# US 9,040,163 B2 · Glass article with antimicrobial properties

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- Number: US 9,040,163 B2
- Document ID: US9040163B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/810,971
- Filed: 2011-07-27
- Published: 2013-05-16
- Granted: 2015-05-26
- Earliest claimed: 2010-07-27
- Assignees: Agc Glass Europe
- Applicants: Pierre Boulanger; Fabian Mariage
- Inventors: Pierre Boulanger; Fabian Mariage
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9040163B2

## CPC

- C03C 14/004: {the non-glass component being in the form of particles or flakes}
- C03C 4/00: Compositions for glass with special properties
- C03C 2204/02: Antibacterial glass, glaze or enamel
- C03C 2214/04: Particles; Flakes
- C03C 2214/08: Metals
- C03C: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES OR VITREOUS ENAMELS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS, MINERALS OR SLAGS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS

## Abstract

The invention relates to a glass item, at least one of the surfaces thereof having antimicrobial properties that are resistant to a temperature treatment, especially a temperature treatment in preparation of the subsequent tempering thereof. The glass item especially comprises an antimicrobial agent beneath the surface of the glass, and nanoparticles that are partially and/or totally incorporated into the mass of the glass close to said surface and consist of at least one inorganic component.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A glass article obtained from a sheet of flat glass and comprising:
(i) at least one antimicrobial agent diffused under at least one surface of the glass in the bulk of the glass close to the surface of the glass; and
(ii) nanoparticles located under the surface of the glass at a close distance therefrom and formed from at least one inorganic compound,
wherein the concentration of the antimicrobial agent is distributed in the depth of the glass according to a profile that has a minimum, wherein the minimum is located at a distance from the surface of between 10 and 4000 nm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The glass article of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), and zinc (Zn).

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The glass article of claim 2, wherein the antimicrobial agent is silver (Ag).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The glass article of claim 1, wherein the nanoparticles are at least partially crystallized.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The glass article of claim 4, wherein the nanoparticles are completely crystallized.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The glass article of claim 1, wherein the inorganic compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of an oxide, a nitride, and a carbide.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The glass article of claim 1, wherein the inorganic compound is a compound of magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, aluminium, gallium, indium, silicon, germanium, or any combination thereof.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The glass article of claim 7, wherein the inorganic compound is an aluminium compound.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The glass article of claim 8, wherein the inorganic compound is an aluminium oxide.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The glass article of claim 1, wherein a dimension of the nanoparticles is from 2 to 1000 nm.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The glass article of claim 10, wherein the dimension of the nanoparticles is from 10 to 500 nm.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The glass article of claim 1, having an antimicrobial property as well as a toughened glass property.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The glass article of claim 1, wherein the glass article is obtained from a sheet of soda-lime flat glass.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The glass article of claim 1, wherein the antimicrobial agent comprises very small particles of metal or oxide, or is dissolved in a matrix of the glass.

### Claim 15 (depends on 3)

The glass article of claim 3, wherein a ratio of intensities I(CsAg)/I(CsSi) measured on the surface is higher than 0.002.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The glass article of claim 15, wherein the ratio of intensities I(CsAg)/I(CsSi) measured on the surface is higher than or equal to 0.010.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The glass article of claim 1, wherein a dimension of the nanoparticles is less than 300 nm.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The glass of claim 1, wherein all the nanoparticles are located under the surface of the glass at a close distance therefrom.