Bi-layered closed-pore structure anti-reflective coatings with ZnO quantum dots for further improving the solar cell efficiency

To enhance light utilization in the 300–400 nm wavelength band of bi-layered closed-pore structure anti-reflective coatings (BLCP ARCs) on the glass surface of photovoltaic (PV) modules, thereby boosting the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of solar cells, ZnO quantum dots (QDs) were incorporated into the bottom layer of the BLCP ARCs. The optimized BLCP ARCs with ZnO QDs achieved a peak transmittance of 99.00 % at 560 nm and an average of 95.82 % in the 400–1200 nm wavelength range. The BLCP ARCs with ZnO QDs can improve the PCE by 7.39 %, while those without ZnO only enhance the efficiency by 6.60 %. The result indicates that an additional 0.79% of the PCE can be attributed to the enhanced visible light absorption facilitated by the ZnO QDs in the BLCP ARCs. Moreover, the BLCP ARCs with ZnO QDs exhibited excellent abrasion resistance, acid resistance, and a pencil hardness of 3H. This research presents a novel approach to further enhancing the PCE of PV modules.