Patent ID: 7754648

Claim:
A composite material comprising at least a substrate and a surface layer, said surface layer being hydrophilic and self-cleanable, said surface layer comprising three components comprising: a component (i) comprising a photocatalyst which functions as a catalyst upon exposure to light; a component (ii) comprising at least one metal oxide selected from the group consisting of Al 2 O 3 , ZnO, SrO, BaO, MgO, CaO, Rb 2 O, Na 2 O, K 2 O, and P 2 O 5 ; and a component (iii) comprising at least one metal oxide selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , ZrO 2 , GeO 2 , and ThO 2 ; wherein components (i), (ii) and (iii) are all situated within said surface layer which is provided as a single surface layer, such that all of said components are in close proximity to one another within the single surface layer.