Mesoporous ZnO–SiO2core–shell rods for UV absorbing and non-wetting applications

A versatile wet chemical approach to synthesize mesoporous ZnO–SiO 2 rods in the core–shell morphology is reported in this paper. The mesoporous nature of the rods is reflected from surface area measurements. The band gap of the ZnO–SiO 2 rods shows a blue shift compared to the ZnO rods. The non-wetting and UV absorbing nature of the rods is investigated by dip coating them on the polyester taffeta and exposing them to a UV source. By tuning the concentration of the roughening agent, an average water contact angle of 152° with better UV absorbing characteristics is obtained.