Diamond-like Carbon Coatings on Polymers

In the Phase-I an innovative coating was demonstrated that provides increased resistance to abrasion and scratching, excellent optical properties and increased ballistic protection. The coating consists of a unique plasma pretreatment of the polycarbonate to improve adhesion and a combination of layers forming a grading in the mechanical properties from the soft polycarbonate to a hard overcoat. Using this process, coatings with a 10x improvement in abrasion resistance, excellent optical matching to the polycarbonate, and improved ballistic performance relative to industry standard siloxane hard coatings was demonstrated. The Phase-II project builds upon the excellent Phase-I results by optimizing the coating process and design, refining the grading of the mechanical properties and introducing surface modifications of the polycarbonate for improved hardness. The coatings will be evaluated per MilSpec standards for ballistic performance, abrasion resistance, chemical exposure, and environmental durability. The end goal will be a manufacturing process capable of supplying low cost, highly abrasion resistant coatings on polycarbonate lenses and visors with significantly improved ballistic protection for the warfighter.