Articles are described comprising a substrate and a hardcoat layer disposed on the substrate. The hardcoat layer comprises the hydrolyzed and condensed reaction product of a composition comprising: i) first hydrophobic silane monomer(s) having the formula R.sup.1Si(OR).sub.3 wherein R and R.sup.1 is methyl or ethyl; ii) optional second silane monomer(s) having the formula (R.sup.2).sub.4-mSi(OR).sub.m or Si(OR).sub.4, wherein R, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are organic groups with the proviso that R.sup.1 is not methyl or ethyl and m ranges from 1 to 3. The hardcoat layer N may further comprises 10 to 30 wt. % silica nanoparticles. A surface layer comprising a hydrophilic silane may be disposed on the hardcoat layer. Also described is a method of using an article having a rewritable surface, hardcoat coating compositions, and methods of making hardcoat compositions and articles.

In the present invention, a conductive film having low resistance is formed on a substrate, said film having excellent storage stability and high dispersion stability as an ink. A copper oxide ink (1) contains a copper oxide (2), a dispersant (3), and a reducing agent. The content of the reducing agent is in the range of formula (1), and the content of the dispersant is in the range of formula (2). (1) 0.00010≤(reducing agent mass/copper oxide mass)≤0.10 (2) 0.0050≤(dispersant mass/copper oxide mass)≤0.30 The reducing agent content promotes the reduction of copper oxide to copper during firing, and promotes the sintering of copper.

Methods and apparatus for vapor deposition of an organic film are configured to vaporize an organic reactant at a first temperature, transport the vapor to a reaction chamber housing a substrate, and maintain the substrate at a lower temperature than the vaporization temperature. Alternating contact of the substrate with the organic reactant and a second reactant in a sequential deposition sequence can result in bottom-up filling of voids and trenches with organic film in a manner otherwise difficult to achieve. Deposition reactors conducive to depositing organic films are provided.

In one embodiment, an electroactive material includes a piezoelectric polymer substrate and a conducting polymer coating provided on the substrate.

Methods and apparatus for vapor deposition of an organic film are configured to vaporize an organic reactant at a first temperature, transport the vapor to a reaction chamber housing a substrate, and maintain the substrate at a lower temperature than the vaporization temperature. Alternating contact of the substrate with the organic reactant and a second reactant in a sequential deposition sequence can result in bottom-up filling of voids and trenches with organic film in a manner otherwise difficult to achieve. Deposition reactors conducive to depositing organic films are provided.

Elastic Parylene films produced via chemical vapor deposition polymerization (CVDP) on a substrate are disclosed.

A method for protecting a substrate from corrosion, which method comprises in sequence: a first step including plasma polymerization of a precursor monomer and deposition of the resultant polymer onto at least one surface of a substrate; a second step including exposing the polymer to an inert gas in the presence of a plasma without further deposition of polymer onto the or each surface of the substrate; a third step including plasma polymerization of the precursor monomer used in the first step and deposition of the resultant polymer onto the polymer deposited in the first step so as to increase the thickness of the polymer; and optionally, a fourth step including exposing the polymer to an inert gas in the presence of a plasma without further deposition of polymer onto the or each surface of the substrate.

A system, apparatus and method enable etching of a layer of a substrate with reduced etching on the surface of a side wall of the layer. The etching method includes forming a protective layer on a surface of the side wall defining a recess in the layer. The protective layer contains phosphorus. The etching method further includes etching the layer in one or more additional cycles so as to increase a depth of the recess after the forming the protective layer.

Herein discussed is a method of sintering a ceramic comprising (a) providing an electromagnetic radiation (EMR) source; (b) (i) providing a layer of intermixed ceramic particles and absorber particles, wherein the absorber particles have a volume fraction in the intermixed particles in the range of no less than 3%; or (ii) providing a first layer comprising ceramic particles and a second layer comprising absorber particles in contact with at least a portion of the first layer, wherein the second layer is farther from the EMR source than the first layer; (c) heating (i) the layer of intermixed particles or (ii) the first layer using EMR; and (d) controlling the EMR such that at least a portion of the ceramic particles are sintered wherein (i) the layer of intermixed particles becomes impermeable or (ii) the first layer becomes impermeable, wherein the absorber particles have greater EMR absorption than the ceramic particles.

Nanostructured thin films and methods of their manufacture are disclosed. An example method of manufacturing includes forming a colloidal crystal mask on a template substrate so as to partially mask the template substrate. The method additionally includes etching the exposed potions of the template substrate to form a plurality of holes within the template substrate corresponding to the plurality of holes in the first thin film. The method yet further includes depositing a second thin film on the etched template substrate to form a nanostructured thin film. The nanostructured thin film includes a nanopillar array disposed along a first surface of a flexible substrate. The flexible substrate and the nanopillar array comprise a polymer material.