Durable self-cleaning anti-reflective and antifog micro-nanostructures fabricated by laser ablation of vanadium-coated glass surfaces

In this study, low-cost laser marker ablation of vanadium-coated glass was adopted to prepare self-cleaning, anti-reflective, and anti-fog micro-nano structures on its surface. The surface had a hierarchical micro-nano structure composed of a quasi-periodic microstructure and ∼100 nm-sized worm-like clusters interspersed with dispersed nanoparticles. The solar spectrum (AM 1.5) weighted average transmission of treated glass was enhanced by 3.87% over control glass in the wavelength range of 400–1100 nm. Importantly, the water contact angle of the laser-treated samples achieved and maintained 0° for a duration of 25 days, and the laser-treated samples achieved and maintained excellent anti-fog performance for 150 days. The antifog performance degraded substantially afterward, though was still noticeable compared to the reference even after 428 days of storage in the laboratory. Furthermore, co-achievement of exceptional self-cleaning anti-fog performance and broadband transmission enhancement through laser treatment of glass has rarely been previously reported.