Fingerprint Blurring on a Hierarchical Nanoporous Layer Glass

A fingerprint blurring phenomenon on a hierarchical nanoporous layer (HNL) glass has been discovered and experimentally investigated. The HNL glass was prepared by a simple one-pot etching as reported by the authors. IR absorption spectra and water contact angle revealed that the blurring does not come from a chemical decomposition but a transportation of the fingerprint components, and the capillary action drives the transportation, not the thermal diffusion. The fine pores in the HNL was indicated to develop the strong capillary force to blur the fingerprint. The fingerprint blurring phenomenon on the HNL can be a candidate for the third anti-fingerprint methodology after the popular ones of low frictional surfaces and anti-glare surfaces.