Fabrication of anti‐reflection coatings on plastics using the spraying layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly technique

Anti‐reflection (AR) coatings on plastic substrates have been extensively investigated with the development of large‐area LCD and LED displays. A robust AR coating on plastics requires strong adhesion to the substrate, precise thickness and refractive index, and abrasion resistance. In this paper, abrasion‐resistant AR coatings were fabricated on polycarbonate substrates using the layer‐by‐layer spraying deposition of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and silica nanoparticles. The adhesion between the substrates and coatings was enhanced by treating the polycarbonate surfaces with aminopropyltrimethoxylsilane (APTS). The porous low‐refractive‐index PAH/silica‐nanoparticles multilayers were constructed by the layer‐by‐layer spraying of PAH and silica‐nanoparticles aqueous solutions onto the functionalized substrates. The subsequent treatment of the porous coatings with tetrahydroxylsilane leads to stable abrasion‐resistant AR coatings. The resultant AR coatings can reduce the reflection from 5 to 0.3%. The reported technique provides a cost‐effective method for large‐scale production of AR coatings on plastic substrates.