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Organic-inorganic hybrid thin films fabricated using sol-gel processing have many compelling properties that render them quite attractive for many applications, including optics, electronics, sensors and corrosion and scratch resistant films (Haas & Wolter, 1999; Sanchez et al., 2005). Organic-inorganic hybrid network materials have received much interest as transparent functional coatings on polymer substrates (Haas & Wolter, 1999; Haas et al., 1999a) and barrier coatings on metals (Metroke et al., 2001). Compared to glass, polymers such as polycarbonate (PC) and glycol bis(allyl carbonate) (CR-39) exhibit several advantageous physical and mechanical properties, such as high impact resistance and reduced weight, but also have the significant disadvantage of higher refractive index resulting in greater surface reflections as well as a much lower tolerance to abrasion. These drawbacks have limited their exploitation as a replacement to glass, especially for ophthalmic lenses where reflections and scratches on lenses can significantly obscure vision. The incorporation of a film or coating on glass or polymer can have immense benefits as is the case in the eyewear industry where several layers are deposited on polymer substrates to overcome substrate limitations (Samson, 1996; Schottner, 2001). By controlling the chemistry of the organic component incorporated in hybrid films, the physical and mechanical properties can be readily adjusted to realise specific attributes such as scratch resistance. Yet a vital reliability issue for film-on-substrate systems is the intrinsic mechanical properties of the film and adhesion to the substrate (Ignat et al., 1999).

Indentation and Fracture of Hybrid Sol-Gel Silica Films