Antireflection and self-cleaning properties of a moth-eye-like surface coated with TiO2 particles

Kazuya Nakata; Munetoshi Sakai; Tsuyoshi Ochiai; Taketoshi Murakami; Katsuhiko Takagi; Akira Fujishima

doi:10.1021/la200438p

Antireflection and self-cleaning properties of a moth-eye-like surface coated with TiO2 particles

Langmuir. 2011 Apr 5;27(7):3275-8. doi: 10.1021/la200438p. Epub 2011 Mar 10.

Authors

Kazuya Nakata¹, Munetoshi Sakai, Tsuyoshi Ochiai, Taketoshi Murakami, Katsuhiko Takagi, Akira Fujishima

Affiliation

¹ Photocatalyst Group, KSP Building East 412, Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology, 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 213-0012, Japan. [email protected]

PMID: 21391643
DOI: 10.1021/la200438p

Abstract

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films with a moth-eye-like surface are coated with TiO(2) particles to form self-cleaning antireflective films. The use of a TiO(2) suspension of high concentration to coat the PET surface produces a thicker TiO(2) layer with smaller pores, whereas a low concentration of a TiO(2) suspension gives a thinner layer of TiO(2) with larger pores. The PET films coated with TiO(2) particles exhibit a high transmittance of 76-95% and almost no absorption in the range of 400-800 nm. The PET films coated with a TiO(2) suspension with a concentration of ≥2 vol % exhibit superhydrophilicity after irradiation with UV light. After irradiation, the superhydrophilic nature is retained for at least 18 days. The TiO(2)-coated PET films showed the ability to decompose methylene blue under UV irradiation.