Method of making hydrophobic coated article, coated article including hydrophobic coatings, and/or sol compositions for use in the same

A method of making a coated article comprising a glass substrate supporting a coating, the method comprising:

• wet-applying a sol, directly or indirectly, on a major surface of the substrate, the sol comprising tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and octyltrimethoxysiloxane (OTMOS);
• and
• drying and/or curing the sol to form the coating;
• wherein the coating has an initial contact angle of 100-131 degrees.

A method of making a mirror, the method comprising:

• disposing a thin film coating on a first major surface of the substrate, the thin film coating having a reflectivity of at least about 85%;
• wet-applying a sol, directly or indirectly, onto the thin film coating, the sol comprising at least first and second alkylsiloxane chemicals, the first and second alkylsiloxane chemicals having tetra-alkoxysiloxane and tri-alkoxysiloxane structures, respectively, the sol having been aged for no more than three months prior to the wet-applying;
• and
• drying and/or curing the sol to form an anti-soiling coating that at least initially has a contact angle of greater than 100 degrees.

A coated article, comprising:

• a multi-layer thin film coating disposed, directly or indirectly, on a first major surface of a substrate, the thin film coating having a reflectivity of at least about 85%;
• and
• a wet-applied anti-soiling coating formed from a sol aged for no more than about three months prior to the wet application and comprising tetra-alkoxysiloxane and tri-alkoxysiloxane components at least initially provided in substantially equal weight percents;
• wherein the anti-soiling coating has an initial contact angle theta greater than 100 degrees, a refractive index less than 1.3, a thickness of 60-100 nm, and a root mean square roughness of 3-6.5 nm.