Fabrication of minimal capital‐intensive scratch‐resistant and hydrophobic tungsten oxide film on stainless steel through spray pyrolysis

In this contribution, a pure and robust tungsten oxide (WO 3 ) film was accomplished on stainless steel (SS) substrate at 400°C through a minimal capital intensive, simplistic spray pyrolysis method by utilizing a precursor comprising tungsten hexachloride and 2‐methoxyethanol. Thermal analysis revealed the precursor's thermal decomposition and crystallization at ~230°C and 255°C, respectively. The fabricated polycrystalline (monoclinic crystal structured) film was uniform and dense in nature, exhibiting surface porosity and average surface roughness of 4.7 % and 15.9 nm, respectively. The average grain size and thickness of film were 360 ± 70 nm and ~3.6 μm, respectively. W, O elemental presence with a close atomic ratio of 1:3 on the film's surface was acquired along with 91 % lattice oxygen. Regardless of applied normal load in the range of 5 to 15 N, an increment of ~22 % in scratch hardness was gained in WO 3 ‐coated SS compared to uncoated one. Hydrophilic natured WO 3 film (water contact angle, WCA, of ~31°) was efficaciously transformed into hydrophobic (WCA, 136°) by chemical modification with octadecyltrichlorosilane to create a self‐assembled monolayer on the surface of the film. The hydrophobicity of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS)‐treated film was found to be preserved even after 100 days.