Multifunctional glass via polymer coatings
Researchers report on the facile fabrication of multifunctional transparent glass with superhydrophobic, self-cleaning and ultraviolet-shielding properties.
Glass is widely used in outdoor living areas such as buildings and optical sensors. However, the hydrophilic nature of traditional glass lets the dust in the air deposit on the surface, and the poor ultraviolet (UV) shielding efficiency limits the application areas.
Multifunctional glass
In a new work, multifunctional glass with hydrophobic, self-cleaning and UV-shielding properties was fabricated by coating a transparent styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) coating on the glass. Herein, SiO2 particles and UV absorber (UV326) were used to ensure the multifunctional properties. The properties of a series of weight ratios of SiO2 and UV326 were analysed separately to ensure the appropriate content. Then, the multifunctional glass was fabricated and compared with the traditional glass.
Results indicate that the water contact angle was enhanced from hydrophilic (14°) to superhydrophobic state (163°) and the prepared glass showed excellent self-cleaning and antifouling effects. Meanwhile, the multifunctional glass can shield 98% UV light and still retains 34.9% visible light transmittance. Thus, the multifunctional glass can be used in all relevant application areas.
The study has been published in Progress in Organic Coatings, Volume 158, September 2021.
