In this study, we have optimized optically transparent
polydimethylsiloxane
(PDMS) hydrophobic coating on glass substrates that exhibit self-cleaning
as well as enhanced light in-coupling capabilities. Micro/nano textures
on the surface of PDMS were introduced through micro/nanoimprinting
to achieve light trapping as well as self-cleaning abilities. Comprehensive
studies show that the periodic arrangement of the micro/nanopatterned
features has enabled enhanced inward transmission of light in the
visible range along with superior hydrophobicity. The water contact
angle (WCA) measurements on these coatings demonstrated a superior
capacity for self-cleaning with a WCA of about 117°. Subsequently,
when these transparent and hydrophobic coatings were deposited on
commercial silicon solar cells, they showed a 15.8% increment in efficiency
due to enhanced light in-coupling with a nanopatterned PDMS coating.