Conventional electrochromic devices frequently suffer from poor reliability and poor performance. Improvements are made using entirely solid and inorganic materials. Electrochromic devices are fabricated by forming an ion conducting electronically-insulating interfacial region that serves as an IC layer. In some methods, the interfacial region is formed after formation of an electrochromic and a counter electrode layer. The interfacial region contains an ion conducting electronically-insulating material along with components of the electrochromic and/or the counter electrode layer. Materials and microstructure of the electrochromic devices provide improvements in performance and reliability over conventional devices.

Embodiments of a layered-substrate comprising a substrate and a layer disposed thereon, wherein the layered-substrate is able to withstand fracture when assembled with a device that is dropped from a height of at least 100 cm onto a drop surface, are disclosed. The layered-substrate may exhibit a hardness of at least about 10 GPa or at least about 20 GPa. The substrate may include an amorphous substrate or a crystalline substrate. Examples of amorphous substrates include glass, which is optionally chemically strengthened. Examples of crystalline substrates include single crystal substrates (e.g. sapphire) and glass ceramics. Articles and/or devices including such layered-substrate and methods for making such devices are also disclosed.

Disclosed herein are methods for treating a glass substrate, comprising bringing a surface of the glass substrate into contact with a plasma comprising at least one hydrocarbon for a time sufficient to form a coating on at least a portion of the surface. Also disclosed herein are glass substrates comprising at least one surface, wherein at least a portion of the surface is coated with a layer comprising at least one hydrocarbon, wherein the coated portion of the surface has a contact angle ranging from about 15 degrees to about 95 degrees, and/or a surface energy of less than about 65 mJ/m.sup.2.

Durable and scratch resistant articles including low-reflectance optical coating with gradient portion. In some embodiments, an article comprises: a substrate comprising a first major surface; and an optical coating disposed over the first major surface. The optical coating comprises: a second major surface; a thickness; and a first gradient portion. A refractive index of the optical coating varies along a thickness of the optical coating. The difference between the maximum refractive index of the first gradient portion and the minimum refractive index of the first gradient portion is 0.05 or greater. The absolute value of the slope of the refractive index of the first gradient portion is 0.1/nm or less everywhere along the thickness of the first gradient portion. The article exhibits a single side photopic average light reflectance of 3% or less, and a maximum hardness from 10 GPa to 30 GPa.

A method of making a coated substrate having a transparent conductive oxide layer with a dopant selectively distributed in the layer includes selectively supplying an oxide precursor material and a dopant precursor material to each coating cell of a multi-cell chemical vapor deposition coater, wherein the amount of dopant material supplied is selected to vary the dopant content versus coating depth in the resultant coating.

[Problem] To provide an optical functional film having less light reflection and having less wavelength dependency of transmittance, and a method for manufacturing the same. [Means for Solution] An optical functional film, wherein a refractive index n.sub.A of one surface A of the optical functional film to light is larger than a refractive index n.sub.B of the other side surface B to light, and the refractive indices to light decreases gradually from the surface A to the surface B. The optical functional film can be manufactured by conducting multi-layer coating using compositions comprising two kinds of polysiloxane and of solvent on a substrate, compatibilizing the contacting parts of two layers, and thereafter heating them to cure.

Disclosed herein are coated articles which may include a substrate and an optical coating that includes one or more layers of deposited material. At least a portion of the optical coating may include a residual compressive stress of more than 100 MPa. The coated article may include a strain-to-failure of 0.4% or more as measured by a Ring-on-Ring Tensile Testing Procedure. The optical coating may include a maximum hardness of 8 GPa or more and an average photopic transmission of 50% or greater.

A method for developing a coating having a high light transmission and/or a low light reflection is provided. The method relates to a process for developing a coating with a high light transmission and/or a low light reflection, where the coating is deposited on a substrate. The coating is deposited as a mixed coating comprising a material A and a material B, where the coating is developed to have a coating thickness profile in which the lowest proportion of the material B is on the substrate surface and the highest proportion of coating material is on the coating surface. The material B is at least partially removed from the coating after deposition of the coating on the substrate.

The present invention relates to a method for creating nanostructures in and on organic or inorganic substrates comprising at least the following steps: a) providing a primary substrate having a predetermined refractive index; b) coating the primary substrate with one or more mediating layers each having a predetermined refractive index different from that of the primary substrate, wherein the sequence of the layers is arranged so that a predetermined gradient of the refractive index is generated between the primary substrate and the uppermost layer of the one or more mediating layers; c) optionally coating the uppermost layer of the one or more mediating layers with an additional top layer; d) depositing a nanostructured etching mask onto the uppermost layer of the composite substrate obtained after steps a)-b) or a)-c); e) generating protruding structures, in particular conical or pillar structures, or recessed structures, in particular holes, in at least the uppermost layer of the composite substrate by means of reactive ion etching. A further aspect of the invention relates to a composite substrate with a nanostructured surface obtainable by said method.

One or more aspects of the disclosure pertain to an article including an optical film structure disposed on an inorganic oxide substrate, which may include a strengthened or non-strengthened substrate that may be amorphous or crystalline, such that the article exhibits scratch resistance and retains the same or improved optical properties as the inorganic oxide substrate, without the optical film structure disposed thereon. In one or more embodiments, the article exhibits an average transmittance of 85% or more, over the visible spectrum (e.g., 380 nm-780 nm). Embodiments of the optical film structure include aluminum-containing oxides, aluminum-containing oxy-nitrides, aluminum-containing nitrides (e.g., AlN) and combinations thereof. The optical film structures disclosed herein also include a transparent dielectric including oxides such as silicon oxide, germanium oxide, aluminum oxide and a combination thereof. Methods of forming such articles are also provided.