Self-cleaning, water-harvesting, anti-reflective silica xerogel thin film coating on glass and its PV applications

Date

2025-12-1

Author

Kınacı, Sezen Öykü

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A silica xerogel coating is proposed in this study with anti-reflective, self-cleaning, and water-harvesting properties. The xerogel is synthesized using methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as precursors, methanol as solvent and is hydrophobically modified using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS). Inspired by a biomimetic approach, a superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic pattern is created on the surface for fog harvesting purposes. The resultant coating demonstrates a water collection capacity of up to 23 mg/cm2 within 30 minutes at 91% relative humidity. The water contact angle of the coating remains unchanged after patterning, retaining its superhydrophobic properties, where water droplets can easily slide off. The proposed anti-reflective coating has a potential in agri-PV systems, where its water-harvesting property can be used for irrigation, and its superhydrophobicity helps remove dust and dirt from solar panel surfaces.

Subject Keywords

Water-harvesting, Anti-reflective coating, Self-cleaning, Xerogel

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/118322

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis