Optical article and process for producing optical article

1. An optical article comprising a plastic substrate, wherein a primer layer and a hard coat layer are formed on a surface of the plastic substrate, and the primer layer is formed from a coating composition containing the following components (A) to (C):

(A) a polyurethane resin;

(B) metal oxide fine particles; and

(C) an organosilicon compound,

wherein the average particle diameters of the component (A) and the component (B) in the coating composition are from 5 to 50 nm, respectively, and the average particle diameter of the component (C) is 5 nm or less.

2. The optical article according to claim 1 , wherein the plastic substrate is obtained by polymerizing and curing a polymerizable composition containing an episulfide compound as a main component and has a refractive index of 1.7 or higher.

3. The optical article according to claim 1 , wherein the component (C) is an organosilicon compound having an epoxy group.

4. The optical article according to claim 1 , wherein the component (B) is metal oxide fine particles containing titanium oxide having a rutile-type crystal structure as a main component.

5. The optical article according to claim 1 , wherein the optical article is a plastic lens.

6. The optical article according to claim 1 , wherein the optical article has

a first layer which is in contact with the plastic substrate and has a refractive index which decreases in the direction away from the plastic substrate;

a second layer which is in contact with the first layer and has a refractive index not higher than that of a surface layer of the first layer; and

a hard coat layer which is in contact with the second layer and has a refractive index lower than that of the plastic substrate.

7. The optical article according to claim 6 , wherein the second layer is formed from a second material containing a urethane, ester, epoxy, acrylic or silicone organic resin and metal oxide fine particles.

8. The optical article according to claim 6 , wherein a first material for forming the first layer, the second material for forming the second layer, and a third material for forming the hard coat layer each contain metal oxide fine particles and an organic resin, and the ratio of the metal oxide fine particles to the organic resin contained in the first material is greater than the ratio of the metal oxide fine particles to the organic resin contained in the second material.

9. The optical article according to claim 8 , wherein the ratio of the metal oxide fine particles to the organic resin contained in the third material is greater than the ratio of the metal oxide fine particles to the organic resin contained in the second material.

10. An optical article comprising a plastic substrate, wherein a primer layer and a hard coat layer are formed on a surface of the plastic substrate, and the primer layer is formed from a coating composition containing the following components (A) to (C):

(A) a polyurethane resin;

(B) metal oxide fine particles; and

(C) an organosilicon compound,

wherein the refractive index of the primer layer decreases continuously or stepwise from the side of the plastic substrate toward the side of the hard coat layer.

11. An optical article comprising a plastic substrate, wherein a primer layer and a hard coat layer are formed on a surface of the plastic substrate, and the primer layer is formed from a coating composition containing the following components (A) to (C):

(A) a polyurethane resin;

(B) metal oxide fine particles; and

(C) an organosilicon compound,

wherein the component (C) is an organoalkoxysilane compound and the organoalkoxysilane compound is used in the form of an unhydrolyzed monomer.