Highly transparent, organic-inorganic hybrid UV-curable coating materials with amphiphobic characteristics

Highly transparent organic-inorganic hybrid UV-curable coating formulations were obtained using silica particles with different functional groups, such as methyl group, long alkyl chain, benzene ring, isobutyl group, and fluorine group. Their surface chemical structures were analyzed by attenuated total reflection-flourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface morphology of the hybrid UV-curable coating formulated materials was observed by atomic force microscopy and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. The hydrophobic and oleophobic properties were investigated by contact angle measurements using water, hexadecane, and artificial fingerprint solution. The prepared hybrid UV-curable coating materials exhibited excellent transparency, good hydrophobic, and oleophobic properties in addition to the high thermal stability and high pencil hardness up to 8H. In particular, the hybrid UV-curable coating materials with a small amount of fluorine-functionalized silica showed balanced coating performance, such as high pencil hardness (6 H) and good amphiphobic properties (static contact angles in water (135 degrees), oil (100 degrees), and artificial fingerprint solution (114 degrees)), as well as excellent transparency of more than 95% of transmittance.