We investigated sol-gel-derived silica-based hard coatings on modified polyester substrates. The silica network was modified by incorporating an organic component and adding transition metal oxides. These modifications resulted in tailored thermal, optical, and mechanical properties of the coatings. Various low-temperature densification techniques were studied including sol-preparation procedure, enhanced solvent evaporation, ultraviolet irradiation, and low-temperature heating (below 150 °C). Oxygen plasma etching was applied to improve the adhesion of the sol-gel coatings on the plastic surface. Nanoindentation analysis revealed that the coatings have a surface hardness up to 2.5 ± 0.27 GPa and an elastic modulus up to 13.6 ± 0.4 GPa, approximately an order of magnitude higher than that of the plastic surface.
