Multifunctional surfaces with outstanding mechanical stability on glass substrates by simple H2SiF6-based vapor...

Mechanically robust antireflective glass surfaces play an important role in the performance of many optical and optoelectronic devices. In this paper, we have demonstrated a simple method to create a high performance wide-range antireflective layer on glass surface by H2SiF6-based vapor etching at low temperature (5-20 °C). The maximum transmittance of 99.0% was achieved under optimal etching conditions. Scratch tests showed that the surface had excellent mechanical strength, and its pencil hardness is above 6H. After 2 month outdoor exposure, the as-etched glass showed remarkable stability in their antireflection property. The as-etched glass was endowed superhydrophilic and antifogging property after annealing and O2-plasma treatment, which provide an additional advantage for operating outdoors or in high-humidity environments. The composition, morphology, and formation mechanism of the hierarchically nanostructured surface were discussed in detail on the basis of experimental results. A new mechanism was proposed to account for the etching-morphology relationship.