Hydrophobic MgF2 antireflective films with enhanced environmental durability by a sol–gel process

Abstract Conventional MgF 2 antireflective films possess poor environmental durability due to their hydrophilicity. In this study, novel hydrophobic antireflective films with enhanced environmental durability have been prepared from methyl silicone modified MgF 2 sols. Effects of methyl silicone on the film properties such as wettability, environmental durability and transmittance were studied. Results showed that the methyl silicone modification largely increased the film hydrophobicity and improved the environmental durability. Films with 20 wt% methyl silicone showed water contact angle of 105°, peak transmittance of 99.5% and good environmental durability. The results of accelerated test showed that the environmental durability for the films modified with 20 wt% methyl silicone is 5 times higher than that of the unmodified films.