Fabrication of organic-inorganic nonhomogeneous nanocomposite coating with enhanced antifogging properties

Abstract

Antifogging coatings with superhydrophilic performance by manipulating composition and structure have obtained significant consideration over recent years attributed to their ability to readily form a thin water film, which does not deteriorate light transmission. In this work, an advanced organic-inorganic nonhomogeneous antifogging coating has been successfully fabricated. The bottom layer was comprised of silica nanoparticles, forming the three-dimensional (3D) network skeleton via the condensation of silicon hydroxyl, which enhanced the water resistance ability of the coating; while the top layer was formed by silica-polymer nanocomposite, which conferred the coating good antifogging capability due to its abundant hydrophilic groups. The composite coating exhibited size-dependent surface properties, when the average particle size of silica was 10 nm, the nanocomposite coating exhibited remarkable antifogging and frost-resisting properties. Furthermore, the composite coating also showed higher stability than the pure polymer coating, and it remained outstanding antifogging performance after soaking in water for 6 h, or 180 h of exposure to UV irritation.