Development and Thermal-Soiling Performance Evaluation of Boron-Nitride Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposite Coatings for Solar Photovoltaic Applications

Notice

This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.

Year : 2026 | Volume : 14 | 02 | Page :
    By

    Sandeep Sharma,

  • Bharat Singh,

  • Lalit Mohan Trivadi,

  • Sandeep Banerjee,

  • K Sudha,

  1. Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering, New Delhi, India
  2. Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering, New Delhi, India
  3. Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Sciences, Moradabad Institute of Technology, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
  4. Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering, New Delhi, India
  5. Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bharati Vidyapeeth’s College of Engineering, New Delhi, India

Abstract

Surface heating, dust buildup, and weakening triggered by ultraviolet (UV) light all have a vast effect on the long-term performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. These issues all lower power conversion efficiency in real-world open-air circumstances. A nanocomposite coating built on fluoropolymer (FEP) that is reinforced with hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanoparticles is invented by this study to enhance thermal dissipation, optical transmission, and resistance to dirt at the same time. Because of its high thermal conductivity and wide bandgap, heat management and UV endurance are improved by h-BN. On the other side, the surface is made superhydrophobic by the fluorinated polymer matrix, which is suitable for hot and dusty places. A solution-casting and spray-coating process was employed to yield the FEP/h-BN nanocomposite layer, and it was put on solar-grade glass substrates. The temperature gradients, optical transmittance, surface wettability, and photovoltaic electrical output of uncoated glass were looked at and compared by us. . An improvement in visible light transmission, ranging from 89 to 92%, reduction of module working surface temperature by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius, and an advancement in contact angles beyond 102 degrees, indicating hydrophobicity and dust reduction, were suggested by experimental results. Coated PV modules produced 4.1 to 6.3% more power than uncoated modules when tested under conditions comparable to AM 1.5. The performance of solar photovoltaic systems is degraded by thermal losses and soiling effects due to dust accumulation. This paper presents an overview of the design and fabrication of boron nitride reinforced polymer nanocomposite coatings for improving thermal management and mitigating soiling effects in solar photovoltaic systems. Hexagonal Boron Nitride was chosen for this application because of its high thermal and chemical stability. Boron nitride was incorporated into the polymer matrix in order to form nanocomposite coatings. These coatings were then applied to glass substrates and tested for optical transmittance, thermal properties, and dust adhesion. It has been found that the inclusion of boron nitride in the coatings enhances the dissipation of heat from the surface while maintaining high optical clarity. The coatings were also observed to minimize the accumulation of dust on the surface. The nanocomposite coatings were observed to be viable in improving the efficiency of solar photovoltaic systems. This was largely because it conducted heat better and collected less dirt. These results show that the FEP/h-BN nanocomposite is a promising multifunctional coating material that may be used on PV glass in industry to make it more reliable at generating energy, especially in dry and dusty places.

Keywords: hexagonal boron nitride, fluoropolymer nanocomposite, thermal conductivity, superhydrophobic coating, photovoltaic modules, anti-soiling performance.

How to cite this article:
Sandeep Sharma, Bharat Singh, Lalit Mohan Trivadi, Sandeep Banerjee, K Sudha. Development and Thermal-Soiling Performance Evaluation of Boron-Nitride Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposite Coatings for Solar Photovoltaic Applications. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(02):-.
How to cite this URL:
Sandeep Sharma, Bharat Singh, Lalit Mohan Trivadi, Sandeep Banerjee, K Sudha. Development and Thermal-Soiling Performance Evaluation of Boron-Nitride Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposite Coatings for Solar Photovoltaic Applications. Journal of Polymer & Composites. 2026; 14(02):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/jopc/article=2026/view=239728


References

[1] X. Li, M. Anand, and L. He, “Soiling and thermal-induced degradation in crystalline PV modules,” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 155, pp. 282–290, 2016.

[2] K. Ahmed and M. Alrashdi, “Environmental deterioration and outdoor loss mechanisms in PV modules,” Renewable Energy, vol. 124, pp. 857–869, 2018.

[3] M. Jang and S. Lee, “Anti-reflective polymer nanolayers for crystalline silicon solar cells,” Progress in Photovoltaics, vol. 24, no. 7, pp. 850–863, 2016.

 

[4] V. Kumar and P. Singh, “Nanostructured coatings for photovoltaic glass surfaces,” Surface and Coatings Technology, vol. 398, pp. 126056–126064, 2020.

[5] S. Zhao, T. Wang, and H. Li, “Optical modulation in polymer–silica nanocomposites,” Journal of Materials Chemistry A, vol. 5, no. 31, pp. 15837–15846, 2017.

[6] N. Wang, R. Chen, and L. Chen, “Superhydrophobic fluoropolymer coatings by hybrid nanoparticles,” ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, vol. 10, no. 27, pp. 23535–23546, 2018.

[7] A. Samad and S. Hussain, “Surface modification approaches to improve PV durability,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 90, pp. 453–473, 2018.

[8] R. Mishra, J. Kim, and D. Jung, “2D nanomaterials for multifunctional solar coatings,” Nano Energy, vol. 42, pp. 98–111, 2017.

[9] F. Gao and G. Li, “Performance evaluation of graphene-based photovoltaic coatings,” Solar Energy, vol. 180, pp. 136–146, 2019.

[10] P. Shinde and K. Ananth, “Thermally conductive boron nitride/polymer composites,” Applied Surface Science, vol. 533, pp. 147443–147456, 2020.

[11] L. Zhou, F. Zhao, and Y. Chen, “Fluoropolymer reinforced nanocomposite outdoor coatings,” Journal of Applied Polymer Science, vol. 139, no. 16, pp. 51621–51632, 2022.

[12] Q. Song, X. Yan, and T. Fang, “Environmental resistance of BN-based hybrid nanocoatings,” Composites Part B, vol. 182, pp. 107644–107653, 2020.

[13] Y. Wang and S. Choi, “UV durability improvement by boron-nitride in polymer matrices,” Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 387, pp. 123948–123957, 2020.

[14] T. Liu, M. Zhang, and J. Wang, “Fluorinated nanostructured surfaces for outdoor applications,” Progress in Organic Coatings, vol. 174, pp. 107001–107014, 2023.

[15] C. Huang and H. Chen, “Outdoor performance evaluation of FEP-based nanocoatings,” Surface and Coatings Technology, vol. 460, pp. 128492–128508, 2025.

Ahead of Print Subscription Original Research
Volume 14
02
Received 23/01/2026
Accepted 11/02/2026
Published 04/04/2026
Publication Time 71 Days
46

Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics