2025-03-05 アメリカ合衆国・テキサス大学オースチン校 (UT Austin)
テキサス大学オースティン校の研究チームが開発した「スーパーサファイア」は、サファイアにナノ構造を施すことで、傷、反射、曇り、埃に強い特性を持つ新素材です。このナノ構造は、蛾の目を模倣したテーパープロファイルにより光の透過性を高め、反射を低減します。また、高い表面エネルギーとアスペクト比により、超親水性や超疎水性の表面を形成し、曇り防止や自己洗浄機能を実現しています。この技術は、スマートフォンの画面、眼鏡のレンズ、車のフロントガラスなど、耐久性と性能が求められる用途に適しています。研究チームは、製造スケールの拡大や機械的・化学的特性の向上を目指し、さらなる実用化に向けて取り組んでいます。
＜関連情報＞
- https://cockrell.utexas.edu/news/archive/10163-super-sapphire-is-scratch-glare-fog-and-dust-resistance
- https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/mh/d4mh01844c
傷に強いサファイアナノ構造で、反射防止、曇り防止、防塵機能を備えています Scratch-resistant sapphire nanostructures with anti-glare, anti-fogging, and anti-dust properties
Kun-Chieh Chien,Mehmet Kepenekci,Andrew Tunell and Chih-Hao Chang
Materials Horizons Published:11 Feb 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MH01844C
Abstract
Although there has been significant interest in the novel material properties of bio-inspired nanostructures, engineering them to become mechanically durable remains a significant challenge. This work demonstrates the fabrication of sapphire nanostructures with anti-glare, anti-fogging, anti-dust and scratch-resistant properties. The fabricated nanostructures demonstrated a period of 330 nm and an aspect ratio of 2.1, the highest reported for sapphire thus far. The nanostructured sapphire sample exhibited broadband and omnidirectional antireflection properties, with an enhanced transmission of up to 95.8% at a wavelength of 1360 nm. The sapphire nanostructures also exhibited enhanced wetting performance and could mitigate fogging from water condensation or repel water droplets. Furthermore, owing to their sharp features, the fabricated structures could prevent particulate adhesion and maintain a 98.7% dust-free surface area solely using gravity. Furthermore, nanoindentation and scratch tests indicated that the sapphire nanostructures have an indentation modulus and hardness of 182 GPa and 3.7 GPa, respectively, which are similar to those of bulk glass and scratch-resistant metals such as tungsten. These sapphire nanostructures can be fabricated using high-throughput nanomanufacturing techniques and can find applications in scratch-resistant optics for photonics, electronic displays, and protective windows.
