One can deposit coatings on glass or any other surface to fulfill certain function. The function can be static or related to smart, so it responds to certain conditions. Self-healing coatings, hard (diamond like coatings DLC) are known for decent time to deal with physical impacts.
Among the other properties, what we can modify by coatings, is antiviral and antibacterial properties as well as can have self – cleaning properties.
Quite useful property is the ability to change wetting – from hydrophobic to hydrophilic properties. On one situation we would like that water drops rolls off the glass surface like car windshield and on other situation we would like that condensed water forms uniform film that does not observe view, like on glass fridge door or glasses.
Color change is also possible – photochromic, thermochromic and electrochromic coatings can bring something like camouflaging and solar control.
Quite often the coating can be modified by doping or adding nanomaterials, like:
- CuO, TiO2, ZnO for anti-microbial properties
- Nano clays for gas barrier, fire retardance or corrosion inhibition
- ITO, ATO, SnO2 for conductivity or static charge control
- Fe2O3 for magnetic properties
- Al2O3, SiO2 or ZrO2 for mechanical, scratch resistance
- TiO2, ZnO2 for photocatalysis and self-cleaning properties
- TiO2, ZnO, BaSO4, CeO2 for UV stability enhancement
Amongst the most notable latest research developments is the anti-COVID-19 properties of coatings, see:
