Water vapor permeability of polymeric packaging materials for novel glass‐free photovoltaic applications

Moisture ingress in photovoltaic (PV) modules is a critical factor for performance degradation, therefore, a low water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) is highly desirable for polymers used to embed the solar cells, including backsheets, frontsheets, and encapsulants. With the advent of glass‐free mod...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied polymer science 2024-08, Vol.141 (31)
Main Authors: Babin, Markus, Eder, Gabriele C., Voronko, Yuliya, Oreski, Gernot
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Building envelopes
Coatings
Composite structures
Fluorine
Glass fiber reinforced plastics
Modules
Moisture
Performance degradation
Photovoltaic cells
Polymer matrix composites
Polymers
Solar cells
Surface treatment
Water vapor
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Summary:Moisture ingress in photovoltaic (PV) modules is a critical factor for performance degradation, therefore, a low water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) is highly desirable for polymers used to embed the solar cells, including backsheets, frontsheets, and encapsulants. With the advent of glass‐free modules for integration in building envelopes and vehicles, there is growing interest in polymer composite structures with embedded glass fibers to enhance rigidity. Furthermore, due to environmental concerns, there is increased interest in fluorine‐free polymers for PV applications. In this work, 21 samples with different base polymers, coatings, and/or surface treatments are investigated and their WVTRs are measured. The results show no good alternatives to existing fluoride‐based polymers/coatings for reducing WVTRs of backsheets and frontsheets among the investigated samples. In addition, glass fibers embedded within polymers to provide increased stability to backsheets or in composites for lightweight PV are shown to significantly increase WVTRs, especially, when fibers are not properly embedded, providing additional diffusion pathways for moisture ingress.
ISSN:0021-8995
1097-4628
DOI:10.1002/app.55733