Here, we report on the synthesis of a silica nanoparticle (SNP)-embedded urethane acrylate (UA) nanohybrid material (SNP-UA) and demonstrate its performance as photo-patternable transparent hard coating for optical applications. The SNP (10-20 nm) were synthesized via a base-catalyzed sol-gel condensation and the surface of SNP was chemically modified with methyl and methacryl organic functions by simple and mild solution processes, which not only enabled complete dispersion of SNP in the UA matrix but also rendered chemically cross-linked hybrid network of the SNP-UA. As an UV-curable optical hard coating, the SNP-UA exhibited excellent optical transparency coupled with a tunability of refractive index, good anti-scratch performance, and photo-patternability. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.