Polymer Edge-Covered Glass Adhesion via Surface Roughening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for applying polymers to glass surfaces face challenges with delamination, leading to insufficient adhesion and potential breakage of glass in electronic devices due to poor bonding between polymer and glass, which affects durability and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A surface-roughened coating is applied to the glass or glass-ceramic substrate, incorporating mechanical and chemical binding components such as particles, perforated inserts, or texturing, to enhance the adhesion of a polymer covering, ensuring improved mechanical and chemical bonds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If injection molding is used to overmold glass articles with polymer, then impact resistance and encasement are improved, but adhesion between polymer and glass deteriorates leading to delamination
Solution Approach 1:
The glass surface is pre-treated with corona discharge or plasma treatment before injection molding to create a surface that promotes polymer adhesion. This preliminary action modifies the glass surface energy and creates anchoring sites that prevent delamination during subsequent impact events.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface energy and chemical composition of the glass are changed through corona or plasma treatment, transforming the inert glass surface into a reactive surface that forms strong chemical bonds with the polymer, thereby improving adhesion while maintaining impact resistance.
2Reliability
If compatibilizing agents or adhesive laminates are used to improve adhesion, then bonding between polymer and glass is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity and process steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for separate compatibilizing agents or adhesive laminates by directly modifying the glass surface through corona or plasma treatment. This extraction of intermediate materials simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining strong adhesion between polymer and glass.
Solution Approach 2:
The glass surface treatment creates self-adhesive properties on the glass, allowing the polymer to bond directly without requiring additional adhesive layers or compatibilizing agents, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity.
3Strength
If polymer covering is applied to glass surfaces, then impact absorbance is improved, but delamination occurs over time reducing durability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite structure where corona-treated or plasma-treated glass forms a chemically bonded interface with the polymer covering. This composite approach ensures that the polymer and glass act as a unified structure that resists delamination while maintaining impact absorbance properties over extended periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent avoids using expensive adhesive laminates or compatibilizing agents that may degrade over time, instead using cost-effective corona or plasma treatment that creates permanent chemical bonds, ensuring long-term durability without sacrificing impact absorbance.
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 solution significantly increases the adhesion force between the polymer and glass, reducing delamination and enhancing the durability of glass articles, particularly in electronic devices, by creating a strong mechanical and chemical bond, thus preventing breakage upon impact.
Implementation Method 1
The mechanical binding component can include particles or a perforated insert added to at least a surface of the surface-roughened coating
Implementation Method 2
The chemical binding component can include an element or functional group or moiety that forms a chemical bond to the edge surface of the glass or glass-ceramic substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are various polymer-covered glass and glass-ceramic articles that exhibit improved adhesion between the polymer and the glass or glass-ceramic, along with methods for their manufacture and use. The improved articles generally include a glass or glass-ceramic substrate, a surface-roughened coating disposed on at least a portion of an edge of the glass or glass-ceramic substrate, and a polymer covering disposed on at least a portion of the surface-roughened coating. The surface-roughened coatings beneficially allow the polymer coverings to adhere better to the edge surfaces of the glass or glass-ceramic substrates relative to similar or identical articles that lack the surface-roughened coating.