Deposition of Durable Antireflection, Anti-Fog and Anti-Soiling Coatings from a Rough-Vacuum Non-Thermal Plasma Source

A persistent challenge in forming functional thin films on glass and transparent plastics is the independent control of film refractive index and surface energy while maintaining durability suitable for high-touch and outdoor environments. This talk will introduce aerosol impact-driven assembly (AIDA), a rough-vacuum deposition process in which gaseous precusors are nucleated into particulate material in a non-thermal plasma, and that particulate material is subsequently accelerated through a slit-shaped nozzle towards a translated substrate, where it is deposited. By tuning deposition parameters, AIDA can yield coatings of metal oxides that have refractive indices and surface energies that are tunable over a wide range of values by adjusting porosity and surface roughness. And, below a porosity threshold, these coatings are robust against abrasion and chemical attack. This talk will demonstrate example coatings that have antireflection, anti-fog, and anti-soiling behavior, and highlight ongoing efforts to scale the AIDA deposition technology to multi-meter-wide substrates.