Multifunctional inorganic glass coating for super-hydrophobic, self-cleaning, and thermal-insulating applications

Multifunctional coatings with superhydrophobicity, thermal insulation, and transparency properties are highly desirable for energy-saving windows. In this paper, a transparent inorganic composite coating is developed using aluminum hydrogen phosphate (AP) as an inorganic binder, with silica (SiO2) and antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles to construct a hierarchical micro/nanostructure. The prepared coating achieves an excellent superhydrophilicity (WCA of ∼157.3° and WSA of ∼3°). Thermal insulation tests shown a temperature reduction of 7.5 °C (∼24% decrease) under simulated sunlight. The coating also demonstrates excellent self-cleaning, mechanical durability, and chemical weathering resistance. This inorganic binder-based strategy offers a new pathway for designing durable multifunctional coatings for architectural glass applications.