Studies of polyethylene-coated tin oxide films on glass bottles

Glass bottles, traditionally coated with tin oxide and polyethylene, were obtained from a commercial production plant and their surface properties analysed. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to image the surfaces of glass bottles and to estimate surface roughness. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies of the coated glass surface showed features largely consistent with AFM images. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) thickness studies on the coatings showed a direct correlation with measured coating thickness unit (CTU) thickness. Bottles were also tested by standard factory procedures for surface lubricity and internal bursting pressure. The surface and physical properties studies, in particular AFM, AES and internal bursting pressure, concluded that a hot-end coating thickness of similar to 50 CTU or 7 mm provides optimum strength for these bottles. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd