Metal-doped titanium oxide films for suppressing potential-induced degradation of photovoltaic modules

Titanium oxide films were prepared from peroxotitanium complex aqueous solution containing a peroxo complex of vanadium, molybdenum or tungsten of 2, 5, 10 mol % by heating at 200 °C for the purpose of suppressing the photocatalytic activities that may be developed by crystallization during long-term use as a prevention film against potential-induced degradation (PID) of crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaic (PV) module. The films containing those dopants crystallized to anatase by hydrothermal treatment at 100 °C for 15 h as an acceleration test, but hardly showed any photocatalytic activity. According to the lattice constants, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses and UV–visible light reflection spectra, it was estimated that vanadium (V), molybdenum (VI) and tungsten (VI) were substituted with titanium (IV) in titanium oxide heated at low temperature of 200 °C. The titanium oxide films containing the dopants of 2 mol % were coated at 200 °C onto the rear side of front cover glass with 200 nm thickness. No significant PID was observed in the c-Si PV modules based on the film-coated glass by a PID test by applying −1000 V at 85 °C for 2 h.