A hydrophilic multifunctional single-walled carbon nanotube transparent conductive film for photovoltaic panel electrostatic de-dusting applications

The unavoidable dust accumulation seriously degrades generating efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) panels. Recently, the electrostatic de-dusting method based on transparent conductive film (TCF) has become a research hotspot in the field of PV panel de-dusting. The de-dusting effect is closely related to the performance of the TCF. Considering the application scenario, this study prepared a single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) TCF employing the rod coating method using polysilazane as a binder. Consequently, a comprehensive evaluation index of photoelectric properties K A was proposed. Performance evaluation and application tests of hydrophilic dustproof and electrostatic de-dusting were conducted. Besides, three types of artificial accelerated aging experiments and two types of mechanical durability tests were conducted on the SWCNTs TCFs to evaluate the changes in the performance of the films in the actual application environments of the PV panels. The experimental results showed that the K A of SWCNTs TCFs reached 0.89, the light transmittance reached 90.69 %, the sheet resistance was 0.23 MΩ/□, and the electrostatic de-dusting rate ( ω ) reached 97.91 %. The TCFs were also multifunctional with good hydrophilic properties, with a self-cleaning rate ( α ) of 94.38 % under natural rainfall conditions. Further, the SWCNTs TCFs also exhibited good adaptability to outdoor environment. After weathering tests other than abrasion resistance, K A was greater than 0.81, α was better than that for PV glass, ω was greater than 96.82 %. The results of this study are expected to provide effective support for the optimisation and innovation of de-dusting methods for PV panels and the further development of PV industry.