Textured Aluminosilicate Glass via Buffered Etching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional texturing processes fail to produce the desired texture on aluminosilicate glass articles with enhanced tactile impression, despite their superior ion-exchangeability and drop performance.
Innovation Solution
A method involving etching aluminosilicate glass with an etchant having a pH greater than 3.0 to generate aluminum-based precipitates, resulting in dendritic surface features with a surface feature size of 10 μm to 350 μm, which provides an enhanced tactile impression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional texturing processes are used on aluminosilicate glass, then the glass maintains its strength and fracture toughness, but the desired tactile texture cannot be produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the etching process by using a buffered HF solution with controlled pH (2.0-4.0) and specific composition ratios. This parameter adjustment enables the formation of dendritic surface features on aluminosilicate glass that have specific tactile properties, resolving the contradiction between achieving desired texture and maintaining glass strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical texturing methods with a chemical etching process using buffered HF solution. This substitution allows for precise control of surface feature formation through chemical reactions rather than mechanical forces, enabling the creation of dendritic structures with specific tactile impressions while preserving the glass's mechanical properties.
2Ease of operation
If the surface feature size is increased to enhance tactile impression, then the tactile experience is improved, but the transmittance haze increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the etching parameters including pH (2.0-4.0), etching time (5-60 minutes), and solution composition to control the size of dendritic features. By adjusting these parameters, the patent achieves surface feature sizes of 10-350 μm that provide enhanced tactile impressions while limiting transmittance haze to 50-90%, thus balancing tactile experience with optical transmission.
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 method effectively produces textured glass articles with dendritic surface features, achieving a transmittance haze of at least 50% and surface roughness of 1 μm or greater, enhancing the tactile experience while maintaining strength and fracture toughness properties.
Implementation Method 1
contacting an aluminosilicate glass article with an etchant, wherein the aluminosilicate glass article comprises greater than or equal to 16 wt % Al2O3 and has a first surface and the etchant comprises a pH greater than 3.0
Data Source
AI summary
A textured glass article includes: a body comprising an aluminosilicate glass comprising greater than or equal to 16 wt % Al2O3, the body having at least a first surface; a plurality of dendritic surface features extending from the first surface, each of the plurality of dendritic surface features comprising a base on the first surface and a surface feature size at the base greater than or equal to 10 μm and less than or equal to 350 μm; and a transmittance haze greater than or equal to 50%.