Synthesis of MgF₂ Nanoparticles for Improved Anti-Reflective Coating

Abstract

Anti-reflective (AR) coatings are popular because they offer high durability with effective reflectance and glare reduction, and they can endure both physical and environmental damage. Magnesium fluoride (MgF 2 ) has been used as a nanoparticle coating on AR coating materials by many researchers because they exhibit high transmittance and antireflection characteristics in the visible region, due to its low refractive index. When using MgF 2 nanoparticles on a coated AR film, however, a binder is needed to improve abrasion resistance because the binding strength between particles is weak. In this study, AR coating films were prepared by adding MgTFA as a precursor to improve the adhesion resistance of the AR coating films. The AR coating films were characterized by UV-Vis, XRD, TEM, as well as viscosity and abrasion tests. The binder added to MgF 2 to improve the bonding strength between the particles showed excellent durability. The MgF 2 with added binder had a stronger film strength than a binderless MgF 2 film, even at low drying temperatures. It also exhibited lower reflectance. These characteristics are expected to be valuable for camera lenses, for thin films that require high light extraction efficiency, and in anti-reflection films on solar cell surfaces.