Highly Transparent and Zirconia-Enhanced Sol-Gel Hybrid Coating on Polycarbonate Substrates for Self-Cleaning Applications

Bing Zhang; Ruohan Xia; Yao Yan; Jia Liu; Zisheng Guan

doi:10.3390/ma16083138

Highly Transparent and Zirconia-Enhanced Sol-Gel Hybrid Coating on Polycarbonate Substrates for Self-Cleaning Applications

Materials (Basel). 2023 Apr 16;16(8):3138. doi: 10.3390/ma16083138.

Authors

Bing Zhang¹, Ruohan Xia¹, Yao Yan¹, Jia Liu¹, Zisheng Guan¹

Affiliation

¹ College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, 30 South PuZhu Road, Nanjing 211816, China.

Abstract

To improve the efficacy of polymer-based substrate hybrid coatings, it is essential to simultaneously optimize mechanical strength and preserve the optical properties. In this study, a mixture of zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) sol and methyltriethoxysilane modified silica (SiO₂) sol-gel was dip-coated onto polycarbonate (PC) substrates to form zirconia-enhanced SiO₂ hybrid coatings. Additionally, a solution containing 1H, 1H, 2H, and 2H-perfluorooctyl trichlorosilane (PFTS) was employed for surface modification. The results show that the ZrO₂-SiO₂ hybrid coating enhanced the mechanical strength and transmittance. The average transmittance of the coated PC reached up to 93.9% (400-800 nm), while the peak transmittance reached up to 95.1% at 700 nm. SEM images and AFM morphologies demonstrate that the ZrO₂ and SiO₂ nanoparticles were evenly distributed, and a flat coating was observed on the PC substrate. The PFTS-modified ZrO₂-SiO₂ hybrid coating also exhibited good hydrophobicity (WCA, 113°). As an antireflective coating on PC, with self-cleaning capability, the proposed coating has application prospects in optical lenses and automotive windows.

Keywords: ZrO2-SiO2 hybrid coating; antireflective; hydrophobicity; polycarbonate substrates.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by funding from the Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Inorganic Function Composites, the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).