| abstract |
A method of coating a surface of a low surface energy substrate by exposing the substrate to a silicon containing compound in liquid or gaseous form selected from a chlorine terminated polydimethylsiloxane, direct process residue, ZXSiR54-X, SinY2n+2 or a mixture thereof, where each Z is a chloro or alkoxy group and each R5 is an alkyl group or substituted alkyl group, x is 1 to 4, n is from 2 to 10 and each Y may be selected from a chloro, fluoro, alkoxy or alkyl group but at least two Y groups must be chloro, or alkoxy groups or a mixture thereof and forming a grafted coating layer on the substrate surface and subsequently post-treating the grafted coating layer by oxidation or, reduction, which is preferably utilising a plasma or corona treatment, in particular atmospheric pressure glow discharge or dielectric barrier discharge. |