Is purity of the film the only difference between sol-gel and Natcore’s process?
A. No, the sol-gel process results in homogeneous nucleation, causing solids to form within the solution instead of on the desired surface. These particles formed in solution then drop onto the surface being coated, causing defects. In contrast, Natcore’s process is shown to react by heterogeneous nucleation at the interface between the growth surface and the reagent solution. Therefore, Natcore’s process grows a film at the surface, where the film is required.
