Recent advances on micro and nano structuring on solar cells

Global warming, driven by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, highlights the urgent need for efficient renewable energy sources. Solar energy, with its vast potential, is a major candidate. However, solar cell efficiency is hindered by high reflection losses, surface soiling, and spectral mismatch. This review provides an in-depth analysis of recent advancements in micro- and nano-structured coatings, focusing on anti-reflective, self-cleaning, and photoluminescent strategies. Nanoscale engineering offers distinct advantages such as stronger light–matter interaction, tunable optical responses, enhanced surface activity, and greater potential for multifunctional integration. These nanoscale features enable coatings that not only suppress reflection and resist soiling but also introduce spectral conversion and localized field enhancement, thereby addressing key efficiency limitations. Additionally, this review compares different functional mechanism and explores advances in fabrication techniques and improvements in durability, addressing the limitations of current coatings. Recent progress in nano-fabrication demonstrates the potential of multifunctional coatings that integrate anti-reflection, self-cleaning, and luminescence to significantly improve both efficiency and durability. In particular, nano-textured polymers incorporated with photoluminescent and plasmonic nanomaterials emerge as a promising option. This nanoscale-driven multifunctional approach represents a viable pathway for advancing solar cell technology, making renewable energy more efficient in combating global warming. • Comprehensive review of anti-reflection, self-cleaning, and photoluminescent coatings for solar cells. • Detailed analysis of individual functionalities and their contributions to solar cell performance. • Exploration of emerging research on multifunctional coatings integrating these functionalities. • Highlights challenges and opportunities in combining anti-reflective, self-cleaning, and photoluminescent properties. • Provides insights into future directions for multifunctional coatings to enhance solar cell efficiency and durability.