Advanced X-ray Scattering and Spectroscopy Characterization of an Anti-Soiling Coating for Solar Module Glass

When dust and other particulates accumulate on the surface of solar modules the power output of these soiled modules is significantly reduced. To combat this issue, anti-soiling coatings can be placed on the top, glass-surface of solar modules. While there exists some understanding of how anti-soiling coatings reduce soiling and reflection losses, approaches to characterize the durability and stability of the chemistry and morphology of anti-soiling PV glass module coatings and how they evolve in response to soiling interactions are currently under-developed. Here we present the use of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) as a methodology for studying the morphology and chemistry of pristine and soiled anti-soiling coatings. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of SAXS in observing coating morphology despite the presence of soil surface layers; a capability which sets it apart as a strong characterization tool for anti-soi...