Highly porous nanocomposite films were produced at room temperature from SiO₂ or TiO₂–SiO₂ solutions synthesized by a sol–gel route in the presence of oxide nanoparticles. The photocatalytic behavior of titania-based films was controlled at the sol synthesis step, through three parameters: the relative molar concentration between polymeric and condensed silica, the reactivity of the hydrolysis step, and the relative molar concentration of the active component. The reported method allowed ample tuneability of film refractive index, an important parameter for the design of antireflective and multifunctional coatings. Superhydrophilic properties were demonstrated by the samples and, notably, retained for over 30 days. Experimentally mimicking accelerated surface pollution with olive oil and stearic acid, a strong correlation was found between residual organic contamination, quantified by integrating the film absorption FT-IR spectrum over the C–H_n stretching area, and the measured water contact angle (WCA). Strategies for a fast surface cleaning and restoration of the superhydrophilic behavior via a mild oxidizing agent, based on UV exposure or immersion in a NaClO water solution, were investigated.

在室温下由 SiO ₂或 TiO ₂ –SiO ₂制备高度多孔的纳米复合薄膜在氧化物纳米粒子存在下通过溶胶-凝胶途径合成的溶液。二氧化钛基薄膜的光催化行为在溶胶合成步骤中通过三个参数进行控制：聚合二氧化硅和缩合二氧化硅之间的相对摩尔浓度、水解步骤的反应性和活性组分的相对摩尔浓度。报告的方法允许薄膜折射率的充分可调，这是设计抗反射和多功能涂层的重要参数。样品证明了超亲水特性，特别是可以保持超过 30 天。通过实验模拟用橄榄油和硬脂酸加速表面污染，发现残留有机污染之间存在很强的相关性，_n拉伸面积，以及测量的水接触角 (WCA)。研究了基于紫外线照射或浸入 NaClO 水溶液的温和氧化剂快速表面清洁和恢复超亲水行为的策略。