Investigation of morphological, optical and structural properties of multi-layer coatings for solar energy

The multi-layers of nanomaterials, for the time being, are materials of great significance in the field of nanoscience. In this work, some of the physical, morphological and structural properties of multi-coatings for solar energy applications have been studied. We investigated the impact of surface roughness with the number of layers on the optical and structural properties. Decreasing surface roughness led to improve performance of transmittance, reduce reflectance, and increase bandgap for single-, double-, triple-, and quadruple coatings of semiconductors. Moreover, the decreasing in crystallite size and changing in lattice parameter are due to more strain effect on peak broadening of the crystal structure. The experimental observations are supported by simulation based on the surface roughness with the energy gaps and refractive indices, and film morphology was studied by scanning force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, optical properties studied by UV–visible spectroscopy and structural properties investigated by X-ray diffraction.