An optical member includes a substrate and a thin film that is disposed on the substrate and contains inorganic particles and a resin. The resin has a volume occupancy of less than 5% in a region up to at least 60 nm in depth from a surface of at least a part of the thin film, the surface being opposite from a substrate-end surface of the thin film.

An antifouling structure of the present invention is produced by impregnating a base having a porous structure layer including micropores with a non-volatile liquid.

A relationship between an average opening diameter of the micropores and the number of the micropores per unit area of the porous structure layer satisfies the following formula (1). The non-volatile liquid retained in the porous structure layer can be sufficiently utilized, and antifouling property can be exhibited for a long time.

Average Opening Diameter (nm)Number of Micropores/100 (nm.sup.2)>0.6 nm.sup.1 Formula (1)

The disclosure relates to a process to provide a substrate having improved anti-soiling properties. The disclosure also relates to an anti-soiling coating composition, and to a process of making an anti-soiling coating composition. Use of the coating composition to improve anti-soiling properties of a substrate.

A process for obtaining a material including a textured glass substrate coated, on at least one of its textured faces, with an antireflective coating of sol-gel type based on porous silica, includes a stage of application, to the at least one textured face of the substrate, of a solution containing at least one silica precursor and at least one pore-forming agent, then a heat treatment stage targeted at consolidating the antireflective coating. Before the application stage, the glass substrate is subjected to a preheating stage, so that the at least one textured face intended to be coated with the antireflective coating has a temperature within a range extending from 30 C. to 100 C. immediately before the application stage.

A coated substrate comprising a coating layer with inorganic oxide and pores, the coating layer demonstrates improved anti-soiling properties. The coated substrate may for example be used in solar modules. Further a coating formulation and use of the coating formulation are disclosed.

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to coated articles including noble metal (e.g., Ag) and polymeric hydrogenated diamond like carbon (DLC) (e.g., a-C:H, a-C:H:O) composite material having antibacterial and photocatalytic properties, and/or methods of making the same. A glass substrate supports a buffer layer, a matrix comprising the noble metal and DLC, a proton-conducting layer that may comprising zirconium oxide in certain example embodiments, and a layer comprising titanium oxide. The layer comprising titanium oxide may be photocatalytic and optionally may further include carbon and/or nitrogen. The proton-conducting layer may facilitate the creation of electron-hole pairs and, in turn, promote the antibacterial properties of the coated article. The morphology of the layer comprising titanium oxide and/or channels formed therein may enable Ag ions produced from matrix to migrate therethrough.

Methods of plating a metal on a substrate including coating a nanoporous metal-oxide layer on a surface of the substrate prior to metal plating. Methods may include coating a surface of the substrate with a slurry including colloidal metal-oxide precursor particles and aluminum oxide particles. After coating, the slurry may be calcinated on the surface of the substrate to form a nanoporous metal-oxide layer on the surface. Then, a metallic film may be plated on the nanoporous metal-oxide layer. The metallic film may be plated by an electroless plating method and/or an electroplating method. Articles, such as electronic interposers, may be made using the methods of plating a metal described herein.

The invention relates to a method for producing a composite material with a decorative coating, wherein a porous layer that includes pigment particles is applied onto a glass or glass ceramic substrate. The porous layer is filled with a polymer.

Provided are a member that reduces a change in refractive index at high humidity (60% RH or more and less than 90% RH) and a method of manufacturing the member. The member comprises a base material and a porous layer formed on at least any one of surfaces of the base material, wherein the porous layer has dN.sub.2 of 5 nm or more and 20 nm or less and dH.sub.2O of 25 nm or more and 75 nm or less, and has a contact angle with respect to water of less than 60, in which dN.sub.2 is defined as a diameter of a pore at a time when a differential pore volume becomes maximum in the differential pore distribution in nitrogen adsorption and dH.sub.2O is defined as a diameter of a pore at a time when a differential pore volume becomes maximum in the differential pore distribution in water vapor adsorption.

One or more aspects of the disclosure pertain to an article including a film disposed on a glass substrate, which may be strengthened, where the interface between the film and the glass substrate is modified, such that the article retains its average flexural strength, and the film retains key functional properties for its application. Some key functional properties of the film include optical, electrical and/or mechanical properties. The bridging of a crack from one of the film or the glass substrate into the other of the film or the glass substrate can be prevented by inserting a crack mitigating layer between the glass substrate and the film.