TiO2/silane coupling agent composed two layers structure : a novel stability super-hydrophilic self-cleaning coating applied in PV panels

Abstract

In order to improve the properties of anti-dust and self-cleaning for PV panels, self-cleaning has been proposed. But traditional self-cleaning coatings are unstable in nature environment, so it limited the application in the PV panels. Based on the above discussions, this study aims to design a novel super-hydrophilic coating with high stability and corrosion resistance which would be very advantageous for applying in the PV panels. The super-hydrophilic self-cleaning coating is composed by 3-triethoxysilylpropylamine (KH550) and TiO2. KH550 is a kind of surface modification agent which creates more active group on surface of glass. Due to the water as the solvent, the coating is environmental friendly and the material coast is low. This coating can be applied with spraying technology and roller coating by changing the coating's viscosity. The composition was measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), particle size distribution and the surface structure was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The water contact angle (WCA) was measured by contact angle instrument. It was found that the static water contact angle on the surface of super-hydrophobic coating was as lower than 5°, which show an excellent super-hydrophilic property.