Layer-by-Layer Approach to Superhydrophobic Zeolite Antireflective Coatings

Antireflection surfaces and coatings have attracted considerable interests because they can maximize light transmittance of the substrates. In this work, zeolite antireflective (ZAR) coatings are prepared via layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of MFI-type zeolite silicalite-1 and polyelectrolyte. A micro- and macroporous hierarchical structure was obtained which contributes to the antireflective property of the zeolite coatings. The light transmittance of the coating on quartz can achieve as high as 99.3% at 650 nm. Furthermore, a superhydrophobic ZAR coating can be obtained by chemical modification with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl-triethoxysilane. This work demonstrates that zeolites are excellent candidates as high transparent superhydrophobic coatings.