Fabrication of omnidirectional anti-reflection and super hydrophilicity SiO2 nanorods by oblique angle deposition

Growth of silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanorods were fabricated via electron beam evaporation with oblique angle deposition technique approach at different film thickness. The morphologies, optical and wettability properties were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, spectrophotometry with angle dependence technique and contact angle measurement, respectively. Compared with that on the SiO2 thin films, the transmission on the SiO2 nanorods is significantly improved. The transmission is decreased with the height of the SiO2 nanorods. In addition, the result indicated that the SiO2 nanorods provide enhancement wettability which can function as the super-hydrophilicity surface. The experiment analysis of the thickness dependence omnidirectional anti-reflection and super-hydrophilic characteristics will benefit the design of self-cleaning glass application.