Preparation of antireflective superhydrophobic glass surfaces via etching method

Abstract

A highly transparent superhydrophobic glass surface was successfully prepared through simple hydrothermal alkaline etching followed by modification with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyl-triethoxysilane(POTS). The effects of etching temperature and etching time were investigated on the wettability and transmittance of etched glass substrates. The results showed that the glass surface hydrophobicity is enhanced as the etching time or etching temperature increases; the transmittance of the samples first increases and then decreases as the etching temperature is elevated or the etching time increases. Besides, the effects of glass surface microstructures on their wettability and transparency were analyzed and discussed. In an optimized case, a glass surface was obtained with a water contact angle of 152°, a sliding angle of less than 4° and the maximum transmission rate of 98.1%(537 nm).