Zeolites are microporous crystalline
materials widely used in catalysis
and adsorption applications. The fabrication of zeolite thin films
and membranes has also opened up the possibility of using zeolites
in electronic devices and membrane separations. The existing approach
to growing zeolite films involves exposing the substrate to a high-pH
environment; however, this process is applicable to only specific
types of substrates. Our group has developed the direct wet deposition
of zeolites via ultrasonic nozzle spray deposition to address this
issue; however, the relationship between wetting properties and thin-film
quality has yet to be investigated. In this study, we prepared zeolite
CHA (Si:Al:P = 3:10:20) suspensions using different solvents and surfactants
in various concentrations. We then examined the relationships among
the composition of the cast solution, their wetting behavior on the
glass substrate, and the uniformity of the resulting thin films. We
found that using ethanol as a solvent with zeolite crystals in low
concentrations with added surfactant yielded zeolite films of high
quality. We were also able to produce low-haze zeolite coatings on
glass. The zeolite coatings with high hydrophilicity and adsorption
capacity presented excellent antifogging capability.