Transparent and Hydrophilic TiO2 Anatase as Top-Protective Layer for CSP Reflectors
Titanium Dioxide is an important material that is used in many industrial applications such as photo-catalysis, glass-defogging, self-cleaning, waste water purification and anti-bacterial sterilization. The strong photo-catalysis of TiO2, and therefore its ability to decompose dirt and organic contaminants makes it an excellent top-protective layer candidate for CSP reflectors. The aim of this study consists of the deposition of a transparent and hydrophilic TiO2layer on top of the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) mirrors without altering their specular reflectance. The strong photo-catalysis and hydrophilicity of TiO2will decompose the dirt and organic matter on the surface of the mirrors, which would be cleaned away from the reflectors’ surface by rain, therefore minimizing the use of water for cleaning the CSP mirrors.In this study, polycrystalline anatase TiO2layers were deposited on glass substrates with different thicknesses. The contact angle measurements show that the hydrophilicity of TiO2increases with increasing surface roughness, with Water Contact Angle (WCA) of 52°and 30° for 48 nm and 100 nm, respectively. Super-hydrophilicity (WCA < 5°) was achieved for thicker TiO2layers, with WCA of 8° and 1° for 177 nm and 220 nm, respectively. The deposition of a 48 nm-thick TiO2layer on glass showed a high transmittance in the visible and Near Infrared (NIR) range (75%), whereas the transmission decreased with increasing thicknesses of TiO2. Therefore, a TiO2layer of 48 nm thickness is suggested in this study as a hydrophilic top-protective layer since it preserved the specular reflectance of the mirrors (97.5%) in the NIR range, compared to 98.6% without the TiO2layer.