Synthesis, characterization and hydrophilic properties of ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}–TiO{sub 2} composite film

Highlights: • ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}–TiO{sub 2} composite films have been successfully prepared via a sol–gel method. • It was deposited on glass slides through dip coating process. • 7% ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}–TiO{sub 2} film exhibits a superhydrophilic property with a contact angle 0°. • The self-cleaning glasses also display antifogging property. - Abstract: ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}–TiO{sub 2} composite films have been successfully prepared via a sol–gel method and deposited on glass slides through dip coating process. The hydrophilicity of ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}–TiO{sub 2} composite films was investigated by the contact angles measurements under different conditions, including heat treatment temperature, molar ratios of ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} to TiO{sub 2} and coating layers. The results revealed that the 7 mol% ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}-TiO{sub 2} composite film exhibits an excellent superhydrophilic performance with a contact angle 0°. Compared with normal glass, the self-cleaning glasses also display antifogging property. The transmittance of ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}–TiO{sub 2} composite films was characterized by UV–vis spectra in details. Coating layers and different molar percents of ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} all have impact on the light transmittance. Moreover, the structure and morphology of the ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}–TiO{sub 2} sample were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)