Fabrication of biomimetic high performance antireflective and antifogging film by spin-coating.

In this paper, we report a facile way to fabricate biomimetic high performance optical hybrid films with excellent antireflective and antifogging properties by one-step spin-coating the mixture of mesoporous SiO(2) particles and SiO(2) sol. The production process of the films is easy, low-cost, and time-efficient. Mesoporous SiO(2) particles containing surfactants disperse in SiO(2) sol stably without any chemical modification, which decrease the effective refractive index and increase the transmittance of the films. In addition, such films possess superhydrophilic properties and exhibit high performance antifogging properties. Due to the good film forming performance of SiO(2) sol, mesoporous SiO(2) particles are embedded in the films and impart the films high mechanical stability and durability. The surface morphology of the films can maintain well after repeated friction, and the performances of antireflective and antifogging also do not change as well.