Dry Polymeric Coating for Conductive Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current touch screen technologies face challenges with the fragility, limited supply, and low conductivity of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) coatings, as well as issues with crosslinkable materials used for protection, which lead to adhesion and yellowing problems, and require complex processing steps.
Innovation Solution
A dry outermost polymeric coating with a thickness of less than 5 μm, composed of a non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer with a glass transition temperature of 65° C or higher, is applied over electrically-conductive patterns on a transparent substrate, eliminating the need for crosslinking and reducing processing complexity while maintaining high transparency and preventing adhesion and shrinkage issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If crosslinkable materials are used for protective coating, then protection performance is improved, but adhesion problems and yellowing occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the protective coating by using thermoplastic polymers with specific glass transition temperatures (65°C or higher) instead of crosslinkable materials. This parameter change eliminates the harmful crosslinking reactions while maintaining protective properties and preventing adhesion problems and yellowing.
2Reliability
If crosslinkable materials are used for protective coating, then protection performance is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the crosslinking component from the protective coating system. By using thermoplastic polymers that do not require crosslinking, the complex curing processes and associated processing steps are eliminated, simplifying manufacturing while maintaining protection performance.
3Reliability
If ITO coatings are used for electrically-conductive patterns, then conductivity is achieved, but fragility and limited supply occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material structures by combining thermoplastic polymer coatings with electrically-conductive patterns. This composite approach provides mechanical protection and flexibility to the conductive elements while maintaining electrical conductivity, replacing the brittle ITO coatings with more durable composite structures.
Data Source
AI summary
An article comprises a transparent substrate having a first supporting side and an opposing second supporting side. An electrically-conductive pattern is disposed on at least the first supporting side. A dry outermost polymeric coating disposed over at least part but not all of the electrically-conductive pattern, the dry outermost polymeric coating having a dry thickness of less than 5 μm, an integrated transmittance of at least 80%, and comprising a non-crosslinked thermoplastic polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) that is equal to or greater than 65° C.