Controlled fabrication of transparent and superhydrophobic coating on a glass matrix via a Green method

A facile, green method was explored for the organic-inorganic complex coating with superhydrophobic and transparent property on glass matrix. The glass surface was firstly treated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and SiO₂ organic-inorganic solution and then modified with a layer of 1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS). The glass samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle (CA) measurement, and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The results showed that the optical transmission over the visible range up to 89 % (in reference to 100 % transmission defined by bare glass substrate), and the water CA of the film reached 168^°. Superhydrophobic coatings with excellent optical transmittance will have potential applications in our daily life.     

TMOS based water repellent silica thin films by co-precursor method using TMES as a hydrophobic agent

The present paper describes the room temperature synthesis of dip coated water repellent silica coatings on glass substrates using trimethylethoxysilane (TMES) as a co-precursor. Silica sol was prepared by keeping the molar ratio of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) precursor, methanol (MeOH) solvent, water (H₂O) constant at 1:29.27:2.09 respectively, with 0.5 M NH₄OH throughout the experiments and the TMES/TMOS molar ratio (M) was varied from 0 to 3.8. It was found that with an increase in M value, the roughness and hydrophobicity of the films increased, however the optical transmission decreased from 93% to 57% in the visible range. The hydrophobic silica films retained their hydrophobicity up to a temperature of 250 °C and above this temperature the films became hydrophilic. The hydrophobic silica thin films were characterized by taking into consideration the surface roughness studies, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, percentage of optical transmission, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle measurements.     

Nanoscale morphology for high hydrophobicity of a hard sol-gel thin film

It is challenging to obtain a hydrophobic smooth coating with high optical and mechanical properties at the same time because the hydrophobic additives are soft in nature resulting in reduced hardness and durability. This paper reports a durable hydrophobic transparent coating on glass fabricated by sol-gel technology and a low volume medium pressure (LVMP) spray process. The sol-gel formula consists of a pre-linked hydrophobic nano-cluster from hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane, titanium tetraisopropoxide and a silica-based sol-gel matrix with silica hard fillers. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is uniformly distributed throughout the coating layer providing durable hydrophobic property. Mechanical properties are achieved by the hard matrix and hard fillers with the nano-structures. Due to the surface nano-morphology, a high degree of hydrophobicity was maintained with only 10 vol.% PDMS, while the hardness and abrasion resistance of the coatings were not significantly compromised. Chemical analyses by FTIR confirmed the uniform distribution of the PDMS and surface morphology analyses by atomic force microscopy (AFM) displayed the nano-surface structures that enhanced the hydrophobicity. The special surface nanostructures can be quantified using surface Kurtosis and ratio between asperity peak height to distance between peaks. The LVMP process influences the spray droplet size resulting in different surface structures.     

Optically transparent, superhydrophobic methyltrimethoxysilane based silica coatings without silylating reagent

The superhydrophobic surfaces have drawn lot of interest, in both academic and industries because of optically transparent, adherent and self-cleaning behavior. Surface chemical composition and morphology plays an important role in determining the superhydrophobic nature of coating surface. Such concert of non-wettability can be achieved, using surface modifying reagents or co-precursor method in sol-gel process. Attempts have been made to increase the hydrophobicity and optical transparency of methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) based silica coatings using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) instead of formal routes like surface modification using silylating reagents. The optically transparent, superhydrophobic uniform coatings were obtained by simple dip coating method. The molar ratio of MTMS:MeOH:H₂O was kept constant at 1:5.63:1.58, respectively with 0.5 M NH₄F as a catalyst and the weight percent of PMMA varied from 1 to 8. The hydrophobicity of silica coatings was analyzed by FTIR and contact angle measurements. These substrates exhibited 91% optical transmittance as compared to glass and water drop contact angle as high as 171 ± 1°. The effect of humidity on hydrophobic nature of coating has been studied by exposing these films at relative humidity of 90% at constant temperature of 30 °C for a period of 45 days. The micro-structural studies carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).     

Optical properties of composites with nanodimensional oxide coatings versus the properties of film-forming sols. I. The influence of sol’s oxide composition

The influence of the aging period (duration) and the aging-related rheological characteristics of film-forming solutions (sols) on the refractive index and thickness of coatings, light reflection and light transmission coefficients, and optical losses in glass substrate-nanodimensional oxide (CuO-TiO₂) composites is considered. It has been shown that the increase in the CuO concentration in the coating and the extension of the sol aging period favor crystallization and change the form of inclusions in the coating from pseudospherical to dendritic with a different degree of branching. The refractive index of the film and its related coefficient of mirror reflection of the composite are functions of the density of packing sol disperse-phase particles into a nanodimensional layer. The packing density of dendritic particles drops decreases with the degree of their branching and transverse size of fragments. In every case, an optimal sol aging period should be found to obtain glass composites with nanodimensional coatings offering desired optical properties.     

PVP掺杂-ZrO2溶胶-凝胶工艺制备多层激光高反射膜的研究

以丙醇锆(ZrPr)为锆源，二乙醇胺(DEA)为络合剂，原位引入聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)，在乙醇体系中成功地合成了PVP掺杂-ZrO₂溶胶.采用旋涂法在K9玻璃基片上制备了PVP-ZrO₂单层杂化薄膜.用不同掺杂量的PVP-ZrO₂高折射率膜层与相同的SiO₂低折射率膜层交替沉积四分之一波堆高反射膜.借助小角X射线散射研究胶体微结构，用红外光谱、原子力显微镜、紫外/可见/近红外透射光谱、椭圆偏振仪以及1064nm的强激光辐照实验对薄膜的结构、光学和抗激光损伤性能进行表征.研究发现，体系组成的适当配置可以在溶胶稳定的前提下实现ZrPr的充分水解，赋予薄膜良好的结构、光学和抗激光损伤性能.杂化体系中，DEA与ZPr之间强的配合作用大大降低了ZrO₂颗粒表面羟基的活性，使得PVP大分子只是以微弱的氢键与颗粒的表面羟基作用而均匀分散于ZrO₂颗粒的周围，对颗粒的形成和生长无显著影响.因而在实验研究范围内，随PVP含量的增大，PVP-ZrO₂杂化膜层的折射率和激光损伤阈值均无显著变化.但是，薄膜中均匀分布的PVP柔性链可以有效促进膜层应力松弛，显著削弱不同膜层之间的应力不匹配程度、大大方便多层光学薄膜的制备.当高折射率膜层中PVP的质量分数达到15%—20%时，膜层之间良好的应力匹配使得多层高反射膜的沉积周期数可达到10以上.沉积10个周期的多层反射膜，在中心波长1064nm处透射率约为1.6%—2.1%，接近全反射特征，其激光损伤阈值为16.4—18.2J/cm²(脉冲宽度为1ns). 关键词： 溶胶-凝胶 2')" href="#">PVP-ZrO₂ 高反射膜 激光损伤     

Superhydrophobic silica films by sol–gel co-precursor method

Wetting phenomena of water droplets on solid are of crucial concern in our daily life as well as in engineering and science. The present paper describes the room temperature synthesis of superhydrophobic silica films on glass substrates using trimethylethoxysilane (TMES) as a co-precursor. The coating sol was prepared by keeping the molar ratio of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) precursor, methanol (MeOH) solvent, water (H₂O) constant at 1:38.6:8.68, respectively, with 2 M NH₄OH throughout the experiments and the TMES/TEOS molar ratio (M) was varied from 0 to 1.1. It was found that with an increase in M value, the hydrophobicity of the films increased, however the optical transmission decreased from 88% to 82% in the visible range. The hydrophobic silica films retained their hydrophobicity up to a temperature of 275 °C and above this temperature the films became superhydrophilic. The hydrophobic silica films were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, percentage of optical transmission, humidity test and static and dynamic contact angle measurements.     

Transparent water repellent silica films by sol-gel process

Non-wettable surfaces with high contact angles and facile sliding angle of water droplets have received tremendous attention in recent years. The present paper describes the room temperature (∼27 °C) synthesis of dip coated water repellent silica coatings on glass substrates using iso-butyltrimethoxysilane (iso-BTMS) as a co-precursor. Emphasis is given to the influence of the hydrophobic reagent (iso-BTMS) on the water repellent properties of the silica films. Silica sol was prepared by keeping the molar ratio of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) precursor, methanol (MeOH) solvent, water (H₂O) constant at 1:16.53:8.26 respectively, with 0.01 M NH₄F throughout the experiment and the molar ratio of iso-BTMS/TEOS (M) was varied from 0 to 0.965. The effect of M on the surface structure and hydrophobicity has been researched. The static water contact angle values of the silica films increased from 65° to 140° and water sliding angle values decreased from 42° to 16° with an increase in the M value from 0 to 0.965. The water repellent silica films are thermally stable up to a temperature of 280 °C and above this temperature the film shows hydrophilic behavior. The water repellent silica films were characterized by the Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), % of optical transmission, thermal and chemical aging tests, humidity tests, static and dynamic water contact angle measurements.     

Design a sensitive optical thin film sensor based on incorporation of isonicotinohydrazide derivative in sol–gel matrix for determination of trace amounts of copper (II) in fruit juice: Effect of sonication time on immobilization approach

A new selective and sensitive optical sensor based on the incorporation of new synthesized N′-(2-hydroxy-5-iodobenzylidene) isonicotinohydrazide (HIBIN) as an effective reagent into the nanoporous of a transparent glass like material through the sol–gel process was developed which was suitable for the determination of copper (II) ions in aqueous solutions. The thin film sensors were constructed by spin-coating of prepared sol onto glass plate and their surface morphology were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) technique. Influence of sonication time on immobilization of HIBIN into silica matrix was investigated through calculation of leaching percentage. The Results shown that sonication time of 35 min is suitable to give more stable thin films without fluctuation in sensitivity and response time of presented sensor for a long period of time. The proposed optical sensor can be used for determination of copper (II) ions in the range of 9.1 × 10⁻⁸–1.12 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹with a detection limit of 1.8 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹. It also showed relative standard deviation 3.4 and 0.72% for reproducibility and repeatability respectively, along with a fast response time about of 2 min. The constructed optode is stable in wet conditions and could be stored for at least 6 weeks without observing any change in its sensitivity. The developed sensor was successfully applied to the determination of copper (II) in fruit juice and water samples which results were confirmed by atomic absorption spectrometry method.     

Superhydrophobic sol-gel nanocomposite coatings with enhanced hardness

Sol-gel superhydrophobic coatings with improved hardness were prepared by embedding fumed silica nanoparticles in a partially condensed hybrid sol of methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS) and colloidal silica. Fumed silica particles of size 25-30 nm were incorporated in the sol and the mixture was spray-coated on glass substrate. Water contact angle (WCA) of the composite coating increased with increase in silica content of the sol mixture. The concentration of silica in the sol mixture was optimized to obtain robust superhydrophobic coatings with a WCA of 162.5° and a pencil hardness of 5H. The wetting state of water droplet on the sol-gel composite coatings was analysed with both Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models.     

溶胶-凝胶法制备TiO_2纳米薄膜及其光催化性能的研究

本文通过溶胶－凝胶工艺在玻璃表面制得了均匀透明的ＴｉＯ２纳米薄膜，其纳米颗粒的大小在５０～１５０ｎｍ范围内。该镀膜玻璃的透光性较好，在可见光范围内它相对于普通玻璃来说透光率在７２％以上。敌敌畏水溶液的光催化降解实验表明：起光催化作用的ＴｉＯ２晶型主要是锐钛矿型，因此热处理温度控制在５５０℃较好。随着镀膜次数的增加，光催化效率提高，当镀膜达到１０次时，光解率达到最高，再增加镀膜次数，光解率几乎没有提高。随着光催化效率的进一步提高，该类材料可望在环境保护、污水处理、空气净化等方面具有广阔的应用前景。     

Preparation of TiO2 thin films from autoclaved sol containing needle-like anatase crystals

A new inorganic sol-gel method was introduced in this paper to prepare TiO₂ thin films. The autoclaved sol with needle-like anatase crystals was synthesized using titanyl sulfate (TiOSO₄) and peroxide (H₂O₂) as starting materials. The transparent anatase TiO₂ thin films were prepared on glass slides from the autoclaved sol by sol-gel dip-coating method. A wide range of techniques such as Fourier transform infrared transmission spectra (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), scanning electron microscopes, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet-visible spectrum were applied to characterize the autoclaved sol and TiO₂ thin films. The results indicate that the autoclaved sol is flavescent, semitransparent and stable at room temperature. The anatase crystals of TiO₂ films connect together to form net-like structure after calcined and the films become uniform with increasing heating temperature. The surface of the TiO₂ films contain not only Ti and O elements, but also a small amount of N and Na elements diffused from substrates during heat treatment. The TiO₂ films are transparent and their maximal light transmittances exceed 80% under visible light region.     

Influence of post-annealing on the properties of Sc-doped ZnO transparent conductive films deposited by radio-frequency sputtering

Sc-doped ZnO transparent conductive films are deposited on glass substrates by radio-frequency sputtering. The influence of post-annealing on the structural, morphologic, electrical, and optical properties of the films is investigated by energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Hall measurement, and optical transmission spectroscopy. The experimental results show that these films are polycrystalline with a preferred [0 0 1] orientation. The lowest resistivity of 2.6 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm is obtained from the film annealed at 500 °C. The average optical transmittance of the films is over 90%. These results suggest that Sc-doped ZnO is a good candidate for fabricating high performance transparent conductive films.     

Plasma-based sputtering of indium tin oxide for the application of photovoltaic cells

Transparent and conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited on soda lime glass substrates by RF plasma magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The effect of thickness (100, 200 and 300?nm) on the physical (structural, optical, electrical) properties of ITO thin films was investigated systematically. It is observed that with an increase in thickness, the X-ray diffraction data indicate polycrystalline films with grain orientations predominantly along (222) and (400) directions; the average grain size increases from 10 to 30?nm; the optical band gap increases from 3.68 to 3.73?eV and the transmission decrease from 80% to 70% . Four-point probes show a low resistivity (2.4×10^?5?Ω?cm) values for film with a thickness 300?nm. Present work shows that the ITO is a promising transparent conductive oxide material for the solar cell application.     

溶胶-凝胶方法制备ZrO2及聚合物掺杂ZrO2单层光学增反射膜

以丙醇锆(Zr(OPr)₄)为原料，乙酸(HAc)为络合剂，聚乙二醇(PEG200)和聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)为大分子添加剂，在乙醇体系中成功合成了ZrO₂及聚合物掺杂ZrO₂溶胶.用旋涂法在K9玻璃基片上制备单层光学增反射膜.借助小角X射线散射和激光动态光散射技术研究胶体的微结构.采用傅里叶变换红外光谱、差示扫描量热分析、X射线衍射分析、原子力显微镜、紫外/可见/近红外透射光谱以及椭偏仪对薄膜的结构和光学性能进行表征.用输出波长为1064 关键词： 二氧化锆 溶胶-凝胶 增反射膜 激光损伤     

Deposition and characterization of transparent and conductive sprayed ZnO:B thin films

Highly transparent and conductive Boron doped zinc oxide (ZnO:B) thin films were deposited using chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) technique on glass substrate. The effect of variation of boron doping concentration in reducing solution on film properties was investigated. Low angle X-ray analysis showed that the films were polycrystalline fitting well with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and have preferred orientation in [002] direction. The films with resistivity 2.54×10⁻³ Ω-cm and optical transmittance >90% were obtained at optimized boron doping concentration. The optical band gap of ZnO:B films was found ∼3.27 eV from the optical transmittance spectra for the as-deposited films. Due to their excellent optical and electrical properties, ZnO:B films are promising contender for their potential use as transparent window layer and electrodes in solar cells.     

Dispersion compensation in optical transmission systems using high negative dispersion chalcogenide/silica hybrid microstructured optical fiber

In this paper, a new hybrid microstructured optical fiber (H-MOF) based upon photonic bandgap (PBG) light guiding mechanism which can be used for dispersion compensation in optical transmission systems is designed and simulated. The H-MOF core is made up of silica glass and the holes in the cladding network are filled with As₂Se₃ chalcogenide glass. By selecting an appropriate geometrical parameters for the structure, the dispersion and confinement losses of the proposed H-MOF at 1.55 µm are calculated to be ?6700 ps/nm/km and 6?×?10^?4 dB/m, respectively. Relative dispersion slope (RDS) of the H-MOF at 1.55 µm is about 0.00347 nm^?1. The proposed H-MOF is suitable for use in wavelength division multiplexing and dispersion compensating systems in optical fiber transmission networks.     

Fabrication and characterization of superhydrophobic thin films based on TEOS/RF hybrid

Preparation of superhydrophobic silica-based thin film by adjusting different concentration of reverse (W/O) emulsion of resorcinol formaldehyde resin (re-RF) which was hybridised with silica sol has been developed. The hybrid films were coated by the mixing solution which included precursor solution (sol-gel process) and re-RF (sol-gel process). Rough surfaces were obtained by removing the organic polymer at high temperature and then the hydrophobic groups bonded onto the films were obtained by the reaction with trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS). Characteristic properties of the as-prepared cross-section and surface of the films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atom force microscopy (AFM). The experimental parameters are mainly varied the weight ratio of re-RF to silica sol from 0.2 to 4.0. The result showed that the contact angle of the modified silica film was greater than 160° when the weight ratio of re-RF to silica sol was 2.0.     

Optical microstrip patch antennas design and analysis

This paper has presented transparent conductor oxide materials (TCOMs) based microstrip patch antennas with glass substrate and copper ground plane, which have been deeply analyzed in the visible spectrum region in comparison with the practical patch antenna model of indium tin oxide patch with glass substrate and different TCOMs based ground plane. As well as the study have investigated the effect of transparent oxide materials on patch antenna design instead of perfect conductor materials such as copper that has low cost and weight. The tradeoff between optical transparency and electrical conductivity will be evaluated for a range of visible regions. Microstrip transmission line feed method is used to predict the skin effects on a patch antenna and their impact on antenna efficiency, resonance frequency and optical transmission are also described. This study have discussed assessment of these tradeoffs and effect of TCOMs parameters on antenna design.     

How to improve transmissive optics in the very far infrared?

Conclusion We have presented the possibility to make optical coatings on quartz in the FIR and we have got a transmission coefficient as high as 97% at room temperature. It will rise probably close to 100% at liquid helium temperature where the quartz two-phonon difference processes are frozen. The use of polyethylene or TPX is also possible to make plates and lenses. The reflectivity losses are smaller because the refractive index is much smaller, but they cannot be further reduced by any coating because there is no transparent material with n1.2 in the FIR. These lenses are very useful in the FIR (except around 60 cm^–1 if they are made of polyethylene). TPX is quite transparent over the whole FIR range, and also in the visible with nearly the same refractive index as in the FIR. Alignments can be made with visible light, and still work in the FIR.