Multifunctional closed-pore silica/titania composite antireflective coatings based on self-assembly process

This paper reports multifunctional closed-pore silica/titania composite antireflective coatings (ARCs) prepared through combining with emulsion polymerization , sol-gel chemistry, electrostatic self-assembly, and calcination process. The ARCs show high transmittance , with maximum transmission of 98.1% at wavelength of 519 nm and the average transmittance in visible light region (400–700 nm) of 97.1%, a 7.0% increase compared with that of bare glass. Anatase nano titania decorated ARCs are obtained via controlling calcination temperature at 600 °C for 5 min and proved by XRD results. The ARCs exhibit excellent self-cleaning properties, illustrated by accelerating organic decomposition under UV and sunlight. Furthermore, the ARCs possess outstanding superhydrophilic and antifogging properties. In addition, water is the only solvent used in the whole process. These features make the method have specific advantages in the ARCs field.