Surface functionalisation

Un article de Surface du verre et interfaces.

It must be reckoned that presently, glass products rarely exhibit a bare surface. Among the glass surface modification techniques, some primarily aim at controlling the surface mechanics. But a whole range of films or adsorbates has another purpose: imparting new properties to the materials. Indeed, the strong positions of glass among technological materials is also due to the fact that glass manufacturers have for many years been intent on bringing products with an unprecedented wealth of functions to the market. The recent bloom of the self-cleaning glasses is but one example.

Because the high processing temperatures involved in the glass manufacturing processes strikingly reduces the number of opportunities to impart original properties to the materials - despite the knowledge and skill of the glass scientists - one of the aptest ways to devise new functionalities for glass is to target the surface: surface modification can be carried out as a post-processing low temperature step, a sort of final touch. This opens a number of new avenues for improved optical, conduction, wetting properties for high technology glazings or displays for example. Other desirable properties target chemicals or particles exchanges between glass and its environment for filtration or contamination control

A whole new research area is also emerging in our lab around the creation of structured surfaces and their properties. This topic is in expansion in fundamental research and it may also impact the glazing industry if suitable elaboration methods are identified. Two methods for creating surface structures are under investigations: one is based on our strong competencies in surface mechanics while another stems from vacuum treatment techniques and the self-organisation of erosion processes.