Method for Producing a Glass Coating on a Substrate

A process for producing a glass layer of thickness 1 μm to 20 μm and having an areal extent of greater than 2 cm2 on a substrate of metal, ceramic, concrete, stone or wood, comprising:

• a) applying a liquid sol to at least one surface of the substrate, where the sol comprises siloxanes of the formula Si(OR′)4-nR″n with n=0, 1 or 2, where each OR′ is independently a hydroxyl, alkoxy and/or cycloalkoxy radical, and each R″, where present, is independently an alkyl and/or cycloalkyl radical;
• b) leaving the sol to react to form a gel;
• and
• c) treating the gel on the at least one surface outside an oven in the presence of steam at a temperature of at least 700° C. in one or more successive steps each having a duration of 5 to 60 seconds, so as to form a homogeneous, three-dimensional network of (SiO2)n.