Rapid preparation of a durable superhydrophilic surface with antifogging, self-cleaning and antibacterial properties

In this study, a multifunctional superhydrophilic surface was fabricated through modification of poly (N-vinylpyrrolidone- co- methacrylic acid)/silver nanoparticles (P(NVP-co-MAA)/AgNPs) on the surface of the glass slide. The random copolymer P(NVP-co-MAA) can be rapidly adsorbed onto glass substrate and form a superhydrophilic surface with excellent antifogging and self-cleaning performance. Meanwhile, AgNPs were synthesized through reducing silver-ammonia complex ions by P(NVP-co-MAA), which also acted as the stabilizer. The superhydrophilic surface modified by P(NVP-co-MAA)/AgNPs achieved the ideal antibacterial effect owing to AgNPs bacteriostasis and the anti-adhesion of the superhydrophilic surface. It was found that as the molar monomer ratio of NVP to MAA in P(NVP-co-MAA) from 3:7–7:3, P(NVP-co-MAA) concentration larger than 0.1% and pH more than 7.0, the superhydrophilic surface with a water contact angle about 3.2° could be obtained by immersing glass slide in the copolymer aqueous solution for only 1 min. The modified surface could maintain good antifogging abilities after 150 cycles of hot-vapor antifogging, 100 cycles of tape-peeling and exposed to laboratory environment for 90 d, respectively. P(NVP-co-MAA)/AgNPs had inhibitory effect on the growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria even when the silver concentration was merely 5.2 μg/mL. P(NVP-co-MAA)/AgNPs modified surface demonstrated exceptional antifogging and self-cleaning properties, along with antibacterial capabilities that inhibited the growth of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria by over 99.6%. The method for preparing the superhydrophilic surface with multiple properties offers the benefits of simplicity, speediness, and mild conditions, which has potential application in practical production.