Nanoscopic coloured coatings for durable interior applications

Coloured transparent organic-inorganic hybrid coatings

Interior design is set to utilise a new era in coloured materials if a team of researchers from Mexico have their way. The researchers have developed hard, coloured, transparent, organic–inorganic hybrid coatings for a range of materials. The success of the coatings comes from the formation of a composite or bio-mineral system at the nanoscopic or molecular level.

In a paper published in AZojomo*, the researchers, J. L. Almaral-Sanchez, E. Rubio, J. A. Calderón-Guillén, A. Mendoza-Galvan, J. F. Pérez-Robles and R. Ramírez-Bon, from Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) discuss a sol-gel method for the deposition of red, green and blue PMMA-SiO2 hybrid films on glass substrates.

They found that the colored hybrid films are composed of a homogeneous organic-inorganic (polymethylmethacrylate-silica/PMMA-SiO2) matrix with the embedded organic dye molecules very well dispersed in it. This in turn produces homogeneous and intense colors.

Microscopy measurements showed the surface of the films to be very flat and smooth with very little roughness and reinforced hardness in comparison with the pure PMMA phase. The transparent colored hybrid films have a very good optical quality with color intensity depending on the amount of organic dye in the films.

The hybrid coatings can be used very well for decorative purposes in indoor applications.