Anti-Reflective Coating for Polymer Film

Anti-reflection performance by substrate

Kriya's PFAS-free multi-layer AR coatings have been validated on the four polymer substrates most commonly used in display, touch panel, and consumer electronics applications. The data below represents production-representative coating conditions, not laboratory-optimised best-case results.

Multi-layer AR stack design

Kriya's AR system uses a basecoat plus topcoat architecture. The basecoat (approximately 3.0 micrometres) provides the high-RI layer, mechanical protection, and adhesion to the substrate. The topcoat (approximately 0.10 micrometres) provides the low-RI anti-reflective interface. This two-layer approach achieves broadband AR performance with reflection averaging 1.3 to 1.7% depending on substrate.

For applications requiring reflection below 0.5%, additional layers can be added. The RI range from 1.16 to 1.95 enables quarter-wave stack designs with high RI contrast, minimising the total number of layers needed for a given reflection target.

Achieving R below 0.15% broadband

With optimised multi-layer stacks using Kriya LRI (RI 1.16) and HRI (RI 1.95), broadband reflection below 0.15% is achievable. This performance level approaches the theoretical limit for wet-coated AR and is comparable to vacuum-deposited AR on glass — but delivered on flexible polymer film at R2R production speed.

Multi-functional additions

The AR stack can incorporate additional functionality without separate coating steps:

• Anti-smudge — functionalised silica surface achieves water contact angle above 100 degrees, PFAS-free (product code 003, 007)
• Anti-static — surface resistivity control prevents dust attraction and ESD damage (product code 002)
• Hardcoat — pencil hardness up to 4H on PMMA substrates (product code 001)
• Combined — anti-smudge + anti-static + AR in a single multi-layer system (product code 035)

Processing: R2R compatible

All Kriya AR coatings for polymer film are designed for roll-to-roll production:

• Gravure coating for precise thin-layer deposition
• Slot-die coating for wider process windows
• Compatible with standard R2R drying ovens and UV cure stations
• No vacuum equipment required — pure wet-coat process

Wet-coat AR vs vacuum-deposited AR on polymer

Vacuum deposition (sputtering, e-beam evaporation) produces excellent AR coatings on rigid glass but faces fundamental challenges on polymer film: substrate deformation from heat, limited web width, batch processing, and high capital cost. Wet-coat AR — Kriya's approach — operates at ambient temperature, processes continuous rolls at production speed, and requires a fraction of the capital investment.

For the display industry's migration to flexible and foldable form factors, wet-coat AR is not a compromise — it is the enabling technology. The combination of PFAS-free chemistry, R2R compatibility, and multi-functionality makes Kriya's approach the practical path to volume.

Quality control

Every batch is filtered to 0.8 micrometres and tested on up to 10 critical-to-quality parameters. ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing ensures consistency from sample to production. A Certificate of Analysis accompanies every delivery, documenting RI, viscosity, solids content, and appearance against specification.

Shelf life: 6 months minimum (unopened, recommended storage conditions).