Facile fabrication of multifunctional transparent glass with superhydrophobic, self-cleaning and ultraviolet-shielding properties via polymer coatings

Abstract Glass is widely used in outdoor living areas such as buildings and optical sensors to pursuit people's expected living standards. However, the hydrophilic nature of traditional glass makes the dust in the air is easy to deposit on the surface, and the poor ultraviolet (UV) shielding efficiency will limit the application areas. In this work, the multifunctional glass with hydrophobicity, self-cleaning and UV-shielding properties was fabricated by coating a transparent styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) coating on the glass. Herein, SiO2 particles and UV absorber (UV326) were used to ensure the multifunctional properties. Properties of a series of weight ratios of SiO2 and UV326 were analyzed separately to ensure the appropriate content. Then, the multifunctional glass was fabricated and compared with the traditional glass. Results indicate that the water contact angle was enhanced from hydrophilic (14°) to superhydrophobic state (163°) and the prepared glass can present excellent self-cleaning and antifouling effect. The water droplet bouncing test shows the multifunctional glass was suiting Cassie state. Meanwhile, the multifunctional glass can shield 98% UV light and still retains 34.9% visible light transmittance. Thus, the multifunctional glass with superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning and UV-shielding properties is fabricated and can be used in relevant application areas.