Preparation and performance analysis of low-temperature and acid corrosion resistant PAA/PDMC-SiO2 IPN anti-fog coatings

Fog, a ubiquitous natural phenomenon, wreaks havoc on medical and transportation sectors, spurring an intense quest for cutting-edge anti-fog coatings. This study introduced an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) structure into polyacrylic acid (PAA), addressing the issue of high swelling ratio in PAA. This enhanced the mechanical properties of the hydrogel, thereby improving light transmittance and endowing the PAA-based superhydrophilic coating with anti-fog functionality. By incorporating nano-SiO 2 particles into this polymer solution, we developed an organic-inorganic composite anti-fog coating. This coating inherently exhibits high light transmittance (95 %). At a nano-SiO 2 content of 10 %, the coating demonstrates resistance to temperatures as low as −70 °C (transmittance 91.7 %) and acid resistance (transmittance 90.7 %). It maintains excellent anti-fog performance after rice abrasion testing and cyclic anti-fog testing. Additionally, the prepared anti-fog superhydrophilic coating possesses antibacterial properties (99 % inhibition rate).