Facile synthesis of anti-reflective silica film with both ultrahigh transmittance and self-cleaning function

Preparation of anti -reflective (AR) films with both high transmittance and self-cleaning function is crucial for the photovoltaic or other optical devices. Herein, the modified SO2 AR film is fabricated through facile synthesis. For the synthesis of silica sol, the aging process is eliminated completely, thus greatly shortening the preparation time from days or weeks to hours. The obtained film possesses excellent transmittance, as high as 99.4% at 580 nm, increased by 8.5% for comparison with the original bare glass. After hydrophobic treatment, the water contact angle (WCA) of the film can achieve to about 140 degrees, exhibiting the nice self-cleaning function. It is demonstrated that the hydrophobic modified film has outstanding thermal stability, chemical stability, and mechanical stability. This work contributes well to the synthesis of AR films with ultrahigh transmittance and excellent self-cleaning function, exhibiting the great significance in the development of AR films.