A durable, hydrophobic and anti-scratching nano-coating for coating on a glass substrate or surface having a water contact angle of about 90° or more, a reduced coefficient of friction by 50% or more, and a reduced surface roughness compared to those of the glass substrate or surface without the nano-coating is provided, which includes a layer of fluorinated silica derived from sol-gel hydrolysis between one or more tetraalkoxysilanes having at least three alkoxy groups and one or more polyfluorinated silanes having at least a trialkoxysilane and from 15 to 17 fluorine atoms in the presence of a catalyst to a reaction mixture of the sol-gel hydrolysis between the one or more tetraalkoxysilanes and the one or more polyfluorinated silanes, and a solvent. A related method of fabricating the nano-coating via atomization of acid-containing or alkali-containing solution and sol-gel precursor solution onto the glass surface is also provided.

A method of manufacturing a solar heat collection pipe includes an inner circumferential film forming step of forming an antireflection film on an inner surface of a glass pipe and an outer circumferential film forming step of forming an antireflection film on an outer surface of the glass pipe. These film forming steps are performed so that a part of a coating film through which a coating material is flowed when the coating material is discharged from the glass pipe in a coating material discharging step of the inner circumferential film forming step and a part of a coating film with which the coating material is in contact when the glass pipe is lifted from the coating material in a lifting step of the outer circumferential film forming step are positioned within a half circumference of the glass pipe in a circumferential direction of the glass pipe.

Provided are an antireflection film having a high antireflection effect in a broad band, including, on a substrate, in this order: a particle layer containing particles; and a layer having a textured structure containing aluminum oxide as a main component, in which the particle layer has an aluminum oxide textured structure between the particles, and an optical member and an optical apparatus each using the antireflection film.

A method of processing a window member according to an embodiment includes applying a protective coating agent including at least one of a siloxane derivative and an inorganic sol compound onto a glass substrate, performing a heat treatment on the applied protective coating agent to form a protective layer on the glass substrate, thermoforming the glass substrate, and removing the protective layer, so as to process the window member without degradation of optical characteristics and without surface damages of the glass substrate.

A composition for use in a preparation of a nickel oxide layer that includes Ni(NO.sub.3).sub.2.nH.sub.2O, wherein n is 0, 4, 6 or 9, at least one metal acetate, and a solvent combination that includes a diol, an alcohol amine, and water.

The invention relates to a process for obtaining a material comprising a substrate coated on at least one part of at least one of its faces with at least one functional layer, said process comprising: a step of depositing the or each functional layer, then a step of depositing a sacrificial layer on said at least one functional layer, then a step of heat treatment by means of radiation chosen from laser radiation or radiation from at least one flash lamp, said radiation having at least one treatment wavelength between 200 and 2500 nm, said sacrificial layer being in contact with the air during this heat treatment step, then a step of removing the sacrificial layer using a solvent, said sacrificial layer being a monolayer and being such that, before heat treatment, it absorbs at least one part of said radiation at said at least one treatment wavelength and that, after heat treatment, it is capable of being removed by dissolution and/or dispersion in said solvent.

The coated glass sheet of the present invention includes: a glass sheet; and a coating film provided on at least one principal surface of the glass sheet and having a smooth surface. The coating film includes: isolated closed pores present within the coating film; and a matrix. The coating film is substantially free of open pores open at the surface of the coating film. For the coated glass sheet of the present invention, a transmittance gain is 2.5% or more, the transmittance gain being calculated by subtracting an average transmittance of the glass sheet as determined by applying light having wavelengths of 380 to 1100 nm to the glass sheet in the absence of the coating film on the surface of the glass sheet from an average transmittance of the coated glass sheet as determined by applying light having the wavelengths to the coated glass sheet from a side on which the coating film lies.

The present invention concerns a process to increase the mechanical and chemical resistance of a hydrolyzable network-forming silica gel coating provided on the surface of a substrate. According to the invention, a coating composition comprising a hydrolyzable, network-forming silica gel doped with a precursor of bismuth or cerium oxide is applied on the surface of the substrate. The present invention concerns also the product obtained by the said process.

The coated glass sheet of the present invention includes: a glass sheet; and a coating film provided on at least one principal surface of the glass sheet and having a smooth surface. The coating film includes: isolated closed pores present within the coating film; and a matrix. The coating film is substantially free of open pores open at the surface of the coating film. For the coated glass sheet of the present invention, a transmittance gain is 2.5% or more, the transmittance gain being calculated by subtracting an average transmittance of the glass sheet as determined by applying light having wavelengths of 380 to 1100 nm to the glass sheet in the absence of the coating film on the surface of the glass sheet from an average transmittance of the coated glass sheet as determined by applying light having the wavelengths to the coated glass sheet from a side on which the coating film lies.

To provide a colored optical layer capable of forming a solar cell module excellent in the design, and the power generation efficiency and the weather resistance, a method for producing an optical layer, an optical layer-provided solar cell module, an outer wall material for building, and a building.

An optical layer having a functional layer containing an inorganic pigment and a matrix in which the inorganic pigment is dispersed, to be disposed on the side of plane of incidence of sunlight from solar cells,

wherein at least a part of the inorganic pigment is an inorganic pigment having a maximum near infrared reflectance in a near infrared region at a wavelength of from 780 to 1,500 nm of at least 50%, an average particle size of from 5.0 to 280.0 nm and a specific surface area of from 5.0 to 1,000 m.sup.2/g.