Light-responsive nanoparticles with wettability changing from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity and their application towards highly hydrophilic fluorocarbon coatings

Novel functional silica nanoparticles (SiO 2 -NBS-F) with irreversible light-responsive wettability were prepared by grafting of a light-responsive silane coupling agent (NBS) and further bonding with hydrophobic segments via a click reaction. The NBS was synthesized using an o -nitrobenzyl alcohol derivative of the photolabile protecting group. The SiO 2 -NBS-F nanoparticles exhibited considerable change of wettability from near-superhydrophobicity to near-superhydrophilicity after UV irradiation. The changing mechanism of wettability was confirmed by UV–Vis absorption spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra. The SiO 2 -NBS-F nanoparticles were incorporated into fluorocarbon FEVE coatings by simple mixing. The nanoparticles occurred at the surface of the dried coatings even though their content was as low as 5   wt%, being due to their low surface free energy. The wettability of the SiO 2 -NBS-F filled FEVE coatings could transform from hydrophobicity (WCA 106.4°) to hydrophilicity (WCA 33.3°) after UV irradiation. It demonstrates that SiO 2 -NBS-F nanoparticles are useful to acquire highly hydrophilic surface for organic coatings.