Anti-fingerprint Coating Composition with Mobile Phase Diffusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current anti-fingerprint coatings are inadequate in completely preventing fingerprints from sticking to smooth surfaces and do not effectively diffuse and fade the water-rich fingerprint emulsion, relying on low surface energy and texture for repellency, which is limited in effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A coating composition with a stationary phase impregnated with a mobile phase comprising hydrophilic surfactants that diffuse and fade fingerprints, combined with a low surface energy stationary phase and nano-to micro-scale channels for enhanced liquid repellency and easy cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a low surface energy coating is used to minimize fingerprint deposition, then hydrophobicity and oleophobicity are improved, but the coating cannot completely prevent fingerprints from sticking to smooth surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies porous silica particles (0.5-5 μm) and silica nanospheres (50-200 nm) to create a coating with controlled porosity. The porous structure provides capillary channels that enable the mobile phase to reach and interact with fingerprints, while the low surface energy materials (fluorinated compounds, silicone resins) provide repellency. This combination resolves the contradiction by allowing the coating to both repel and actively treat fingerprints through the porous network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite coating system combining multiple components: low surface energy materials (fluorinated compounds, silicone resins) for repellency, porous silica particles for structure and mobile phase transport, and surfactants (HLB 3-15) for fingerprint interaction. This composite approach allows simultaneous achievement of repellency and active fingerprint treatment, resolving the limitation of single-material coatings.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If surface texture or roughness is incorporated to enhance hydrophobicity and oleophobicity, then liquid repellency is improved, but the coating becomes rough, opaque, and limited to glass substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating micro- and nanoscale roughness only at the surface level using porous silica particles and nanospheres, while maintaining overall coating transparency and adaptability to different substrates. The hierarchical structure (micro-particles + nanospheres) provides local textural features for enhanced repellency without compromising global optical properties or substrate compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous silica particles and nanospheres create a hierarchical porous structure that provides surface roughness for enhanced repellency while maintaining coating transparency. The controlled pore sizes and material composition allow light transmission while providing the textural features needed for improved hydrophobicity and oleophobicity, overcoming the opacity limitation of conventional rough coatings.
3Illumination intensity
If a coating minimizes the appearance of fingerprints through low surface energy materials, then fingerprint visibility is reduced, but the coating does not effectively diffuse and fade the water-rich fingerprint emulsion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces surfactants with HLB values of 3-15 as intermediary substances within the coating matrix. These surfactants act as mediators that interact with the water-rich fingerprint emulsion, reducing surface tension and enabling diffusion and fading of fingerprints. The surfactants bridge the gap between the low surface energy coating and the polar fingerprint components, allowing effective treatment while maintaining repellency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the coating by incorporating surfactants with specific HLB values (3-15) that can interact with the water-rich fingerprint emulsion. This parameter change enables the coating to transition from purely repellent to actively interactive, allowing diffusion and fading of fingerprints while maintaining the base repellency provided by low surface energy materials.
4Ease of operation
If current anti-fingerprint coatings rely on low surface energy and texture for repellency, then ease of cleaning is improved, but effectiveness is limited and manual cleaning is still required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables self-service cleaning by incorporating mobile phase and surfactants that automatically interact with and treat fingerprints upon contact. The coating actively diffuses and fades fingerprints through capillary action and surfactant interaction, reducing the need for manual intervention. The system serves itself by using the fingerprint's own water content and the surfactant's properties to achieve fading without external cleaning agents.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The coating effectively minimizes fingerprint deposition and eases cleaning by diffusing and fading fingerprints, with significant reduction in fingerprint droplet number and area over time, achieving high hydrophobicity and oleophobicity.
Implementation Method 1
a stationary phase impregnated with a mobile phase having the ability to diffuse and fade fingerprints
Implementation Method 2
a coating of low surface energy can impart fingerprint resistance. Water and oil tend to form large contact angles when deposited onto such a coating, which is said to be both hydrophobic (water repellent) and oleophobic (oil repellent)
Implementation Method 3
Further enhancement in hydrophobicity and oleophobicity can be attained by incorporating surface texture or roughness
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3(a)~3(f)
AI summary
The present invention is directed to anti-fingerprint coating compositions, the coating layers and coated articles formed therefrom, the preparation methods therefor, and the uses thereof. The coating compositions and methods according to the present invention are capable of forming a coating layer with anti-fingerprint performance. The coating layer according to the present invention comprises a stationary phase impregnated with a mobile phase that can diffuse and fade fingerprints, in addition to optionally having a strong liquid repellency that minimizes the deposition of fingerprints and eases the cleaning of the coated articles.