ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Figure from article: Sputtered TiO₂-Al₂O₃...
 
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ABSTRACT
Under the backdrop of Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is expanding its solar energy sector. However, soiling and high humidity in coastal arid regions such as Dhahran considerably reduce photovoltaic (PV) module efficiency. This study was aimed at investigating the deposition and optimization of multilayer anti-soiling coatings fabricated using reactive DC magnetron sputtering to mitigate dust accumulation on solar panel surfaces. Three thin-film configurations were deposited on glass substrates: a TiO2 monolayer, a TiO2/Al2O3 bilayer, and a TiO2/Al2O3/TiO2 sandwich structure. The samples were annealed at temperatures ranging from 100 to 400 ° C and characterized in terms of optical transmittance, surface wettability, and field durability. The results demonstrate that the layer configuration considerably influences the coating performance. The bilayer film annealed at 200 ° C exhibits the optimal light transmission and higher water contact angle of 66°. Overall, this study presents a transparent and durable coating solution to mitigate soiling losses in humid and arid climates.
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