Zinc-embedded silica nanoparticle layer in a multilayer coating on a glass substrate achieves broadband antireflection and high transparency

A zinc-embedded silica (Zn-SiO2) nanoparticle layer has been applied as the outermost layer over the three-layer coating system, Zn-SiO2/SiO2/ITO (indium tin oxide), coated on a soda-lime glass substrate. The additional coating of the zinc-embedded nanoparticle layer over the 2-layer/glass, i.e., SiO2/ITO/glass system, yielded a significant diminution in reflectance, as well as an improved transmittance as compared to the 2-layer/glass system. Plausible mechanisms responsible for such phenomena are discussed. The application of the zinc-embedded silica nanoparticle layer to the multilayer coating system is shown to provide a flexible way to achieve a broadband antireflection and a high transmission. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.