Coated articles with a surface-modifying layer and methods of making the same

A coated article comprising,

• a substrate comprising a first major surface;
• and
• a fingerprint-hiding coating disposed over the first major surface, the fingerprint-hiding coating comprising an exterior surface of the coated article, wherein the fingerprint-hiding coating is fluorine-free,
• wherein the fingerprint-hiding coating exhibits:
• a water contact angle from 90° to 120°;
• an oleic acid contact angle of 400 or less;
• and
• a coefficient of friction of the exterior surface is 0.25 or less;
• wherein the fingerprint-hiding coating comprises an alkyl silane at the exterior surface;
• wherein:
• the alkyl silane is bonded to the substrate by a silane group, the alkyl silane is bonded to another part of the fingerprint-hiding coating by a silane group, or both;
• the silane group of the alkyl silane is at a free end of the alkyl silane;
• or
• both;
• and
• wherein the fingerprint-hiding coating comprises an oligomer of the alkyl silane, a polymer of the alkyl silane, or both.

A coated article comprising,

• a substrate comprising a first major surface;
• and
• a fingerprint-hiding coating disposed over the first major surface, the fingerprint-hiding coating comprising an exterior surface of the coated article, wherein the fingerprint-hiding coating is fluorine-free,
• wherein the fingerprint-hiding coating exhibits:
• a water contact angle from 90° to 120°;
• an oleic acid contact angle of 400 or less;
• and
• a coefficient of friction of the exterior surface is 0.25 or less;
• wherein the fingerprint-hiding coating comprises an alkyl silane at the exterior surface;
• wherein:
• the alkyl silane is bonded to the substrate by a silane group, the alkyl silane is bonded to another part of the fingerprint-hiding coating by a silane group, or both;
• the silane group of the alkyl silane is at a free end of the alkyl silane;
• or
• both;
• and
• wherein the fingerprint-hiding coating comprises an oligomer of the alkyl silane, a polymer of the alkyl silane, or both, wherein the oligomer of the alkyl silane, the polymer of the alkyl silane, or both, comprise a structure {OSi(R)2[CH2]m[Si(R)2O]nSi(R)2[CH2]pSi(R)2}qR, wherein m and p are independently selected from 3 to 34, each R is independently selected from OCH3, OH, and OSi(R′)2[CH2]m′, m′ is independently selected from 3 to 34, n is 1 or more, q is 1 or more, and each R′ is independently selected from a group consisting of OCH3, and OH.

A method of forming a coated article comprising:

• evaporating a functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane onto a first major surface of a substrate;
• impinging an ion beam at the first major surface of the substrate, the impinging occurs in a chamber comprising a chamber pressure ranging from about 10−4 Pascal to about 1 Pascal, the ion beam is generated using a discharge current from about 0.25 Amps to about 1 Amp to form a planarization layer;
• and then
• reacting material of the planarization layer with a alkyl silane to form a fingerprint-hiding coating, the alkyl silane comprising 3 or more carbons, wherein the silane comprises at least two reactive groups independently selected from a silane, a non-fluorine halogen, or combinations thereof,
• wherein the fingerprint-hiding coating exhibits:
• a water contact angle from 90° to 120°;
• an oleic acid contact angle of 40° or less;
• and
• a coefficient of friction of the exterior surface is 0.25 or less.