International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

Thin coatings of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), zirconium oxide (ZrO2) and samarium oxide (Sm2O3) on aluminum alloy Al7SiMg (A356) were prepared by sol-gel method and immersion technique. The materials were characterized in detail by X-ray diffraction. The luminescent properties at room temperature were also investigated. Luminescence analysis showed that the Al2O3 coating containing ZrO2 exhibits broad excitation and emission bands, peaking at 328 nm and 392 nm, respectively. Photoluminescence data for the Al2O3 coating containing ZrO2 and Sm2O3 indicated effective excitation at 404 nm and strong broadband emission, which is due to the co-emission of ZrO2 and Sm2O3. Chromaticity coordinate analysis revealed that Al2O3 coating containing ZrO2 and Al2O3 coating containing ZrO2 and Sm₂ O₃ emit in the blue-purple and pale pink regions, respectively.The chromaticity coordinates, color purity and CIE (Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage) color-correlated temperature were determined.

A summary study of the development of solar energy and the main factors determining the productivity of photovoltaic systems has been carried out. The predominant surface contaminants of solar panels, reducing the efficiency of photovoltaic installations, and the existing different design types of cleaning systems for their effective removal are examined. The main trends in the development of singlelayer and multi-layer hydrophobic and other oxide coatings with diverse performance indicators suitable for solar panels are traced. In laboratory conditions, experimental self-cleaning coatings (based on compositions with the participation of Y2O3 and ZrO2) deposited by the sol-gel method on vitreous samples were obtained. The structure and morphology of the prepared thin films and the technological conditions for the deposition of nanoscale layers with different functional characteristics were investigated. The experimental results represent a prerequisite for the development of a series of additional compositions and a detailed technological regime for obtaining various modifications of resistant, long-lasting self-cleaning coatings, potentially applicable to photovoltaic panels.

Thin films deposited on glass substrates by sol-gel containing ZrO2 show photocatalytic activity, which are compared with TiO2 – which is used as a standard photocatalytic material applied in photovoltaics. By modifying ZrO2, coatings on glass surfaces were obtained, which are characterized by high properties, which are a prerequisite for use in photovoltaics. The coatings are dense and nanocrystal line according to SEM and XRD studies and optically transparent according to UV-VIS-NIR spectra