Performance and durability of thin film solar cells via testing the abrasion resistance of broadband anti-reflection coatings
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Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Erol Kurt
Access Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Abstract
Reflection from the front glass of solar modules causes over 4% optical loss leading to a significant decrease in module efficiency. Single layer solution gelation (sol-gel) anti-reflective (AR) coatings are effective over a narrow range of wavelengths, whereas reflection losses can be reduced over a broader wavelength when multilayer broadband AR coatings are applied. In this work, three different multilayer AR coatings including 4-layer SiO2/ZrO2, 4-layer SiO2/ITO, and 6-layer SiO2/ZrO2 were deposited using magnetron sputtering. The abrasion resistance is important because the coatings will be subject to regular cleaning cycles. A variety of abraders including Felt pad, CS-10 and CS-8 under different loads are used. The optical performance and durability of these coatings were analyzed using a spectrophotometer, optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and scanning white light interferometer. No damage was observed after abrasion of the coatings with a felt pad under 1 and 2 N loads. However, there was a slight increase in Weighted Average Reflection. When coatings were tested with CS-10 and CS-8 abraders, coatings with ZrO2 resulted in higher scratch resistance in comparison to coating with ITO. However, all-dielectric broadband AR coatings are more durable and have better optical performance compared to single layer sol-gel coatings. © 2022.
Description
Keywords
Abrasion resistance, Anti-reflection (AR) coating, Photovoltaic (PV), Abrasion, Durability, Erosion, Film preparation, Gelation, Multilayers, Scanning electron microscopy, Silica, Silicon, Sol-gel process, Sol-gels, Solar panels, Solar power generation, Zirconia, Anti reflective coatings, Broadband antireflection, Module efficiency, Optical performance, Performance, Photovoltaic, Photovoltaics, Reflection loss, Single layer, Solar module, Wear resistance
Journal or Series
Journal of Energy Systems
WoS Q Value
Scopus Q Value
Q4
Volume
6
Issue
1
