Characterization of closed-surface antireflective TiO2–SiO2 films for application in solar-panel glass

This paper reports the characteristics of closed-surface antireflective TiO2–SiO2 nanocomposite (CS-AR) films. The films were designed with two layers: a porous layer at the bottom and a dense one at the top. Both layers were fabricated through a printing method combined with an annealing process. The thickness of both layers ranged within 106–118 nm. The phase structure of the films was a nanocomposite of titanium and silicon dioxides. TiO2 is highly crystalline and SiO2 is amorphous, so the transmittance of the glass was significantly enhanced after coating the CS-AR film on the surface. Transmittance increased from 90.2 % (bare glass) to 96.8 % (CS-AR-coated glass). The CS-AR films also showed a high hydrophilic antifog property.