Coatings on transparent plastics for automotive applications

Transparent thermoplastic polymers hold an important position as materials for optics as well as for automotive glazing. However, soft plastic parts need to be protected by coatings. For optical applications especially antireflective coatings are inevitable. A presently well-established coating system for plastics is plasma ionassisted deposition. Special efforts are essential to find out the best coating conditions for each type of plastic. A comprehensive understanding of complex interactions between the plasma and the different polymer materials is a key factor for the development of coating strategies. Some coatings on polycarbonate for automotive applications will be discussed for example.