Surface Treatment Process for Glass Containers

摘要

A glass container and a process for chemically modifying a surface portion of a glass container using an ion-exchange process. At least a portion of the glass container is immersed in or in contact with an aqueous electrolyte solution comprising salts of at least one group IA alkali metal and having a temperature of about 75 degrees Celsius such that exchangeable alkali metal ions in a surface portion of the glass container are exchanged or replaced by alkali metal ions in the electrolyte solution. The alkali metal ions that replace the exchangeable ions in the surface portion of the glass container have either a smaller or a larger atomic radius than the exchangeable ions.

主权项

1. A surface treatment process for a glass container comprising:
contacting at least a portion of the glass container with an aqueous electrolyte solution comprising salts of at least one group IA alkali metal, the aqueous electrolyte solution having a salt mass fraction in the range of 10-50%; and then heating the glass container with the aqueous electrolyte solution to a temperature between 70 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius for a time sufficient to exchange alkali metal ions in a surface portion of the glass container with alkali metal ions in the electrolyte solution.