Antireflection/antifogging coatings based on nanoporous films derived from layered double hydroxide

Multifunctional mixed metal oxide (MMO) thin films on quartz substrates have been fabricated by layer-by-layer assembly of layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles and poly(sodium styrene 4-sulfonate) (PSS) followed by calcination. which exhibited properties of both antireflection (AR) and antifogging (AF). The AR and AF performances are related to the low refractive index and superhydrophilicity originating from the nanoporous structure. The influences of deposition cycle. LDH particle size and calcination temperature on AR and AF behavior were thoroughly studied. A maximum transmittance of 98.7% at 650 nm and a minimum time of 0.2 s for a droplet to spread flat (water contact angle similar to 0) were achieved with LDH particle size of 110 nm, 10 cycles of deposition and calcination temperature of 450 C. Therefore, this work provides a facile approach for the fabrication of multifunctional coatings, which can be potentially used in photovoltaic devices, optical lens and underwater imaging systems. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.