Fabrication of antireflective antifogging nano-porous silica thin film on glass substrate by layer-by-layer assembly method

In this research, silica nano-porous thin films were deposited on glass substrates by layer-by-layer assembly process. The structure, morphology, surface characteristics, surface roughness, and optical and hydrophilic properties of the thin film were investigated. The X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the silica nano-porous thin film has an amorphous structure. The transmittance spectra revealed that the silica nanoporous thin film increased transparency of the glass substrate from 91.8% to 97% at 550 nm. In addition, the silica nanoporous thin film decreased water contact angle of glass surface from 67 degrees to 3 degrees. Therefore, silica nanoporous thin film showed high transparency and superhydrophilicity which greatly encourage the antireflection and antifogging functions of the thin film. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.