Adhesion mechanisms on solar glass: Effects of relative humidity, surface roughness, and particle shape and size
Abstract
To better understand and quantify soiling rates on solar panels, we are investigating the adhesion mechanisms between dust particles and solar glass. In this work, we report on two of the fundamental adhesion mechanisms: van der Waals and capillary adhesion forces. The adhesion was determined using force versus distance (F-z) measurements performed with an atomic force microscope (AFM). To emulate dust interacting with the front surface of a solar panel, we measured how oxidized AFM tips, SiO2 glass spheres, and real dust particles adhered to actual solar glass. The van der Waals forces were evaluated by measurements performed with zero relative humidity in a glove box, and the capillary forces were measured in a stable environment created inside the AFM enclosure with relative humidity values ranging from 18% to 80%. To simulate topographic features of the solar panels caused by factors such as cleaning and abrasion, we induced different degrees of surface roughness in the solar glass. As a result, we were able to 1) identify and quantify both the van der Waals and capillary forces, 2) establish the effects of surface roughness, relative humidity, and particle size on the adhesion mechanisms, and 3) compare adhesion forces between well-controlled particlesmore »
- Authors:
-
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1375106
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1549659
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5K00-67734
Journal ID: ISSN 0927-0248
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 172; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0927-0248
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; soiling mechanisms; Van der Waals forces; capillary forces; relative humidity; surface roughness; dust particles
Citation Formats
Moutinho, Helio R., Jiang, Cun -Sheng, To, Bobby, Perkins, Craig, Muller, Matthew, Al-Jassim, Mowafak M., and Simpson, Lin J. Adhesion mechanisms on solar glass: Effects of relative humidity, surface roughness, and particle shape and size. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2017.07.026.
Moutinho, Helio R., Jiang, Cun -Sheng, To, Bobby, Perkins, Craig, Muller, Matthew, Al-Jassim, Mowafak M., & Simpson, Lin J. Adhesion mechanisms on solar glass: Effects of relative humidity, surface roughness, and particle shape and size. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2017.07.026
Moutinho, Helio R., Jiang, Cun -Sheng, To, Bobby, Perkins, Craig, Muller, Matthew, Al-Jassim, Mowafak M., and Simpson, Lin J. Thu .
"Adhesion mechanisms on solar glass: Effects of relative humidity, surface roughness, and particle shape and size". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2017.07.026. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1375106.
@article{osti_1375106,
title = {Adhesion mechanisms on solar glass: Effects of relative humidity, surface roughness, and particle shape and size},
author = {Moutinho, Helio R. and Jiang, Cun -Sheng and To, Bobby and Perkins, Craig and Muller, Matthew and Al-Jassim, Mowafak M. and Simpson, Lin J.},
abstractNote = {To better understand and quantify soiling rates on solar panels, we are investigating the adhesion mechanisms between dust particles and solar glass. In this work, we report on two of the fundamental adhesion mechanisms: van der Waals and capillary adhesion forces. The adhesion was determined using force versus distance (F-z) measurements performed with an atomic force microscope (AFM). To emulate dust interacting with the front surface of a solar panel, we measured how oxidized AFM tips, SiO2 glass spheres, and real dust particles adhered to actual solar glass. The van der Waals forces were evaluated by measurements performed with zero relative humidity in a glove box, and the capillary forces were measured in a stable environment created inside the AFM enclosure with relative humidity values ranging from 18% to 80%. To simulate topographic features of the solar panels caused by factors such as cleaning and abrasion, we induced different degrees of surface roughness in the solar glass. As a result, we were able to 1) identify and quantify both the van der Waals and capillary forces, 2) establish the effects of surface roughness, relative humidity, and particle size on the adhesion mechanisms, and 3) compare adhesion forces between well-controlled particles (AFM tips and glass spheres) and real dust particles.},
doi = {10.1016/j.solmat.2017.07.026},
journal = {Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells},
number = C,
volume = 172,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jul 27 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Thu Jul 27 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}
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Works referencing / citing this record:
Particle size-dependent adhesion forces and wind removal efficiency of anti-soiling coatings on textured solar glasses
journal, August 2019
- Ilse, Klemens K.; Gurumoorthy, Harish Nagari; Bahattab, Mohammed A.
- MRS Communications, Vol. 9, Issue 3