Abstract
Materials with superhydrophobic surfaces have received great attention fom scientists recently. One of the materials that have this property is silica thin film. Silica thin film has been widely studied due to its high hydrophobicity and ability to be applied in various materials. Superhydrophobic silica thin film has a water contact angle of more than 150; consequently, it is suitable for applications as an anti-fogging, anti-reflective and self-cleaning material which is in great demand by the industry to develop. The development of superhydrophobic materials with self-cleaning capabilities has several advantages, such as reducing maintenance costs, increasing durability, preventing snow or ice adhesion, and protecting materials from the effects of environmental pollution. Superhydrophobic silica thin films have been developed in various materials that are on glass surfaces, wood surfaces, stainless-steel, and cotton fabric coatings. This chapter focuses on discussing the latest developments of superhydrophobic thin film silica applied on various materials.
TopThe Preparation Of Silica Thin Film
Thin film is defined as a layer of material and has a thickness typically ranges from nanometers (nm) to micrometers (µm) (Fayomi et al., 2019). The fundamental formula for fabricating thin films consists of organic, inorganic, metal, or metal-organic mixtures that may have the properties of conductors, semiconductors, or insulators. The fabricating characteristics materials of thin films are low surface energy and roughness. Fluorocarbons, silicon, and some organic and inorganic materials are included in the low surface energy materials (Song and Rojas, 2013). Therefore, this discussion will thoroughly focus on the preparation of silica thin films.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Hydrophobicity: Physical property of materials showing a tendency to prefer a nonaqueous over an aqueous environment.
Sol-gel method: Method applied to generate a new material by chemical transformation of a system from “sol” to “gel” phase.
Self-cleaning surface: Materials having this property have ability to remove any dirt or wreckage and even virus or bacteria from their surfaces in several of ways.
Anti-reflective: The physical property of material surface to reduce reflection.
Nanoparticles: Particles with the size in the range of 1 to 100 nanometres.
Corrosion: A natural process transforming a refined metal into a more chemically stable form normally into its oxide.
Superhydrophobic: A measure of hydrophobicity with water contact angle > 150°.
Electrodeposition: Deposition of particles on the conducting surfaces using electrochemical principle.
Hydrophobic: Material surfaces having this property tend to avoid or repel water.
Wettability: A measure describing the ability of fluid to spread on a solid surface.
Morphology: The study of shape, size, texture of materials.
Anti-fogging: The physical property of material surface to prevent the water condensation into fog-like small droplets.
Precursor: Raw material used to produce another or a new material.