Development of robust polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based self-clean coating for commercial solar cells/panels employing spray method

Abstract

This study involved the creation of self-cleaning surfaces on glass substrates by applying a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) solution through spray coating. The properties of the coated surfaces were evaluated using various methods, including contact angle, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and UV–Vis spectroscopy analyses. The findings indicate that the characteristics of the coated surfaces were influenced by the concentration of the PVDF solution. As the concentration increased, the contact angle also increased while the transmittance decreased. A contact angle of 101° was attained as the maximum at a PVDF solution concentration of 5%. Furthermore, the light transmittance through coated substrates exhibited consistent levels up to the 5% PVDF concentration. However, a substantial decrease in light transmittance was observed beyond this 5% PVDF concentration threshold. The stability of the self-cleaning coating was assessed by subjecting the samples to UV-light for a duration of 288 h.