The variations of hydrophilic self-cleaning properties and refractive index dependence in the ZrO2 thin films by Gamma Irradiation

Abstract

ZrO₂ thin film samples were produced by the sol-gel dip coating method. Four different absorbed dose levels (such as ~ 0.4, 0.7, 1.2 and 2.7 Gray-Gy) were applied to ZrO₂ thin films. Hence, the absorbed dose of ZrO₂ thin film was examined as physical dose quantity representing the mean energy imparted to the thin film per unit mass by gamma radiation. Modification of the grain size was performed sensitively by the application of the absorbed dose to the ZrO₂ thin film. Therefore the grain size reached from ~50 nm to 87 nm at the irradiated ZrO₂ thin film. The relationship of the grain size, the contact angle, and the refractive index of the irradiated ZrO₂ thin film was investigated as being an important technical concern. The irradiation process was performed in a hot cell by using a certified solid gamma ray source with 0.018021 Ci as an alternative technique to minimize the utilization of extra toxicological chemical solution. Antireflection and hydrophilic properties of the irradiated ZrO₂ thin film were slightly improved by the modification of the grain size. The details on the optical and structural properties of the ZrO₂ thin film were examined to obtain the optimum high refractive index, self-cleaning and anti-reflective properties.