Thin Films of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Poly(acrylic acid) Fabricated by the Layer-by-Layer Technique: a Facile Platform for Outstanding Properties

The incorporation of nanoparticles into polyelectrolytes thin films opens the way to a broad range of applications depending on the functionality of the nanoparticles. In this work, thin films of ZnO nanoparticles and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were built up using the layer-by-layer technique. The thickness of a 20-bilayer film is about 120 nm with a surface roughness of 22.9 nm as measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Thin ZnO/PAA films block UV radiation starting at a wavelength of 361 nm due to absorption by ZnO although the films are highly transparent. Due to their high porosity, these thin films show a broadband antireflection in the visible region, and thus they provide selective opacity in the UV region and enhanced transmittance in the visible region up to the near-infrared region. They are also superhydrophilic due to their high porosity and surface roughness.