Preparation of high transparent hydrophobic glass surface and its self-cleaning property

Transparent hydrophobic glass materials had played an important role in our daily life, but some problems such as complex or expensive manufacturing processes, poor wear resistance and opacity limited its applications. In this paper, a composite silica sol composed of modified SiO₂ nanoparticles and transparent special water-based silicone resin was prepared. An organic-inorganic hybrid coating was formed on the glass surface by a simple spraying method to produce a hydrophobic surface with high transparency and durability. Perfluorinated polyether (PFPE) chains with lower surface energy were introduced into the silica sol prepared above. The composite coatings had both the low surface energy of fluorine-containing substances and the rough structure. The surface topography, static water contact angle, self-cleaning performance, anti-fouling performance, wear resistance, adhesion performance, acid and alkali resistances of the coating were tested. The results showed that the maximum water contact angle of the prepared transparent hydrophobic glass can reach 140°. The coating had good adhesion performance, wear resistance, self-cleaning and acid resistant, but poor alkaline resistance.

Graphical Abstract