Abstract: The present invention provides inexpensively an article with a hard coat excellent in anti-staining property, lubricity, scratch resistance and abrasion resistance. The present invention also provides a method for forming the hard coat.

Abstract: The present invention provides a low-cost artificial fingerprint liquid for quantitatively and with a good reproducibility evaluating an anti-staining property, and a fingerprint adhering property or a fingerprint removing property on the surface of an optical disk such as a reproduction-only optical disk, optical recording disk, magneto-optical recording disk, various displays such as a CRT, and various substances such as glass. An artificial fingerprint liquid comprising a fine-particle-form substance and a dispersion medium capable of dispersing the fine-particle-form substance. The dispersion medium preferably has a surface tension ranging from 20 to 50 mN/m at 25° C., and preferably is selected from at least one of higher fatty acid, derivative of higher fatty acid, terpens, and derivatives of terpens. The fine-particle-form substance is at least one selected from inorganic fine particles and organic fine particles.

Abstract: A method of testing an information recording medium includes a step of attaching an artificial fingerprint to an incident surface of an information recording medium, a step of reproducing a signal recorded in an attached region to which the artificial fingerprint has been attached, and a step of judging whether the information recording medium is defective or non-defective based on a signal quality of the reproduced signal. An information recording medium testing apparatus includes a fingerprint attaching unit that attaches an artificial fingerprint onto an incident surface of an information recording medium, a signal reproducing unit that reproduces a signal recorded in an attached region to which the artificial fingerprint has been attached, and a judging unit that judges whether the information recording medium is defective or non-defective based on a signal quality of the reproduced signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides inexpensively an article with a hard coat excellent in anti-staining property, lubricity, scratch resistance and abrasion resistance. The present invention also provides a method for forming the hard coat. A hard coat agent composition comprising an active energy ray-curable compound is applied onto a surface of an article (1) to be hard-coat-treated, thereby forming a hard coat agent composition layer, a surface material layer is formed by film-forming with a surface material comprising a fluorine-containing polyfunctional(meth)acrylate compound on the surface of the hard coat agent composition layer, and active energy rays are irradiated onto the formed hard coat agent composition layer and surface material layer so as to cure the both layers simultaneously, thereby forming a hard coat layer (2) contacting the surface of the article (1) and an anti-staining surface layer (3) contacting the surface of the hard coat layer (2).

Abstract: The present invention provides inexpensively an article with a hard coat excellent in anti-staining property, lubricity, scratch resistance and abrasion resistance. The present invention also provides a method for forming the hard coat.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical information medium in which the recording and/or reproducing beam incident side surface displays excellent anti-staining properties and lubricity, as well as superior scratch resistance and abrasion resistance. An optical information medium comprising a film element composed of one or more layers including at least a recording layer (4) or a reflective layer, on a supporting substrate (20), wherein at least one of the supporting substrate (20)-side surface and the film element-side surface is formed of a hard coat layer (8) comprising a cured product of the hard coat agent composition comprising a fluorine-containing block copolymer (A) and an active energy ray-curable compound (B).

Abstract: The present invention provides inexpensively an article with a hard coat excellent in anti-staining property, lubricity, scratch resistance and abrasion resistance. The present invention provides a method for forming the hard coat. A hard coat agent composition comprising an active energy ray-curable compound is applied onto a surface of an article 1 to be hard-coat-treated, thereby forming a hard coat agent composition layer, a surface material layer is formed by film-forming with a surface layer material comprising an active energy ray-curable compound having anti-staining property and/or lubricating property on the surface of the hard coat agent composition layer, and active energy rays are irradiated onto the formed hard coat agent composition layer and surface material layer so as to cure the two layers simultaneously, thereby forming a hard coat layer 2 contacting the surface of the article 1 and an anti-staining surface layer 3 contacting the surface of the hard coat layer 2.

Abstract: The present invention provides inexpensively an article with a hard coat excellent in anti-staining property, lubricity, scratch resistance and abrasion resistance. The present invention also provides a method for forming the hard coat.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical information medium that is less susceptible to warp in the disk surface while offering significantly high scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, and a method for producing the optical information medium. An optical information medium (1) comprising a supporting substrate (2) and a film element, the film element disposed on the supporting substrate (2) and composed of one or more layers including at least a recording layer (5) or a reflective layer (3), wherein at least one of the supporting substrate-side surface and the film element-side surface is formed of a hard coat layer (9) of a cured product of a composition comprising (A) inorganic fine particles with an average particle size of 100 nm or less, (B) a reactive silicone, and (C) an active energy ray-curable compound.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hard coat agent composition that is useful for forming a hard coat layer with excellent anti-staining properties and lubricity, as well as superior scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, on the surfaces of various articles. The present invention also provides an optical information medium using the above hard coat agent composition. A hard coat agent composition comprising a fluorine-containing polyether compound (A) comprising an active energy ray-reactive group, and a curable compound (B) comprising two, or three or more active energy ray-polymerizable groups within each molecule. An optical information medium comprising a film element composed of one or more layers including at least a recording layer (4) or a reflective layer, on a supporting substrate (20), wherein at least one of the supporting substrate (20)-side surface and the film element-side surface is formed of a hard coat layer (8) comprising a cured product of the hard coat agent composition.

Abstract: An optical information medium which has excellent abrasion resistance and which further exhibits sufficient smudge-proof properties is provided. The optical information medium is coated on at least one surface with a film of a silane coupling agent containing a water- or oil-repellent substituent, said silane coupling agent being represented by the following formula (1): R1—Si(X)(Y)(Z) wherein R1 is the water- or oil-repellent substituent; X, Y and Z are independently a monovalent group; and at least one of X, Y and Z is a group which is capable of forming Si—O—Si bond by polycondensation with silanol group; and said medium has an underlying layer formed in contact with said silane coupling agent film, and at least the surface of said underlying layer comprises a compound having a chemical bond represented by the formula (2): M—A wherein M is a metal atom (including a semimetal), and A is a chalcogen atom selected from O, S, Se, and Te, nitrogen atom, or carbon atom.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical recording disk, with which the worsening of jitter can be prevented effectively even when fingerprints become adhered onto a laser light incidence surface. An optical recording disk 10 comprises a substrate 2, a recording layer 5, formed on the substrate, a light transmitting layer 7, formed on the recording layer, and a hard coat layer 8, formed on the light transmitting layer, and is characterized in that, when an operation of adhering an artificial fingerprint solution onto the optical recording disk's light incidence surface, onto which laser light is made incident, is performed and then an operation of wiping off the artificial fingerprint solution that has been adhered onto the light incidence surface is repeated five times, jitter becomes no more than 1.15 times that prior to the adhesion of the artificial fingerprint solution.

Abstract: The present invention provides a low-cost artificial fingerprint liquid for quantitatively and with a good reproducibility evaluating an anti-staining property, and a fingerprint adhering property or a fingerprint removing property on the surface of an optical disk such as a reproduction-only optical disk, optical recording disk, magneto-optical recording disk, various displays such as a CRT, and various substances such as glass. An artificial fingerprint liquid comprising a fine-particle-form substance and a dispersion medium capable of dispersing the fine-particle-form substance. The dispersion medium preferably has a surface tension ranging from 20 to 50 mN/m at 25° C., and preferably is selected from at least one of higher fatty acid, derivative of higher fatty acid, terpens, and derivatives of terpens. The fine-particle-form substance is at least one selected from inorganic fine particles and organic fine particles.

Abstract: The present invention provides a new fluorine-containing acetophenone derivative useful as a photo initiator, and a surface layer material containing the fluorine-containing acetophenone derivative. The present invention provides inexpensively an article with a hard coat excellent in anti-staining property, lubricity, scratch resistance and abrasion resistance, and provides a method for forming the hard coat.

Abstract: An optical information medium is provided. The medium comprises a supporting substrate, an information recording layer thereon, and a light-transmitting layer thereon and a recording or reading laser beam enters the recording layer through the light-transmitting layer, and in such medium, recording/reading characteristics are improved when the beam spot of a laser beam has a small diameter and the linear velocity is high with the function of the light-transmitting layer to protect the information recording layer maintained at a sufficient level. Also provided is a medium wherein storage stability is improved.

Abstract: A multi-layer information medium which is less likely to be deflected and twisted is provided. Such medium is also provided at low cost. The optical information medium comprises a substrate or a pair of substrates, and at least two information-storing layers for storing recorded information and/or tracking servo information disposed on said substrate or between said pair of substrates, and at least one information-storing layer is recorded or read by the recording beam or the reading beam which has passed through other information-storing layer(s). In this medium, the medium has at least one cured intermediate layer comprising an active energy radiation-curable resin, and at least one of said cured intermediate layer(s) has a tensile elongation at break of 15 to 200% and a tensile modulus of 20 to 1,000 MPa.

Abstract: An optical information medium comprising a supporting substrate, an information recording area on the supporting substrate, and a light-transmitting layer covering at least the information recording area, wherein the information recording area is irradiated with the recording/reading laser beam through the light-transmitting layer, and wherein the light-transmitting layer is highly scratch resistant upon contact with the optical pickup is provided. Also provided is an optical information medium which has a scratch-resistant light transmitting layer, and which experiences reduced vibration in high-speed rotation without suffering from problems in focus servo and tracking servo. In such optical information medium, the surface of the medium on the side of the laser beam incidence at least in the part above the information recording area has a dynamic coefficient of friction of up to 0.4.

Abstract: An optical information medium which has excellent abrasion resistance and which further exhibits sufficient smudge-proof properties is provided. The optical information medium is coated on at least one surface with a film of a silane coupling agent containing a water- or oil-repellent substituent, said silane coupling agent being represented by the following formula (1): R1—Si(X)(Y)(Z) wherein R1 is the water- or oil-repellent substituent; X, Y and Z are independently a monovalent group; and at least one of X, Y and Z is a group which is capable of forming Si—O—Si bond by polycondensation with silanol group; and said medium has an underlying layer formed in contact with said silane coupling agent film, and at least the surface of said underlying layer comprises a compound having a chemical bond represented by the formula (2): M-A wherein M is a metal atom (including a semimetal), and A is a chalcogen atom selected from O, S, Se, and Te, nitrogen atom, or carbon atom.

Abstract: An optical information medium is provided which has a light-transmitting substrate which exhibits excellent light transmittance when a laser beam of blue/violet region or ultraviolet region is used as the recording and/or reading beam; whose light transmittance is not substantially affected by the variation or fluctuation of the oscillation wavelength of the laser beam source; which has a long-term weatherability; and which exhibits sufficient protective effects against exterior impacts. The optical information medium includes an information recording layer and a light-transmitting substrate, and the medium is used such that the recording and/or reading laser beam reaches the information-recording layer through the light-transmitting substrate. The light-transmitting substrate has a light transmittance T and difference &Dgr;T between the maximum value and the minimum value of the light transmittance T in arbitrary wavelength range of 10 nm which satisfies the relations: T≧0.8 and &Dgr;T≦0.

Abstract: An optical information medium which has excellent abrasion resistance and which further exhibits sufficient smudge-proof properties is provided. The optical information medium is coated on at least one surface with a film of a silane coupling agent containing a water- or oil-repellent substituent, said silane coupling agent being represented by the following formula (1): R1—Si(X)(Y)(Z) wherein R1 is the water- or oil-repellent substituent; X, Y and Z are independently a monovalent group; and at least one of X, Y and Z is a group which is capable of forming Si—O—Si bond by polycondensation with silanol group; and said medium has an underlying layer formed in contact with said silane coupling agent film, and at least the surface of said underlying layer comprises a compound having a chemical bond represented by the formula (2): M—A wherein M is a metal atom (including a semimetal), and A is a chalcogen atom selected from O, S, Se, and Te, nitrogen atom, or carbon atom.