured at 60°C for 5 min and then cured at 110°C for 120 min (full curing, Example 11).

[0266] The inks used in Examples 11-12 consist of 98.5 wt.% citric acid aqueous solution (50% (wt / wt)), 1 wt.% silicone-based surfactant SF1188A, and 0.5 wt.% polyacrylic acid copolymer (CAS No.: 9003-01-4, Sigma-Aldrich). The ink was deposited on an HC-coated lens substrate with a droplet spacing of 0.2 mm. Only one layer of ink was deposited.

[0267] The structured ink droplets are then exposed to the electromagnetic pulses described above with respect to Examples 1 to 3. The deposited structured ink droplets are then removed as described above with respect to Examples 1 to 3.

[0268] Table 4 shows the results for protrusions ranging in height from 50-60 nm to 520-550 nm. The significant variations are primarily related to different levels of stiffness in the HC network.

[0269] Table 4: Comparison of fully cured and partially cured HC resins when the structured ink is citric acid.

[0270]

[0271]

[0272] Examples 13-15: Surface structuring of eyeglass plastic lens substrates coated with partially cured hard coatings using inkjet droplets with different structuring ink compositions.

[0273] In Examples 13-15, various inks were used to create surface morphology structures on pre-cured, thermosetting, siloxane-based hard coatings (see Examples 4-7 above). The eyeglass plastic lens substrate used in Examples 13-15 was the same. The eyeglass plastic lens substrate was CR39 with a refractive index of 1.5, coated with a hard coating as described with respect to Examples 4-7, but only pre-cured before surface structuring. Pre-curing was performed at 60°C for 5 minutes.

[0274] The inks used are based on a single organic acid as indicated in Table 5. In addition to the indicated organic acids, the ink used in Example 13 has a composition of 94.5 wt.% oleic acid (99% purity, Sigma-Aldrich), 0.5 wt.% silicone-based surfactant SF1188A, and 5 wt.% 1-methoxy-2-propanol.

[0275] The ink used in Example 14 has a composition of 90 wt.% lactic acid (90% titrated Sigma-Aldrich), 9.8 wt.% water, and 0.2 wt.% silicone-based surfactant SF1188A.

[0276] The ink used in Example 15 has a composition of 98.5 wt.% aqueous citric acid (50% (wt / w)), 1 wt.% silicone-based surfactant SF1188A, and 0.5 wt.% polyacrylic acid copolymer (Sigma-Aldrich).

[0277] As can be seen from Table 5, the inkjet droplet results based on citric acid are much more effective than those based on lactic acid and oleic acid. When citric acid is used, the resulting morphology has a height of over 500 nm, while oleic acid results in a height of less than 15 nm.

[0278] Table 5: Structured surfaces (hard coatings) with variations in structured inks

[0279]

[0280]

[0281] II. Characterization of the optical properties of structured surfaces

[0282] The resulting surface structure was characterized using a white light scattering microscope from Zygo Corporation.

[0283] After depositing the antireflective coating (AR) and the clean coating (CC), the samples produced in Examples 4-7 are transferred to the top surface of the lens.

[0284] The optical properties of the above structured surfaces were measured using a Hunterlab UltraScan PRO UV-VIS spectrophotometer (USA), and the haze level was measured using a PerkinElmer Lambda 950S UV-VIS spectrometer. The results are shown in Table 6.

[0285] Compared to the corresponding unstructured reference surface, the optical transmittance and reflectance values ​​were not affected by the increase in surface roughness level (as shown in Table 6), while the haze level of the hard coating (HC) with a structured surface decreased significantly from 0.16 to 0.01.

[0286] III. Characterization of the functional properties of structured surfaces

[0287] Contact angles on structured surfaces were measured using an OCA set from Defe Instruments GmbH, Germany. The changes in contact angles between samples with and without morphologically structured surfaces are shown. As shown in Table 6, the contact angles of the structured surfaces of the HC layer decreased from approximately 80 degrees to 73 degrees for water and from approximately 33 degrees to approximately 17 degrees for hexadecane. The results well satisfy the classical Wenzel equation explaining the change in surface wetting properties in the presence of surface roughness. Since the morphologically unstructured (bare) HC layer is hydrophilic, the morphological structure or increased roughness level of the surface improves its hydrophilicity and reduces the surface contact angle.

[0288] Table 6: Characterization of the optical properties of structured surfaces

[0289]

[0290]

Claims

1. A method for producing one or more morphological structures appearing outside or within the surface of an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the method comprising the steps of: (a) Providing a plastic substrate based on a plastic material having a front surface and a rear surface, the plastic substrate being an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the hard coating covering at least one of the front surface and the rear surface; (b) Selectively depositing droplets of structured ink on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the uncoated plastic substrate or on the hard coating of the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating; (c) Irradiating droplets of the structured ink deposited on at least one of the front and rear surfaces with electromagnetic radiation in the form of an electromagnetic pulse; (d) After irradiation, the deposited droplets are removed, and one or more morphological structures are provided outside or within at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating. The one or more morphological structures described herein are formed by at least one of a raised portion appearing outside the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, and a recessed portion appearing in the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating.

2. A method for producing one or more morphological structures appearing outside or within the surface of an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the method comprising the steps of: (a) Providing a plastic substrate based on a plastic material having a front surface and a rear surface, the plastic substrate being an uncoated plastic substrate or a plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the hard coating covering at least one of the front surface and the rear surface; (b) Selectively depositing droplets of structured ink on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the uncoated plastic substrate or on the hard coating of the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, the structured ink comprising at least an organic acid; (c) Irradiating droplets of the structured ink deposited on at least one of the front and rear surfaces with electromagnetic radiation in the form of an electromagnetic pulse; (d) After irradiation, the deposited droplets are removed, and one or more morphological structures are provided outside or inside at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating.

3. The method according to claim 2, The one or more morphological structures described herein are formed by at least one of a raised portion appearing outside the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating, and a recessed portion appearing in the surface of the uncoated plastic substrate or the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 3, The raised portion of the one or more morphological structures is formed by expanding the plastic material of the uncoated substrate or by expanding the hard coating of the plastic substrate with a hard coating, and / or The recessed portion of the one or more morphological structures is formed by removing plastic material from the surface of the uncoated substrate or by removing the hard coating of the plastic substrate coated with a hard coating.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The one or more morphological structures described herein have a three-dimensional shape selected from the group consisting of: Gaussian shape, hemispherical microlens, cone, truncated cone, cylinder, and mixtures thereof.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The method further includes the following steps: The topographic structure is arranged in at least one array.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Each morphological structure has a diameter ranging from 200 nm to 35 mm and a height or depth ranging from 5 nm to 5 μm.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The method further includes the following steps: The one or more morphological structures are coated with one or more layers of a material different from the material of the one or more morphological structures, thus embedding the one or more morphological structures in or under the one or more layers of the material different from the material of the one or more morphological structures.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The hard coating is partially or completely cured before the droplets of the structured ink are deposited on the hard coating and irradiated.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The plastic substrate used is a plastic lens substrate for eyeglasses.

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