Rapid, Thermally Cured, Back Side Mar Resistant And Antireflective Coating For Ophthalmic Lenses

1 . A process for applying an AR coating system onto at least one surface of a lens made of polymer, which comprises:

(a) Applying a thermally curable siloxane hard coating composition to said surface in a spin coating unit;

(b) Precuring said hard coating to a tack-free state in the spin coating unit at a set temperature for a set time; substantially fully curing the hard coating in an oven at a set temperature for a set time;

(c) Applying a high index layer of an AR coating at a set spin rate for a set time, and optionally cure the layer at a set temperature and for a set time;

(d) Applying a low index layer of an AR coating at a set spin rate for a set time, and optionally cure the layer at a set temperature and for a set time;

(e) Applying a hydrophobic coating at a set spin rate for a set time;

(f) Substantially fully curing the AR coating and the hydrophobic layer in a vapor curing oven;

2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein a primer layer is applied and cured in the spin-coating unit before the hard coating is applied.

3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the thermal precuring in step (b) lasts for less than about ten minutes at a chamber temperature range from 150° F. to 300° F., and the substantially fully curing in step (b) last between about five to twenty minutes in a vapor curing oven at 130° F.

4 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the first layer and the second layer of the AR coating and the hydrophobic coating layer are spin-applied at a temperature ranging from about 80° F. to 100° F.

5 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the final curing of the AR coating and the hydrophobic coating layer in step (f) lasts less than 60 minutes in a convention oven at a temperature range from about 200° F. to 300° F., or lasts between about five to twenty minutes in a vapor curing oven at a temperature range from about 200° F. to 300° F.

6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the thermally curable hard coating comprises an aqueous organic solvent mixture including hydrolysis products and partial condensates of an organic functional silane, a tetrafunctional silane and a multifunctional compound wherein the multifunctional compound is selected from the group consisting of multifunctional carboxylic acids, multifunctional anhydrides and combinations thereof and an amount of water sufficient to hydrolyze the epoxy functional silane and the tetrafunctional silane;

7 . The process of claim 6 , wherein the organic functional silane is selected from a group consisting of epoxy functional silanes, amino functional silanes, halo functional silanes, hydroxyl functional silanes, carboxyl functional silanes, and isocyanate functional silanes.

8 . The process of claim 7 , wherein the epoxy functional silane compound containing at least one epoxy group and at least two alkoxy groups directly bonded to the silicon atom of the molecule has formula:

wherein R1 is an alkyl or alkoxy alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; R2 is an alkyl or aryl group having 1 to 6 carbons atoms; R 3 is hydrogen or methyl group; m is 2 or 3; a is an integer from 1 to 6; and b is 0, 1 or 2.

9 . The process of claim 7 , wherein the silane compound containing at least one epoxy group and at least two alkoxy groups directly bonded to the silicon atom of the molecule is selected from the group consisting of 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane, 3-glycidoxypropylmethyldimethoxysilane, 3-glycidoxypropylmethyldiethoxysilane, 3-glycidoxyethoxypropylmethyldimethoxysilane, and mixtures thereof.

10 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the lens material is selected from a group consisting of (meth)acrylic resins, di(ethyleneglycol)bis(allyl carbonate) (co)polymers, (halogenated) bisphenol A di(meth)acrylate homopolymers and copolymers, urethane modified (halogenated) bisphenol A, and polycarbonates.

11 . The process of claim 2 , wherein the primer coating layer is from a waterborne aliphatic polyurethane dispersion.

12 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the hard coating composition contains 0.05% to 5%, by weight, cationic photoinitiator, and the precure of the hard coating is affected with ultraviolet radiation or a combination of ultraviolet light and heat.

13 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the high index layer of the AR coating is made of metal oxide selected from the group consisting of titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, indium tin oxide, indium oxide, tin oxide, and antimony tin oxide.

14 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the low index layer of the AR coating is derived from a metal alkoxide, M(OR)n, wherein M is selected from at least one of the group consisting of Si, Ti, Al, and Zr; R is an alkyl group having 1-6 carbons and n is an integer representing the valence state of the metal iron.

15 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic layer is derived from a silane, R n SiX (4-n) , wherein R is an alkyl or a fluorinated alkyl group having 1-8 carbons and X is selected from the group consisting of 1-6 carbon alkoxy, fluorinated alkoxy, hydroxyl, acetoxy, and halogens.

16 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the lens is an ophthalmic lens whose front side is coated with a multi-layer AR coating that has been applied with a vacuum deposition process.

17 . A method of making an AR coated eye lens comprising:

(a) Applying a hard coat composition to a surface of said lens;

(b) Curing the hard coat composition to a tack free state;

(c) Further curing said hard coat to a substantially fully cured state;

(d) Applying a first AR coating to said substantially fully cured hard coat;

(e) Applying a second AR coating to said substantially fully cured hard coat;

(f) Applying a hydrophobic coating to said second AR coating;

(g) Substantially fully curing said AR coatings and said hydrophobic layer.