Patent ID: 6921546
Filing Date: 2005-07-26
Classification: C03C

Abstract:
1. A method of preparing a tempered glass or glass-like substrate having a contact-killing, non-leaching antimicrobial effective amount of silver ions contained in at least one surface region thereof, which comprises: (a) providing a silver ion precursor composition comprising at least one source of antimicrobial effective silver ions dissolved or otherwise dispersed in a oily carrier material; (b) depositing said silver ion precursor onto at least one surface of a glass or glass-like substrate; (c) drying the substrate to a temperature of from about 20° C. to about 105° C. for a period of time sufficient to remove volatiles originally contained in said silver ion precursor; and (d) heating the resulting substrate at a temperature of from about 600° C. to about 650° C. for a period of from about 2 mm. to about 5 mm. to introduce antimicrobial effective silver ions into any surface of the substrate on which said precursor was deposited, thereby forming a transparent, tempered, essentially colorless antimicrobial glass or glass-like substrate having a color of b*≦+6 on the CIE international color scale.