Preparation and characterization of SiO₂ nanocoating for self-cleaning solar panels

To improve the characteristic of self-cleaning, anti-dust, and electrical performance for photovoltaic (PV) panels, the traditional way of self-cleaning methods was impractical because it was expensive, scratches the glass of PV panels, corrosion, and may cause hazard to the environment which limited its application in the PV panels. Hence, the main object of this study was to create a novel super hydrophilic nanocoating by using a hybrid technique as (sol-gel/ spray coating). It produced more stability and reduce the corrosion, which would be very useful to apply in the solar cell panels. The coating solutions have been prepared by using Trimethoxysilane (3-Aminopropyl), Ethanol absolute and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS). The glass substrate was coated with different coating layers. XRD examinations proved that the material formed is pure silicon oxide (SiO₂). The thickness, microstructure, and the particle size of the nanocoating were characterized by a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The degree of super hydrophilicity was described by using the water contact angle (WCA) of a stagnant a very small drop of water on the coating measured with a contact angle meter. The spectra transmittance of the coated substrate was estimated by using a UV-spectrophotometer. The first sample, which was coated for one time, was the best among the other samples, because the optical transmittance was about 75%, and the water contact angle result was (6.92˚), this result shows the surface was superhydrophilic.