Self-cleaning and weather resistance of nano-SnO2/modified silicone oil coating for photovoltaic (PV) glass applications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2019
Abstract
The current investigation focused on the development of a new class of transparent nano-SnO2/modified silicone oil based coating with hydrophobic behavior and excellent self-cleaning properties for photovoltaic (PV) applications. SnO2 nanopowder was blended with silicon oil using isopropyl alcohol as a solvent which was then applied on the glass substrates using sponges. The treated glass plates were then subjected to water contact angle (WCA) measurement in order to determine the hydrophobicity of the modified glass. The results revealed the high WCA of 118° ± 2° displaying enhanced hydrophobic characteristic whereas, the UV–Vis analysis demonstrated an improved transmittance (99%) in visible region. Moreover, the prepared-coating also exhibited an excellent anti-fogging and wear-resistance behavior and was found to have insignificant changes in the WCA for 20 peeling cycles using scotch tape. Outdoor exposure’s results also confirmed that the nano SnO2–silicone oil coating on the glass panel possess superior durability against weather with WCA was 110° ± 2° and transparency > 92% in visible region even after 2 months of outdoor exposure. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Keywords
Glass substrates, Isopropyl alcohols, Outdoor exposure, Resistance behaviors, Self-cleaning properties, Visible region, Water contact angle (WCA), Weather resistance
Divisions
umpedac
Funders
UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC) and the Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE) Program Research Grant, UMPEDAC - 2016 (MOHE HICOE - UMPEDAC)
Publication Title
Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics
Volume
30
Issue
13
Publisher
Springer