Laser fabrication of Nano-alumina-titania based photocatalytic surface in air for Superhydrophilic, anti-fogging, and self-cleaning properties

Utilizing a low-cost laser marking machine, a superhydrophilic photocatalytic layer was fabricated on a glass surface under ambient air conditions. The process involved initial laser deposition of a coating followed by a selective etching step, constructing a micro-nano structured Al Ti composite thin film with photocatalytic activity. The optimized sample exhibits effective sunlight-driven photocatalytic degradation performance toward organic pollutants, which further enhances its self-cleaning behavior. After 35 days of harsh outdoor exposure, the optimal Al Ti sample kept a WCA of 0°, which only slightly climbed to 3° after 110 days with stable superhydrophilicity maintained. Throughout the 35 days exposure, the dust accumulation on the Al Ti composite surface remained consistently lower than that on the reference glass, which also decreased over time for the treated sample demonstrating self-cleaning effect. After a single water spray cleaning, the dust removal reached 76.64% for the Al Ti sample, significantly higher than 28.86% achieved by the reference glass. Following 110 days of outdoor exposure, the anti-fogging performance of the samples remained unchanged. This composite also exhibited significantly better abrasion resistance than both the pure Ti-based sample and the reference. Moreover, sample Se-AlTi-2 exhibited anti-reflective (AR) effects across a broad spectral range of 400–1200 nm, achieving an average transmittance of 93%, exceeding the 91% transmittance of bare glass. The laser-fabricated Al Ti catalytically active surface demonstrates long-term outdoor anti-fogging, photocatalytic self-cleaning, and broadband anti-reflection properties. This approach offers a potential pathway for surface functionalization in fields such as photovoltaics and glass curtain walls.