Patent ID: 8741158

Claim:
A method of forming an article with a nanostructured surface layer, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a decomposed film on the substrate, wherein the decomposed film comprises a first material and a second material, wherein the first material and the second material are differentially etchable; and etching said decomposed film for an etch duration to form the nanostructured surface layer comprising a plurality of spaced apart nanostructured features comprising a contiguous, protrusive material, wherein said nanostructured layer comprises nanopores formed by said plurality of spaced apart nanostructured features, wherein the etch duration is selected to provide the nanostructured layer with a variable porosity, to provide the nanostructured layer with a graded index of refraction, and such that the nanostructured layer exhibits one selected from the group consisting of a Strehl Ratio of from 0 to 1, anti-reflectivity across a wavelength range of at least 150 nm, UV blocking properties that reflect at least 80% of UV radiation, and combinations thereof, wherein the nanostructured surface layer comprises a layer-substrate surface adjacent to the substrate and a layer-air surface opposing the layer-substrate surface, wherein the variable porosity comprises an increasing degree of porosity in a direction from the layer-substrate surface toward the layer-air surface, and wherein the graded index of refraction comprises a decreasing index of refraction in a direction from the layer-substrate surface toward the layer-air surface.