Sun Ye says the new coating prevents fogging and ‘self-cleans’. Credit: NTU Singapore

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new anti-reflective coating that prevents fogging and ‘self-cleans’ when applied to a plastic surface. 

The thin, double-layered silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide film demonstrated excellent adherence to the plastic surface, said first author Sun Ye, a PhD student at the NTU School of Materials Science and Engineering. “When subjected to abrasion using a cheese cloth pad – a standard test for optical coating – and an adhesion test using cellophane tapes, the coating maintained good durability.” 

Lab tests also demonstrated titanium dioxide’s self-cleaning ability, breaking down bacteria and dirt on the plastic surface after a full day of ultraviolet light exposure, Ye added.  

“The reported results prove the multifunctionality of our coating and the fabrication approach is fast and easy to implement, with great durability. This makes our innovation unique among other anti-fogging methods, which tend to end up with coatings with limited functions.” 

The NTU research team said their innovation may also reduce costs and waste. They have filed a Singapore patent and are looking to strike up industrial collaborations to take the coating from lab to market. 

The findings were published by Applied Surface Science.