Sol-gel Spin Coated Hydrophilic Composite Titania-Silica Coatings on the Glass Substrates for Automotive Applications

Abstract

The pollutants from the environment can also degrade the surface of the glass, which result in loss of transmittance of the glass surface. This necessitates the formation of a dedicated crew for the correct maintenance of glass furniture, notably in the Middle East. In this paper, we describe sol-gel spin coating of titania thin films on glass substrates, which may function as a hydrophilic coating by spreading water molecules across the substrate and removing pollutants and other dust particles, hence eliminating the need for maintenance and wipers. The fabricated coating was tested with X-ray diffractogram (XRD) and evidenced anatase nature of titania and amorphous nature of silica at Bragg angle 25° in the coating. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) investigations endorsed Ti-O-Ti and Si-O-Si functional linkages at wavenumbers 551, and 957 cm-1 demonstrating the presence of titania and silica in the as-developed coating. Cross sectional field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) investigation evidenced the formation of composite titania-silica film on the glass substrate with a thickness about 36 nm. The coating transmittance was studied by ultraviolet-visible and near-infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectroscopy and found 95% transmittance in the visible region. Moreover, wetting study utilizing the sessile drop technique yielded a 74° contact angle when the water droplets were interacted.