Transparent and anti-fogging AlPO₄-5 films constructed by oblique oriented nano-flake crystals

In the present work, transparent and anti-fogging AlPO₄-5 films were prepared on glass substrates using a novel developed process. The process entails a simple in-situ sol–gel followed by vapor phase transport. The in-situ sol–gel process was implemented by coating the precursor sols for the synthesis of AlPO₄-5 on the glass substrates successively using the spin-coating method. The films and powders scribed from the films were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The unique films were composed of oblique oriented nano-flake AlPO₄-5 crystals with the thickness of about 20 nm. The formation of nano-flake crystals can be ascribed to the high concentration of the precursors, resulting in the formation of a supersaturation system. The obtained films showed high antifogging performance due to the superhydrophilicity with a water contact angle of lower than 1.0°. The silicone oil contact angle was also low about 8.2°. In addition, heteroatom-substituted AlPO₄-5 films showing different colors can be obtained easily by simply adding transition metal ions in the phosphate acid solution during the preparation that can extend the application of the method for different coating demand.