A coating composition or a polymer composition containing UV/HEV absorbing material has a ratio of electromagnetic radiation absorption at 450 nm to that at 320 nm of greater than 5%, preferably greater than 10% and more preferably greater than 20%. An additive for incorporation into a coating, or for incorporation into a polymer, comprises nanoparticles of cerium oxide in combination with at least one other metal oxide. The additive is configured so that the coating when applied to a surface, or the polymer, has a total absorption of at least 10% of electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength band between 400 nm and 500 nm. A wood coating comprising the additive, having a total absorption of at least 10% of electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength band between 400 nm and 500 nm, is also disclosed.

Methods and systems for providing self-lubricating icephobic elastomer coatings (SLICs) can include forming the coatings from a three-component composition of a silicon elastomer, silicone oil, and a solvent, such as xylene. The coatings can provide ultra-low ice adhesion and high durability levels for a variety of applications operating in harsh icing environments, such as in aviation. In an example, the coatings or SLICs can be used in combination with a localized heating component to provide a Coating Heating Ice Protection (CHIP) system to minimize ice adhesion on the surface of an aircraft component, such as an airfoil or fan blades. Methods and systems for evaluating the ice release performance of the coatings can include high speed impaction of supercooled droplets on rotating fan blades to evaluate the coatings under conditions more representative of in-flight ice conditions, as compared to traditional testing methods.

A coating composition which comprises a dispersion comprising: (a) a core comprising a base polymer; (b) a shell at least partially surrounding said core, wherein said shell comprising a polar polymeric stabilizing agent; and (c) one or more hydrophobic particulate fillers embedded at least partially in said shell is provided.

To fabricate a perovskite solar cell (PSC), a printable carbon electrode is formed on an uppermost layer, either a perovskite layer or an interface layer thereon, of a partially-completed PSC. A carbon ink is first prepared by dispersing carbon materials in a mixture of a polymer binder and a solvent. Then the carbon ink is screen-printed on the uppermost layer to form a wet film thereon. The wet film is baked with a baking temperature not exceeding 100? C. to evaporate the solvent to form the carbon electrode. Advantageously, the wet film is pressed with a pressure during baking such that the carbon electrode becomes denser and yields a lower sheet resistance when compared to one formed without being pressed. Preferably the pressure is at least 16,000 Pa. Experimental results show that the percentage reduction of sheet resistance can reach 40%.

A colored paint that imparts a superhydrophobic surface on an object is a suspension of hydrophobic particles in a polymeric binder and a plasticizer in a solvent or mixed solvent, wherein at least a portion of the hydrophobic particles are colored particles. Colored particles can be ultramarine, iron oxide, chromium oxide, or any other colored metal oxide. The hydrophobic particles can be metal oxide particles that are surface functionalized with a fluorinated alkyl silane or an alkyl silane. The binder is a mixture of PDVF and PMMA in a ratio of 3:1 to 10:1. The plasticizer is a mixture of triethyl phosphate and perfluoro(butyltetrahydrofuran) or other perfluorinated hydrocarbon. Surfaces coated using this paint display contact angles in excess of 150 and resist abrasion.

Disclosed herein is an anti-reflective film including: a hard coating layer; and a low-refractive layer containing a binder resin, and hollow inorganic nanoparticles and solid inorganic nanoparticles which are dispersed in the binder resin, wherein the low-refractive layer includes a first layer containing at least 70 vol % of the entire solid inorganic nanoparticles and a second layer containing at least 70 vol % of the entire hollow inorganic nanoparticles, and at the time of fitting polarization ellipticity measured by ellipsometry for the first layer or/and the second layer included in the low-refractive layer using a Cauchy model represented by the following General Equation 1, the second layer satisfies a predetermined condition.

Disclosed herein is an anti-reflective film including: a hard coating layer; and a low-refractive layer containing a binder resin, and hollow inorganic nanoparticles and solid inorganic nanoparticles which are dispersed in the binder resin, wherein the low-refractive layer includes a first layer containing at least 70 vol % of the entire solid inorganic nanoparticles and a second layer containing at least 70 vol % of the entire hollow inorganic nanoparticles, and at the time of fitting polarization ellipticity measured by ellipsometry for the first layer or/and the second layer included in the low-refractive layer using a Cauchy model represented by the following General Equation 1, the second layer satisfies a predetermined condition.

A substrate with a superhydrophobic coating, wherein the superhydrophobic coating includes a binding layer disposed on the substrate, and a hydrophobic layer disposed on the binding layer, wherein the hydrophobic layer includes perfluoroalkyl-functionalized silica nanoparticles, and a method of fabricating the substrate with the superhydrophobic coating. Various combinations of embodiments of the substrate with the superhydrophobic coating and the method of fabricating thereof are provided.

A silver nanoparticle composite or a copper nanoparticle composite is formed in which the silver nanoparticle composite has silver nanoparticles, and both (a) one or more polymers and ascorbic acid adsorbed on the silver nanoparticles, wherein the (a) one or more polymers are selected from one or more of cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate phthalate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate trimellitate, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose phthalate, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, and carboxymethyl cellulose. Copper nanoparticle composite are similarly formed in which both the (a) one or more polymers and ascorbic acid are adsorbed on the copper nanoparticles.

The present disclosure relates to a composition that includes a particle and a surface species, where the particle has a characteristic length between greater than zero nm and 100 nm inclusively, and the surface species is associated with a surface of the particle such that the particle maintains a crystalline form when the composition is at a temperature between ?180? C. and 150? C.