Silica Coatings: Preparation, Characterization and Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 5405

Special Issue Editor

Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, 1-7 Polizu Str., 1st District, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: synthesis of different silica materials; silica coatings; surfaces; sol–gel processes; characterization of silica coatings; anticorrosion protection; applications of different silica coatings

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Silica coatings/films applied for protecting various surfaces (i.e., glasses, plastics, PVC, metals, ceramics, textiles, paper, and wood) have captured great interest in both academia and industry,  because of their properties, such as anti-icing to anti-fouling, low-adhesion, anisotropic wetting, structural color, anti-reflection, self-cleaning, and anticorrosion.

The most important methods for the preparation and deposition of silica coatings/films are chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, electron beam evaporation, sol–gel processes, electrochemical deposition, and layer-by-layer assembly plus phase, which are necessary in order to obtain transparent, antireflective, hydrophobic, or super-hydrophobic coatings/films. These methods are used because of their low cost, high efficiency, good uniformity, and easy treatment of large and complex shape substrates under different conditions.

Various techniques, including SEM and TEM microscopy; AFM, FTIR, and UV-VIS spectroscopy; X-ray diffraction; and contact angle measurements are regularly used to investigate the physico-chemical properties of silica coatings/films, the morphology and microstructure of silica  materials, the functional groups present in the silica materials, the effects of surface roughness,  and the chemical composition of the coatings on the wettability properties.

Coatings based on silica materials have gained significant popularity in different applications, such as solar panels, light sensors, integrated optical circuits, micro-electronic memories, and optical devices.

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight the synthesis, characterization, and applications of silica coatings.

Dr. Simona Cǎprǎrescu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • silica materials
  • coatings
  • physico-chemical structure
  • morphology
  • surfaces
  • potential applications

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 7556 KiB  
Article
A Hybrid Superhydrophobic/Hydrophilic Surface Based on SiO2 Nanoparticles over a Clay Substrate for Enhanced Dew Yield Potential
by Leonardo A. Beneditt-Jimenez, Nicolás Antonio Ulloa-Castillo, Jackeline Iturbe-Ek, Oscar Martínez-Romero, Alex Elías-Zúñiga and Alan O. Sustaita
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1526; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app12031526 - 31 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2384
Abstract
The study of SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and their corresponding surface modifications through octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) has attracted attention due to their self-cleaning, hydrophobic and superhydrophobic (SHPho) properties, which are desirable for water collection based on the dew condensation effect. Such properties have been [...] Read more.
The study of SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and their corresponding surface modifications through octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) has attracted attention due to their self-cleaning, hydrophobic and superhydrophobic (SHPho) properties, which are desirable for water collection based on the dew condensation effect. Such properties have been addressed by different strategies, of which the development of hybrid superhydrophobic/hydrophilic (SHH) surfaces has shown great promise. In this research, the pairing of OTS-treated and untreated SiO2 NP layers deposited on clay substrates is investigated with the aim of exploring a hybrid SHH surface capable of enhancing dew yield behavior. Infrared analyses were conducted using FTIR to study the interaction between the clay substrate and the OTS-treated and untreated SiO2 NPs. The hybrid SHH surfaces were morphologically characterized, and contact angle (CA) measurements were performed to explore their wettability behavior. The developed hybrid SHH surfaces exhibited hydrophilic (HPhi)/SHPho properties with an improved dew yield performance. The results obtained in this article are of relevance to the development of water-harvesting devices based on hybrid SHH surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silica Coatings: Preparation, Characterization and Applications)
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14 pages, 3981 KiB  
Article
Effect of Modified Silica Materials on Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Substrates to Obtain Transparent and Hydrophobic Hybrid Coatings
by Violeta Purcar, Valentin Rădițoiu, Alina Rădițoiu, Florentina Monica Raduly, Georgiana Cornelia Ispas, Simona Căprărescu, Adriana Nicoleta Frone, Bogdan Trică, Cristian-Andi Nicolae, Mihai Anastasescu and Hermine Stroescu
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(22), 11044; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app112211044 - 22 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2273
Abstract
In this research, we report a simple and inexpensive way to prepare transparent and hydrophobic hybrid coatings through deposition of different silica materials on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) substrates. The silica materials were prepared using an acid-catalyzed sol–gel method at room temperature (25 ± [...] Read more.
In this research, we report a simple and inexpensive way to prepare transparent and hydrophobic hybrid coatings through deposition of different silica materials on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) substrates. The silica materials were prepared using an acid-catalyzed sol–gel method at room temperature (25 ± 2 °C), using alkoxysilanes: tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), as the silica source, and ethoxydimethylvinylsilane (DMVES), triethoxyoctylsilane (OTES), and trimethoxyhexadecylsilane (HDTMES), as modifier agents. The obtained materials were characterized (either as powders or as thin films) by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV/Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), and water contact-angle measurements. UV/Vis spectra showed that the PVC substrate coated with the silica material containing TEOS/DMVES/OTES had a transmittance of about 90% in the wavelength range of 650–780 nm. The water contact angles increased from 83° for uncoated PVC substrate to ~94° for PVC substrates coated with the sol–gel silica materials. These PVC films with hybrid silica coatings can be used as the materials for outdoor applications, such as energy-generating solar panel window blinds or PVC clear Windmaster outdoor blinds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Silica Coatings: Preparation, Characterization and Applications)
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