Antiwetting silica–gelatin nanohybrid and transparent nano coatings synthesised through an aqueous sol–gel process

Hydrophobic silica-biopolymer hybrid has been synthesised using colloidal silica as the precursor for silica, gelatin as the biopolymer counterpart and vinyltrimethoxysilane as the surface modifier through a sol–gel method. The precursor sol was coated on glass substrates and further investigated for the extent of chemical modification, thermal degradation, hydrophobicity, particle size and transparency in the UV-Visible region. Stereomicrographs clearly indicate the water repellent nature of the hybrid coatings with respect to a water drop. FTIR was used to follow the presence of vinyl groups that impart hydrophobicity to the resultant hybrids. By varying the concentration of functionalizing agent, the extent of hydrophobic property could been tailored. The optimum concentration for effective surface modification of the silica–gelatin hybrid is about 50 wt%. Nearly 100% optical transmittance was obtained for silica–VTMS–gelatin hybrid coatings on glass substrates and this may have potential applications in optical devices and also for transparent biocompatible hydrophobic coatings on biological substrates such as leather.