A thick coating of
hierarchically porous double-templated TiO
2
–ZrO
2
–PMMA–PF127 with excellent
self-cleaning properties and high transmittance has been developed
for the first time on glass substrates using a simple dip-coating
technique. Comparative studies of this sample with a thick and transparent
coating of single-templated TiO
2
–ZrO
2
–PMMA have been performed to probe the origin of its exceptional
properties. The formation of the composites, successful incorporation
of the polymer into the matrix, and the porous nature of the films
have been studied. The presence of Ti
2+
in the double-templated
samples has been confirmed, which suggest the chemisorption of water
on the surface of the film. The variation in the self-cleaning properties
of the samples on UV-illumination has also been studied. The double-templated
film is found to possess the capability of good hydrophilic retention
even 2 days after UV-irradiation.
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