A TiO_(2)nanotubes film with excellent antireflective and near-perfect self-cleaning performances

SiO_(2)/TiO_(2)composite films have been frequently used to realize the functions of self-cleaning and antireflection.Increasing the TiO_(2)volume ratio in SiO_(2)/TiO_(2)composite film is beneficial to enhance the self-cleaning effect,while high TiO_(2)content leads to a strong Rayleigh scattering and depresses the antireflective performance,resulting in a bottleneck problem for the dual-functional application.Here,we have achieved a high-quality TiO_(2)nanotubes film with excellent antireflective and near-perfect selfcleaning performances.Ultrasound assisted pickling method has been developed to effectively prepare the well-dispersed protonated titanate nanotubes colloid.After spin-coating and annealing treatment,glass substrate coated with double-side TiO_(2)nanotubes film has a peak transmittance of 99.2%and average transmittance of 97.4%at 400-800 nm.Ultra-high porosity of TiO_(2)nanotubes film(80%)and ultra-fine size of TiO_(2)nanotubes(8.6 nm in outer diameter)lead to excellent antireflective performance.With high UV absorptivity(80%at 254 nm)and formal quantum efficiency of stearic acid(10.9×10^(-3)),TiO_(2)nanotubes film shows near-perfect self-cleaning performance.A persistent anti-fogging ability is also presented.This study demonstrates the feasibility to fabricate pure TiO_(2)antireflective coating for glass substrate,extends application field of the classic TiO_(2)nanotubes,and sheds lights on the practical applications of high-powered TiO_(2)nanotube-based multi-functional films.