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- ItemLarge-area wet-chemical deposition of nanoporous tungstic silica coatings(London [u.a.] : RSC, 2015) Nielsen, K.H.; Wondraczek, K.; Schubert, U.S.; Wondraczek, L.We report on a facile procedure for synthesis of nanoporous coatings of tungstic silica through wet-chemical deposition and post-treatment of tungsten-doped potassium silicate solutions. The process relies on an aqueous washing and ion exchange step where dispersed potassium salt deposits are removed from a 150 nm silicate gel layer. Through an adjustment of the pH value of the washing agent within the solubility regime of a tungstic salt precursor, the tungsten content of the remaining nanostructured coating can be controlled. We propose this route as a universal approach for the deposition of large-area coatings of nanoporous silica with the potential for incorporating a broad variety of other dopant species. As for the present case, we observe, on the one hand, antireflective properties which enable the reduction of reflection losses from float glass by up to 3.7 percent points. On the other hand, the incorporation of nanoscale tungstic precipitates provides a lever for tailoring the coating hydrophilicity and, eventually, also surface acidity. This may provide a future route for combining optical performance with anti-fouling functionality.
- ItemOptical breathing of nano-porous antireflective coatings through adsorption and desorption of water(London : Nature Publishing Group, 2014) Nielsen, K.H.; Kittel, T.; Wondraczek, K.; Wondraczek, L.We report on the direct consequences of reversible water adsorption on the optical performance of silica-based nanoporous antireflective (AR) coatings as they are applied on glass in photovoltaic and solar thermal energy conversion systems. In situ UV-VIS transmission spectroscopy and path length measurements through high-resolution interferometric microscopy were conducted on model films during exposure to different levels of humidity and temperature. We show that water adsorption in the pores of the film results in a notable increase of the effective refractive index of the coating. As a consequence, the AR effect is strongly reduced. The temperature regime in which the major part of the water can be driven-out rapidly lies in the range of 55°C and 135°C. Such thermal desorption was found to increase the overall transmission of a coated glass by ∼ 1%-point. As the activation energy of isothermal desorption, we find a value of about 18 kJ/mol. Within the experimental range of our data, the sorption and desorption process is fully reversible, resulting in optical breathing of the film. Nanoporous AR films with closed pore structure or high hydrophobicity may be of advantage for maintaining AR performance under air exposure.