Fabrication and Characterization for Innate Super-Hydrophilic SiO sub(2) Thin Films

Distinguished with photoinduced super-hydrophilic inorganic thin films, non-photoinduced innate super-hydrophilic SiO sub(2) thin films were successfully fabricated in this work. The SiO sub(2) sol was prepared by acid-base two-step sol-gel method. The mix solution containing SiO sub(2) sol and polyethylene glycol (PEG) was coated on glass substrate and then went through thermal treatment to obtain innate super-hydrophilic SiO sub(2) thin films. The films were characterized by atomic force microscopy (ARM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and contact angle meter. The results show that the surface concave-convex microstructure and the hydroxyl content are the factors that endow the SiO sub(2) coating films with innate super-hydrophilic property.