Abstract: Silica(SiO2) nanoparticle coatings were fabricated using tetraethoxysilane(TEOS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB), hydrochloric acid(HCl), ethanol and water via the sol-gel process followed by dynamic hardening at 700 ℃ for 200 s. Effects of the CTAB concentration, withdrawing speed, retaining time and the number of withdrawing were investigated on the transmittance of fabricated coatings. It was found that the fabricated coating achieved the maximum transmittance of 95.9% when a CTAB mass percentage of 2.5%, a withdrawing speed of 100 mm/min, a retaining time of 60 s and one withdrawing were used. The coating was superhydrophilic, and could endure a 6H pencil hardness test. It was also shown that the CTAB added in the SiO2 sol might interact with partially hydrolyzed species of TEOS, improving the nanostructure of SiO2 sol formed by acid-catalysis, and eventually enhanced the transmittance and hydrophilicity of fabricated coatings.

Key words: acid catalyzed, sol-gel, antireflective, superhydrophilicity, dynamic hardening