Transparent superhydrophilic acrylic resin@GO-Fe3O4 coatings for glass surfaces with highly efficient visible-light-induced self-cleaning and anti-fogging properties

Abstract

A transparent layer containing acrylic resin, graphene oxide and Fe3O4 have been studied based on its potential application including photocatalytically active and self-cleaning coatings. In this study, a transparent and superhydrophilic acrylic resin@graphene oxide-Fe3O4 (PA@GO-Fe3O4) composite coating has been successfully deposited on a glass substrate by dip coating technique to provide a thin film with a self-cleaning and photocatalytically active surface. The prepared samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, UV–vis diffused transmittance (DTS) and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The photocatalytic activity of the coated surfaces was investigated by the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV and visible light irradiation. The glass film of PA@GO-Fe3O4 (5 %) with an average roughness of 20.71 nm exhibited 76 % and 72 % MB photodegradation efficiency for 450 min under UV and visible light illuminations. The transparency of the glass coated film decreased to 76 % relative to that of the non-coated bare glass (92 %). The hydrophilicity of the glass coated film facilitated the formation of a thin water layer, which can increase self-cleaning property of glass coated film and augment the anti-fog effect. Therefore, the PA@GO-Fe3O4 composite coating exhibits significant superhydrophilicity, self-cleaning, and antifogging properties.