Multifunctional Ag-ZrB2 composite film with low infrared emissivity, low visible light reflectance and hydrophobicity

Zirconium Boride (ZrB2) thin film exhibits excellent low infrared emissivity property, but the infrared emissivity in the mid-infrared waveband is still higher than that of traditional metal film. In this work, we reported Ag -ZrB2 nanocomposite film with low emissivity in the mid-infrared waveband by magnetron co-sputtering method. The effect of Ag content on properties of Ag-ZrB2 nanocomposite film were discussed in details. As the increase of Ag content, the infrared emissivity ε3-5μm and ε8-14μm decrease to 0.11 and 0.04 respectively. In addition, the reflectivity(R = 65%) of visible light is still lower than that of conventional metals. Consequently, the Ag-ZrB2 nanocomposite film shows low detectability in the infrared and visible wavebands, which is beneficial for infrared–visible compatible stealth. Meanwhile, ZrB2 matrix changes from hydrophilic to hydrophobic due to Ag segregation to the surface.