Enhanced abrasion resistance of ultrathin reflective coatings on polymeric substrates: An improvement upon glass substrates

► Prepared plastic-based reflective devices using PVD. ► Improved abrasion resistance by adding ultrathin capping layers of 5 to 15 nm. ► Related resistance improvement to the decreased friction. ► Nanoscratch hardness of coating does not change with capping layers added. ► Plastic-based reflective devices outperform their glass-based counterparts.