Solar heat reflective glass by nanostructured sol–gel multilayer coatings

New 3-layer near-infrared reflective glasses were prepared by coating clear float soda-lime glass with nanostructured TiO₂ and SiO₂ films using a dip coating technique. Reflective interference filters at NIR region (800–1000 nm) were designed by simulation and prepared onto 4 mm clear glass. Optical, microstructural and mechanical properties were determined for the coated glasses. 3-layer sol–gel glasses show high visible transmittance >70% combined with high solar reflectance about 30% (with reflectivity up to 60% at region from 800 to 950 nm) and high UV blockage (transmittance <35%). Due to good abrasion resistance of the filters, application for monolithic windows in automotive and architectural areas is promising.     

Improvement of the short-circuit current density and efficiency in micromorph tandem solar cells by an anti-reflection layer

An anti-reflection layer has been fabricated and applied in micromorph tandem (a-Si:H/μc-Si:H) solar cells. In this work, the porous anti-reflection layers are produced on glass substrates by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using a CF₄ and O₂ gas mixture. The process is simple and easily controlled. The tandem solar cells with the anti-reflection layer show the increased short-circuit current density of the solar cells due to increased light transmittance from air/glass interface. With the anti-reflection layer, the short-circuit current density of the tandem cell increases by 0.29 mA/cm². Meanwhile, the solar cell efficiency increases from 11.15% to 11.55% (3.5% in relative) which allows us to develop more efficient a-Si based solar cells.     

Piezoelectric and optical properties of ZnO thin films deposited using various O<Subscript>2</Subscript>/(Ar+O<Subscript>2</Subscript>) gas ratios

In this study, ZnO thin films were fabricated on a Pt(111)/TiO_x/SiO₂/Si substrate using the RF magnetron sputtering method. Then, the effect of the crystallization orientation and microstructure on the piezoelectric and optical properties of the ZnO thin film was investigated for various O₂/(Ar+O₂) gas ratios. When the O₂/(Ar+O₂) gas ratio was 50%, the intensity of the (002) peak corresponding to the preferred orientation of the ZnO thin film was a maximum and the minimum FWHM value of 0.56° was observed. The surface roughness of the ZnO thin film measured using AFM also had a minimum value of 16.43 °C at an O₂/(Ar+O₂) gas ratio of 50%. The piezoelectric characteristics of the ZnO thin film were measured using the pneumatic loading method (PLM) and the corresponding constant had the largest value of 11.9 pC/N at an O₂/(Ar+O₂) gas ratio of 50%. The transmittance of the ZnO thin film obtained from the transmittance curve using a spectrophotometer was slightly greater than 80% in the human visible light region at an O₂/(Ar+O₂) gas ratio of 50%. By using the refractive index data obtained from the transmittance curve and the Sellmeir dispersion relation, we can also predict the refractive index at a wavelength of 400 nm. When the O₂/(Ar+O₂) gas ratio was 50%, the refractive index was 2.043 and, at other gas ratios, the corresponding refractive indices were 2.004∼2.006. The band gap energies of the ZnO thin film were 3.27∼3.33 eV depending on the O₂/(Ar+O₂) gas ratio and were little affected by the variation of the oxygen inflow volume.     

Low refractive index silicon oxide coatings at room temperature using atmospheric-pressure very high-frequency plasma

Low refractive index silicon oxide films were deposited using atmospheric-pressure He/SiH₄/CO₂ plasma excited by a 150-MHz very high-frequency power. Significant increase in deposition rate at room temperature could prevent the formation of dense SiO₂ network, decreasing refractive index of the resulting film effectively. As a result, a silicon oxide film with the lowest refractive index, n = 1.24 at 632.8 nm, was obtained with a very high deposition rate of 235 nm/s. The reflectance and transmittance spectra showed that the low refractive index film functioned as a quarter-wave anti-reflection coating of a glass substrate.     

Surface coatings of zinc oxide–tantalum pentoxide on multicrystalline Si solar cell as effective light harvester

One of the key elements to enhance the performance of solar cells was antireflective surface coatings. It can be employed through different deposition techniques such as spin coating, dip coating, blade coating, etc., In this research work, the coating materials such as ZnO, Ta₂O₅ and ZnO–Ta₂O₅ blends were coated over silicon solar cells through electrospraying technique. The performance of coated solar cells were evaluated using different characterization techniques. At the coating time of 90 min and input voltage supply of 17 kV, almost uniform thin films were attained. This was confirmed through FESEM and AFM analysis. The transmittance and power output characteristics of coated glass slides and Si solar cells were examined through UV–Vis spectroscopy and I–V source meter. In comparison with other solar cells, the ZnO–Ta₂O₅ blend (H3) coated cell exhibit uniform layer deposition and minimal light reflectance of 5%. The maximum power conversion efficiency was achieved for H3 solar cell of 17.7% (direct sunlight) and 19.6% (neodymium light source), due to increased transmittance of photons reaching the depletion region. The electrical resistivity of H3 solar cell was noted as 3.57?×?10^?3 Ω cm using four probe method, which was lesser than other solar cells. From the obtained experimental outcomes, ZnO–Ta₂O₅ blend coated solar cell reveal the maximum performance than other coated and uncoated solar cells. Hence, ZnO–Ta₂O₅ blends were found to be better antireflective material for attaining maximum output performance of solar cell.

     

Multifunctional high-reflective and antireflective layer systems with easy-to-clean properties

High-reflective (HR) and even more antireflective (AR) layer systems are in use for widespread applications. Multifunctional layer systems providing high optical functionality with an easy-to-clean or a self-cleaning behaviour would be preferable for many applications to avoid soiling of the surface. In this paper, the feasibility of fabrication by highly productive pulse magnetron sputtering in an in-line coating plant is investigated. Easy-to-clean properties are achieved by a top layer of photocatalytic and photoinduced hydrophilic TiO₂.Multifunctional HR layer systems were successfully deposited on glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates at a low deposition temperature of 150 °C, demonstrating the possibility of coating certain polymer materials. Double-sided multifunctional AR layer systems with a single-sided photoinduced hydrophilic TiO₂ top coating have a resulting reflectivity of about 3% and transmittance of about 97% in the visible range of light.     

Near-infrared reflection from periodically aluminium-doped zinc oxide thin films

Multilayers of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) as a heat-reflection material were prepared by a reactive sputtering method with intermittent Al doping or Al content modulation. A drop in the refractive indices n around the plasma wavelength λ_p of 1456 nm for the optimally-doped Al:ZnO layers formed the periodic distribution of n in the multilayers. The periodic n provided selective reflection of approximately 60% under λ_p and shielded near-infrared solar radiation containing high energy, which was impossible to be reflected from the Al:ZnO monolayer. The selective reflection was accompanied by infrared reflection above λ_p, low emissivity and no subsequent visible reflection, which allowed the multilayers to achieve compatibility between the solar heat gain coefficient of 0.6 and the visible transmittance of nearly 80%.     

Double layer SiNx:H films for passivation and anti-reflection coating of c-Si solar cells

In this report, we present a cost effective simple innovative approach to fabricate double layer anti-reflection (DLAR) coatings using a single material which can provide high qualities of passivation and anti-reflection property. Two layers of SiN_x:H films with different refractive indices were deposited onto p-type c-Si wafer using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition reactor by controlling the NH₃ and SiH₄ gas ratio. Refractive indices of top and bottom layers were chosen as 1.9 and 2.3 respectively. The effect of passivation at the interface was investigated by effective carrier lifetime, hydrogen concentration and interface trapped density (D_it) measurements. The optical characteristic was analyzed by reflectance and transmittance measurements. A superior efficiency of 17.61% was obtained for solar cells fabricated with DLAR coating when compared to an efficiency of 17.24% for cells with SLAR coating. Further, J_sc and V_oc of solar cell with DLAR coating is increased by a value of ~ 1 mA/cm² and 4 mV respectively than cell with SLAR coating.     

Characterization of SiO2 and TiO2 films prepared using rf magnetron sputtering and their application to anti-reflection coating

Preparation of TiO₂ and SiO₂ films for optical applications was attempted using conventional rf magnetron sputtering in the sputtering ambient with various O₂/Ar+O₂ ratios and at substrate temperatures between room temperature and 400 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and optical spectroscopy investigations indicated that oxygen addition in the sputtering ambient was essential for growing TiO₂ films with stoichiometric compositions and good transmittance, while SiO₂ films had a stoichiometric composition of O/Si ratio=2.1-2.2 and were highly transparent in the visible wavelength region, independent of gas composition in the growing ambient. It was also identified from scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements that the structural characteristics of both TiO₂ and SiO₂ films were significantly improved with O₂ addition in the sputtering ambient, showing smoother surface morphologies and higher resistances to water absorption when compared with films grown without O₂ addition. Heating of the substrate between 200 and 400 °C considerably increased the refractive index of TiO₂ layers, resulting in dense structures along with an improvement of crystallinity. For optical applications, AR coatings composed of 2-4 multi-layers on glass were designed and manufactured by stacking in turn the SiO₂ and TiO₂ films at room temperature and O₂/Ar+O₂=10%, and the performance of the produced coatings was compared with simulation results.     

自组装法制备中空二氧化硅纳米粒子减反射薄膜

以正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)为壳层材料, 聚丙烯酸(PAA)为核材料, 以传统的Stöber水解法为基础制备得到结构规整的中空二氧化硅纳米粒子, 并采用自组装法制备单层减反射薄膜和宽波段双层减反射薄膜。主要研究中空二氧化硅纳米粒子的结构调控方法; 自组装次数和中空二氧化硅纳米粒子分散液的pH值对减反射薄膜透光率的影响规律, 以及具有渐变折射率的双层减反射薄膜的制备。研究结果表明: 通过调节PAA和TEOS的用量可精确调控中空二氧化硅纳米粒子的粒径和空腔体积分率, 进而可精确调控减反射薄膜的厚度和折射率; 通过酸洗工艺, 将自组装次数由10次减少为2次, 简化了涂膜的工艺条件, 在最佳工艺条件下所制备的单层减反射薄膜在350~800 nm波长范围内可显著提高玻璃的透光率, 在最佳波长(λ=520 nm)处将玻璃的透光率由91.6%提高至98.1%; 双层减反射薄膜可在更宽的波段范围内提高基材的透光率, 在400~1500 nm波长范围内将玻璃的透光率提高了5%以上。     

Rutile TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> films as electron transport layer in inverted organic solar cell

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films were prepared by sol–gel spin coating method and deposited on ITO-coated glass substrates. The effects of different heat treatment annealing temperatures on the phase composition of TiO₂ films and its effect on the optical band gap, morphological, structural as well as using these layers in P3HT:PCBM-based organic solar cell were examined. The results show the presence of rutile phases in the TiO₂ films which were heat-treated for 2 h at different temperatures (200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 °C). The optical properties of the TiO₂ films have altered by temperature with a slight decrease in the transmittance intensity in the visible region with increasing the temperature. The optical band gap values were found to be in the range of 3.28–3.59 eV for the forbidden direct electronic transition and 3.40–3.79 eV for the allowed direct transition. TiO₂ layers were used as electron transport layer in inverted organic solar cells and resulted in a power conversion efficiency of 1.59% with short circuit current density of 6.64 mA cm^?2 for TiO₂ layer heat-treated at 600 °C.     

ZnO Coated Anodic 1D TiO2 Nanotube Layers: Efficient Photo‐Electrochemical and Gas Sensing Heterojunction

The authors demonstrate, in this work, a fascinating synergism of a high surface area heterojunction between TiO₂ in the form of ordered 1D anodic nanotube layers of a high aspect ratio and ZnO coatings of different thicknesses, produced by atomic layer deposition. The ZnO coatings effectively passivate the defects within the TiO₂ nanotube walls and significantly improve their charge carrier separation. Upon the ultraviolet and visible light irradiation, with an increase of the ZnO coating thickness from 0.19 to 19 nm and an increase of the external potential from 0.4–2 V, yields up to 8‐fold enhancement of the photocurrent density. This enhancement translates into extremely high incident photon to current conversion efficiency of ≈95%, which is among the highest values reported in the literature for TiO₂ based nanostructures. In addition, the photoactive region is expanded to a broader range close to the visible spectral region, compared to the uncoated nanotube layers. Synergistic effect arising from ZnO coated TiO₂ nanotube layers also yields an improved ethanol sensing response, almost 11‐fold compared to the uncoated nanotube layers. The design of the high‐area 1D heterojunction, presented here, opens pathways for the light‐ and gas‐assisted applications in photocatalysis, water splitting, sensors, and so on.

     

New intelligent multifunctional SiO2/VO2 composite films with enhanced infrared light regulation performance,solar modulation capability,and superhydrophobicity

Abstract

Highly transparent, energy-saving, and superhydrophobic nanostructured SiO₂/VO₂ composite films have been fabricated using a sol–gel method. These composite films are composed of an underlying infrared (IR)-regulating VO₂ layer and a top protective layer that consists of SiO₂ nanoparticles. Experimental results showed that the composite structure could enhance the IR light regulation performance, solar modulation capability, and hydrophobicity of the pristine VO₂ layer. The transmittance of the composite films in visible region (T_lum) was higher than 60%, which was sufficient to meet the requirements of glass lighting. Compared with pristine VO₂ films and tungsten-doped VO₂ film, the near IR control capability of the composite films was enhanced by 13.9% and 22.1%, respectively, whereas their solar modulation capability was enhanced by 10.9% and 22.9%, respectively. The water contact angles of the SiO₂/VO₂ composite films were over 150°, indicating superhydrophobicity. The transparent superhydrophobic surface exhibited a high stability toward illumination as all the films retained their initial superhydrophobicity even after exposure to 365 nm light with an intensity of 160 mW^.cm^?2 for 10 h. In addition, the films possessed anti-oxidation and anti-acid properties. These characteristics are highly advantageous for intelligent windows or solar cell applications, given that they can provide surfaces with anti-fogging, rainproofing, and self-cleaning effects. Our technique offers a simple and low-cost solution to the development of stable and visible light transparent superhydrophobic surfaces for industrial applications.     

太阳电池组件上纳米多孔SiO_2减反射膜的制备和增透性能研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备纳米多孔SiO_2减反射薄膜,通过对不同制备工艺的探索(如陈化时间、提拉速度)以及所制备的纳米SiO_2薄膜的微观结构的研究,探究SiO_2溶胶特性对薄膜结构的影响以及薄膜纳米结构对其光透过率的影响,寻找最优化的制备工艺制备纳米多孔SiO_2减反射薄膜,进一步提高太阳电池组件上超白玻璃的透过率问题. 结果表明以氨水为催化剂、陈化时间为4天、提拉速度为1.25mm/s的工艺制备减反射薄膜效果最好. 在超白玻璃盖板上镀减反射膜后, 透过率 (400～1100nm)由90%提高到96%,对太阳电池组件应用可进一步增加6%左右的可见光利用.     

The effect of sputtering gas pressure on structure and photocatalytic properties of nanostructured titanium oxide self-cleaning thin film

Titanium oxide thin films were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering on ZnO (80 nm thickness)/soda-lime glass and SiO₂ substrates at different gas pressures. The post annealing on the deposited films was performed at 400 °C in air atmosphere. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the films had anatase phase after annealing at 400 °C. The structure and morphology of deposited layers were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface grain size and roughness of TiO₂ thin films after annealing were around 10-15 nm and 2-8 nm, respectively. The optical transmittance of the films was measured using ultraviolet-visible light (UV-vis) spectrophotometer and photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by the degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye. Using ZnO thin film as buffer layer, the photocatalytic properties of TiO₂ films were improved.     

Theoretical Analysis of Spectral Selective Transmission Coatings for Solar Energy PV System

Spectral selective transmission coatings can adjust the spectrum of incident solar radiation to reduce the waste heat generation in solar cells and to improve solar photovoltaic conversion efficiency. The ideal spectral transmissivity of the coatings should match the spectral response of solar cells, which means the ideal spectral transmissivity should be equal to 1.0 in the range of the spectral response and 0 in the other spectrum. The reflection performance of the three kinds of spectral selective transmission coatings for silicon solar cells are designed and analyzed. The results indicated that the ZnS/Na₃AlF₆ coating systems have a wider reflected infrared (IR) region than the TiO₂/SiO₂ coating systems, but lower transmissivity in the wavelength range of 0.5 μm to 1.1 μm. Furthermore, an Nb₂O₃/SiO₂ coating system is proposed and optimized, which has 31 layers with a smaller total thickness of 2.675 μm. The radiative properties including reflectivity and transmissivity of spectral selective transmission coatings are investigated and theoretically analyzed.     

Preparation of silica thin films by novel wet process and study of their optical properties

Silicon dioxide (SiO2) thin films have gained considerable attention because of their various industrial applications. For example, SiO2 thin films are used in superhydrophilic self-cleaning surface glass, UV protection films, anti-reflection coatings, and insulating materials. Recently, many processes such as vacuum evaporation, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, and spin coating have been widely applied to prepare thin films of functionally graded materials. However, these processes suffer from several engineering problems. For example, a special apparatus is required for the deposition of films, and conventional wet processes are not suitable for coating the surfaces of substrates with a large surface area and complex morphology. In this study, we investigated the film morphology and optical properties of SiO2 films prepared by a novel technique, namely, liquid phase deposition (LPD). Images of the SiO2 films were obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) in order to study the surface morphology of these films: these images indicate that films deposited with different reaction times were uniform and dense and were composed of pure silica. Optical properties such as refractive index and transmittance were estimated by UV-vis spectroscopy and ellipsometry. SiO2 films with porous structures at the nanometer scale (100-250 nm) were successfully produced by LPD. The deposited film had excellent transmittance in the visible wavelength region.     

Preparation of one-dimensional photonic crystals by sol-gel process for magneto-optical materials

One-dimensional photonic crystal (PC) of periodically alternating low (SiO₂) and high (TiO₂) refractive index materials was prepared by sol-gel dip coating method that controls the thickness of each layer with nanometer level. The photonic band gap of high reflectivity was verified at wavelengths between 590 nm and 820 nm, which became significant with increasing the number of bilayer. The UV-vis spectra, SEM image and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy indicate the periodic structure of SiO₂/TiO₂ multilayer. The magnetic layer of CoFe₂O₄ was also prepared by a sol-gel dip coating method. After the annealing at 700 °C, the single phase of CoFe₂O₄ film with spinel structure, without any preferred crystalline orientation, was obtained. In addition, the one-dimensional magnetophotonic crystal (MPC), in which the magnetic defect layer of CoFe₂O₄ is introduced into the periodic structure, was prepared. The light was localized at the magnetic defect due to the interference of the multilayer film, and the localized transmittance was observed around 530 nm. The Faraday rotation of MPC shows a peak at ∼ 570 nm which is close to the localized peak of transmittance. This may correspond to the enhancement of Faraday rotation due to the localization of light.     

Sol–gel derived ZrO2–SiO2 highly reflective coatings

In this paper, colloid-based highly reflective coatings consisting of alternating layers of quarterwave thick high- and low-refractive index components were deposited on glass substrates by a sol–gel spin-coating method. SiO₂ was used as the low-refractive index component, and ZrO₂ as the high-refractive index material. The colloidal suspension of ZrO₂, prepared by hydrothermal hydrolysis of ZrOCl₂, contained monoclinic nanocrystalline ZrO₂, with an average particle size of 15 nm. A minimum transmittance of 1% near 1064 nm was obtained from a 20-layer SiO₂–ZrO₂/PVP multilayer film. The ZrO₂ particles were deposited in an ethanolic suspension containing polyvinylpyroldione (PVP) as a binder. The maximum transmittance in the visible range was about 85%. A 1-on-1 laser-induced damage threshold of 16 J/cm² for the 20-layer SiO₂–ZrO₂/PVP film was observed using a Q-switched Nd:YAG high power laser at a wavelength of 1.06 μm and with a pulse width of 2.5 ns.     

Preparation of black-colored thin films from silica sol containing dissolved metal nitrates by the sol-gel method

Black-colored SiO₂-based films, containing colorant inorganic spinel crystals such as Cu₂MnO₄, CuMn₂O₄, CuMnCrO₄, CuMnFeO₄ or CuMnCoO₄, were prepared from a silica sol containing dissolved metal nitrates using the dipping-withdrawing technique. The inorganic colorants were formed in the SiO₂ matrix of the films by heat-treatment at temperatures from 600 to 660°C. The black-colored coating films were uniform and transparent with a low haze value (less than 1.0%) and with a thickness of 100–800 nm in the SiO₂-(Cu-Mn-Cr-O) system, for which the colorant was the spinel crystal of CuMnCrO₄. The visible light transmittance of the colored films was controlled in a relatively wide range of 15–65% by changing the film thickness or the colorant concentration in the coating solution. Optimization of the composition of the coating solution and the preparation conditions gave black-colored films with excellent durability and visible light transmittance of about 25%, which is similar to that of deeply black-colored glasses commonly produced by the melting method. For example, a black-colored film with a visible light transmittance of 24.6% and a film thickness of 160 nm was obtained from a coating solution with a nominal composition of 36SiO₂·64CuMnCrO₄. The durabilities of the glasses with black-colored coatings against scratching, abrasion and chemicals are good enough for the practical applications.