Antireflective, photocatalytic, and superhydrophilic coating prepared by facile sparking process for photovoltaic panels

Abstract

Soiling of photovoltaic modules and the reflection of incident light from the solar panel glass reduces the efficiency and performance of solar panels; therefore, the glass should be improved to have antifouling properties. In this work, commercial solar panels were coated with sparked titanium films, and the antireflective, super-hydrophilic, and photocatalytic properties of the films were investigated. The reflectance, photocatalytic properties, and degradation of the organic pollutant methylene blue were determined using UV–Vis spectroscopy. The wetting properties were studied by measuring the water contact angle using an optical tensiometer. The outdoor power of the spark-discharged-titanium coated and uncoated PV panels was measured for 10 months at Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was found that conditions such as cloudiness, rainfall, and muddy stains significantly influenced the power difference (ΔP) between the coated and uncoated PV panels. The increase in ΔP was due to the improved dust removal from the super-hydrophilic surface of the coated panels. On a cloudy day, ΔP reached its highest value of 14.22%, which was anticipated to improve the anti-reflection property of the coated glass. The average ΔP was 6.62% over the entire experimental period.

Zinc Oxide Nanowall Networks Growth on Indium Tin Oxide Substrates in an Oxygen Atmosphere and Magnetic Field via the Sparking Process

“…These two quantities were correlated using the following equation: 𝐸 = ∆𝑉 𝑑 ⁄ , where 𝑑 represents a small perpendicular distance between two equipotential surfaces, and 𝐸 signifies the electric field strength, which remains nearly constant over this limited distance. ∆𝑉 denotes the potential difference between the equipotential surfaces (19,20,27).…”

“…During the operation of the sparking apparatus, the sparking head scanned forward and backward along the X-direction, while the substrate holder moved backward along the Ydirection to coat zinc particles onto the substrate. The material subjected to the process is pure zinc wires (diameter 0.38 mm, purity 99.97%, Advent Research Material Ltd.), which undergo sparking or electron discharge at a breakdown voltage of the insulators (or the medium) (19,20). This results in particles coating the ITO/glass substrate at a spark coating rate of 14.4 mm²/min.…”

“…The objective of this research is to cultivate ZnO nanowalls (NWs) on an indium tin oxide (ITO)/glass substrate or an ITO substrate by utilizing sparking electrodes in an oxygen atmosphere and a magnetic field. The electrical method has been utilized to synthesize nanomaterials such as ZnO nanoparticles, as in the previous works, due to its simplicity (18)(19). The breakdown voltage of the medium between electrodes can be reduced by adding the oxygen atmosphere (20).…”

Investigation of an Antireflective Coating System for Solar Cells based on Thin Film Multilayers

“…The absorption peaks were at 655 nm, and the peak intensity decreased regularly with the increase period of exposure. In simpler terms, as the period time increased, the degradation of MB also increased [31]. This implies that the coatings might have self-cleaning properties, potentially removing other organic contaminants from the surface of PV panels.…”