SBIR Phase I: Durable Anti-Reflective Nanostructured Coatings for Photovoltaic Devices

This Small Business Technology Transfer Program Phase I project is to develop a manufacturing process for precisely controlled application of layers with precisely controlled nanostructure leading to a scalable multi-layered, nanostructured anti-reflective coating for use on commercial photovoltaic modules. Sol-gel chemistry will be employed as the basis for these coatings owing to the low materials cost, friendly and scalable chemistry, ease of solution coating, and durability. The broader impact of this project is to produce a durable multi-functional coating that will increase power output of solar modules by 7% to 15% with an incremental cost of energy of <$0.17/W (<$0.001/kW-hr) for typical thin film installations. The fundamental knowledge gained about the chemical and mechanical mechanisms that determine the long-term mechanical and optical stability of anti-reflective coatings made with multi-layer nanoporous materials will be a further impact.