Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090041936 | COMPOSITE REFLECTIVE BARRIER - A coated, low-emissivity aluminum film is manufactured entirely in vacuum by depositing an aluminum layer over a substrate and then immediately coating the metal layer with a very thin protective polymeric layer. The thickness of this coating is selected to minimize absorption in the 3-15 micron wavelength. In vacuum, the metal layer is coated substantially in the absence of moisture, thereby preventing the formation of hydrated oxides that promote corrosion. The aluminum layer is preferably also passivated by in-line exposure to a plasma gas containing an oxygen-bearing component. A leveling polymeric layer may also be deposited between relatively rough substrates and the aluminum layer in order to improve the reflectivity of the resulting structures. | 02-12-2009 |
20100062176 | Boundary layer disruptive preconditioning in atmospheric-plasma process - The boundary layer of a substrate is exposed to a low-energy inert-gas atmospheric plasma that disrupts the layer's bonds, thereby permitting the removal of most oxygen from the surface of the substrate. The substrate is then passed through an exhaust section to remove the disrupted boundary layer prior to conventional plasma treatment. The subsequent plasma treatment is carried out in conventional manner in a substantially oxygen-free environment. As a result of the invention, the high surface-energy levels provided by plasma treatment are more lasting and plasma applications requiring a substantially oxygen-free environment are more efficient. | 03-11-2010 |
20110262699 | LOW-EMISSIVITY STRUCTURES - A multilayer radiant-barrier structure is formed on one or both sides of a substrate that can be attached to an insulating layer to produce a reflective insulating material. The metallized layer is protected from environmental degradation without interfering with flammability properties that are critical for radiant and reflective insulation materials used in housing applications. The metal layer is modified to insulate enclosures without blocking cellular communications and the protective functional layer in modified to minimize emissivity, create a hydrophobic and/or oleophobic surface, and/or prevent mold, fungi and bacteria growth. Solutions are provided to solve occupational-hazard problems associated with the use of these materials in enclosures that include power wires. | 10-27-2011 |
20120003449 | NANO-STRUCTURED DIELECTRIC COMPOSITE - A multilayer dielectric structure is formed by vacuum depositing two-dimensional matrices of nanoparticles embedded in polymer dielectric layers that are thicker than the effective diameter of the nanoparticles, so as to produce a void-free, structured, three-dimensional lattice of nanoparticles in a polymeric dielectric material. As a result of the continuous, repeated, and controlled deposition process, each two-dimensional matrix of nanoparticles consists of a layer of uniformly distributed particles embedded in polymer and separated from adjacent matrix layers by continuous polymer dielectric layers, thus forming a precise three-dimensional nanoparticle matrix defined by the size and density of the nanoparticles in each matrix layer and by the thickness of the polymer layers between them. The resulting structured nanodielectric exhibits very high values of dielectric constant as well as high dielectric strength. | 01-05-2012 |
20120184165 | SELF-ASSEMBLED FUNCTIONAL LAYERS IN MULTILAYER STRUCTURES - Functionalized multilayer structures are manufactured by a process whereby a substrate material is treated with a reactive-gas plasma to form an activated layer on the surface thereof, and then by depositing a liquid functional monomer on the activated layer to form a self-assembled functional layer. Any excess liquid monomer must be allowed to re-evaporate in order to obtain optimal functionality on the surface of the resulting structure. The deposition of the liquid layer is preferably carried out with high kinetic energy to ensure complete penetration of the monomer throughout the body of the substrate. For particular applications, prior to formation of the reactive layer the substrate may be coated with a high glass-transition temperature polymer or a metallic layer. | 07-19-2012 |
20120270020 | POLYMER-BASED OPTICALLY VARIABLE DEVICES - A polymer-based optically-variable device for security applications has a high degree of color uniformity over the device area. The uniformity of thickness of the structure used in such devices is optimized by controlling previously neglected process parameters such as the temperature distribution of the deposition nozzle, the substrate and the deposition drum, their emissivities, the micro-roughness of the substrate, and the rate of monomer re-evaporation. Re-evaporation is minimized by initiating radiation-curing within two seconds of monomer deposition. The equipment is carefully monitored to eliminate all sources of emissivity non-homogeneities, such as surface blemishes in the surface areas exposed to the substrate. Substrates with haziness less than 5% and gloss greater than 90% are preferred. As a result, a maximum thickness variation of less than 5% over the transmissive layer of the optically variable device is found to ensure that no appreciable color-shift variation is visible to the naked eye. | 10-25-2012 |
20150111027 | ULTRA-BRIGHT PASSIVATED ALUMINUM NANO-FLAKE PIGMENTS - An organic release agent is vacuum deposited over a substrate and surface treated with a plasma or ion-beam source in a gas rich in oxygen-based functional groups to harden a very thin layer of the surface of the deposited layer in passivating environment. Aluminum is subsequently vacuum deposited onto the hardened release layer to form a very flat and specular thin film. The film is exposed to a plasma gas containing oxygen or nitrogen to passivate its surface. The resulting product is separated from the substrate, crushed to break up the film into aluminum flakes, and mixed in a solvent to separate the still extractable release layer from the aluminum flakes. The surface treatment of the release layer greatly reduces wrinkles in the flakes, improving the optical characteristics of the flakes. The passivation of the flake material virtually eliminates subsequent corrosion from exposure to moisture. | 04-23-2015 |