NewSkin partner work on dirt-repellent surfaces for retrofitting facades and solar panels easily

NewSkin partner work on dirt-repellent surfaces for retrofitting facades and solar panels easily
Published on 03 Feb 14:08 (about 1 year ago) by AquaTT

Photovoltaics cover a growing percentage of gross electricity consumption especially now with the sustainable energy transition. In this NewSkin showcase The Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP are focused on developing dirt-repellent, easy to clean surfaces which would ensure transparency and cleanliness for glass facades and more efficient and consistent energy production for solar panels, with less maintenance costs.

The team are upscaling photoinduced hydrophilicity by applying crystalline titanium oxide to ultrathin glass in a roll-to-roll process for the first time. "The ultrathin and lightweight glass can be applied subsequently to facades or directly incorporated into solar modules as a composite material - and even onto curved surfaces." according to Valentin Heiser, a graduate student from Fraunhofer FEP working on the showcase.

Thanks to this work through NewSkin, Fraunhofer FEP scientists are now working on combining the properties of titanium dioxide and thin glass in an optimal and cost-efficient way in order to bring innovative products to market together with industry. Researchers from Newskin OITB partner Uppsala University are even working on transferring the results even to polymer films.

In the future, work will also be done by Fraunhofer FEP on layer systems that can be activated not only with UV light but also with visible light. The production and embedding of nanoparticles or doping with nitrogen, for example, are also being considered.   

Read the full press release here
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