Mechanically Robust Hybrid Coatings for Antifogging, Antireflection, and Self-Cleaning Applications

Abstract

In this work, a novel multifunctional film with durable antifogging performance and remarkable optical property is designed. By doping and hybridization to build an organic–inorganic siloxane network, the surface achieves long-lasting wettability and superhydrophilicity with a water contact angle of 0°, which is maintained within 10° for over 130 days. The low refractive index endows the hybrid film with excellent optical property, which the average transmittance (380–1100 nm) of the film is 97.60% with the peak transmittance of 99.48%. By this design, the film performs well in the felt abrasion test, water impact test, X-cut tape test, tape-peeling test, chemical stability test, and anti-dust test. Due to the abundant hydroxyl radicals on the surface, the film also exhibits excellent performance, achieving 92.73% degradation of methylene blue solution (10 ppm) and 39.53% degradation of rhodamine B (10 ppm) with good reproducibility in cyclic measurements.