Sol-gel Preparation of Silan based Zirconia Hybrid Thin Film

The sol-gel process is an innovative advanced method, initially developed to

synthesize glass and ceramics at low temperature. The sol-gel process can be

used to synthesize materials with various of shapes, such as porous membranes,

thin fibers, nano-size powders and thin films. In this study, epoxy and

methacrylate-based silane coupling agents are used together with zirconium

oxide to form a hybrid coating system on the glass surface. In the experimental

study, an organic–inorganic molecular hybrid compound was prepared by the

sol-gel method. Glasses were cleaned by traditional piranha solution (3:1

H2SO4: H2O2) to remove contaminants. Silanization was applied to increase the

adhesion of hybrid coatings on glass substrates. Glass substrate was coated with

this solution by a homemade dip-coater. (3-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane,

GLYMO and 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propylmethacrylate, TMSPM) were chosen as

a silane. Zirconia is an inorganic component of hybrid materials. Coated samples

were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR),

Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy

(SEM-EDX), and Contact Angle Goniometer.