Sol-Gel Encapsulation for PV Modules

Coatings for photovoltaic devices that enhance weather resistance while maintaining optical performance. The coatings comprise a cured product of a composition including epoxy-silicone, aminosilane, silanol-functional silicone, and fluorinated silane, which can be applied to the front and/or back surfaces of solar panels. The coatings repel water, delay ice formation, reduce ice adhesion, and facilitate ice removal without compromising light transmission or power generation.

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A solar module with improved protection against environmental degradation, comprising a pair of photovoltaic cells separated by a barrier film that extends across the gap between them, with an encapsulant interposed between the barrier film and the cells, and an outer casing overlying the encapsulant. The barrier film prevents moisture and chemicals from entering the module and contacting the cells, thereby extending their operational lifetime.

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Photovoltaic module with improved design for easier disassembly and recycling. The module comprises two protective layers with a sealed internal volume, photovoltaic cells, and electrical connection elements. A liquid compound fills the space between the cells and protective layers, eliminating the need for encapsulation and enabling mechanical pressure to establish electrical contact. The design allows for easy separation of components during recycling and maintains thermal stability and optical performance throughout the module's lifespan.

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Solar cell with a protective layer and a polymer layer that enables high-speed manufacturing. The polymer layer is formed from a UV-curable liquid formulation containing at least 30 wt-% acrylate monomers with cyclic C5-25 alkyl and/or alkenyl groups. The formulation is applied directly to the solar cell layers and hardened, allowing for rapid production without degrading the underlying layers.

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A photovoltaic cell assembly that improves packaging and reliability of perovskite solar cells. The assembly features a thin-film encapsulation structure comprising alternating organic and inorganic layers, which replaces traditional organic adhesives prone to degradation and corrosion. The inorganic layers provide a barrier against moisture and oxygen, while the organic layers enhance flexibility and optical clarity. This design enables reliable encapsulation of perovskite cells with high light conversion efficiency, overcoming limitations of conventional packaging methods.

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Fabricating tandem solar cells using device-level encapsulation to improve long-term stability and efficiency. The method involves depositing a discrete encapsulation layer on the upper surface and side surfaces of each tandem solar cell device, enabling water vapor transmission rates (WVTR) below 10^-3 g/m2/day, which is critical for maintaining the integrity of sensitive perovskite layers. This approach enables WVTR specifications that cannot be achieved with traditional module-level encapsulation methods, such as glass-to-glass encapsulation.

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Abstract Solar energy as a clean, renewable energy source is perceived as a potential remedy to the environmental and climate degradation caused by fossil fuels. However, the surface contamination severely diminishes the photovoltaic conversion efficiency of solar cells. Liquid-repellent coatings that combine transparency and durability could be candidates for self-cleaning application of solar cells. Herein, a smooth liquid-repellent coating (SLRC) was developed by synergizing organosilicon and fluorine and was cured at room temperature. Owing to the low-surface-energy groups and flexible chains enriched on the SLRC surface, as well as cross-linking reactions and functional additives within the SLRC matrix, it exhibited liquid-repellency and UV-shielding properties. Moreover, SLRC could be applied to solar cells by spraying methods and displayed efficient self-cleaning properties. Finally, the adhesion strength and durability of SLRC were also verified, confirming that it had great potential for application in solar cells, opening the avenue for the development of self-cleaning coat... Read More

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The development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has ushered in a new era of solar technology, characterized by its exceptional efficiency and cost-effective production. However, the soft and fragile nature of perovskites makes module encapsulation challenging. Polyolefin elastomers (POEs) have been reported to be promising encapsulants for perovskite modules. However, little research exists on identifying criteria among different types of POEs as encapsulants. Here, two POEs with different morphologies were compared as encapsulants. The first POE crystallizes during encapsulation (crystal content 40%), and the resulting shrinkage or warpage leads to delamination, causing minimodule failure. In contrast, perovskite minimodules encapsulated with a mostly amorphous POE exhibited better reliability and reproducibility. The best perovskite minimodules passed the thermal cycling test for 240 cycles between 40 and 85 C and the damp heat test for 1419 h, according to the IEC 61215 standard. This study highlights the importance of the morphology of encapsulants in achieving high-quality e... Read More

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Abstract Perovskite solar cells promise to be part of the future portfolio of photovoltaic technologies, but their instability is slow down their commercialization. Major stability assessments have been recently achieved but reliable accelerated ageing tests on beyond small-area cells are still poor. Here, we report an industrial encapsulation process based on the lamination of highly viscoelastic semi-solid/highly viscous liquid adhesive atop the perovskite solar cells and modules. Our encapsulant reduces the thermomechanical stresses at the encapsulant/rear electrode interface. The addition of thermally conductive two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride into the polymeric matrix improves the barrier and thermal management properties of the encapsulant. Without any edge sealant, encapsulated devices withstood multifaceted accelerated ageing tests, retaining >80% of their initial efficiency. Our encapsulation is applicable to the most established cell configurations (direct/inverted, mesoscopic/planar), even with temperature-sensitive materials, and extended to semi-transparent ce... Read More

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Perovskite-CIGS tandem solar cells offer unique benefits, such as high efficiencies and the possibility for cost-effective production on flexible, lightweight substrates. Yet, scaling up the production of these devices presents challenges, particularly because of roughness, solvents, and reactions that can impair the integrity of subcells within tandem configurations. Here, we introduce a metal-free transparent conductive adhesive (TCA) material, implemented via a lamination approach, as a scalable solution that facilitates separate fabrication and subsequent tandem integration of the subcells. This TCA not only exhibits promising electrical and optical properties but also ensures that its lamination process does not degrade the perovskite. It also exhibits encapsulation properties rivaling those of commercial encapsulants. By employing this TCA, we have attained a champion efficiency of 20.6% in single-junction semitransparent solar cells, featuring a high fill-factor of 79.7%. Ultimately, we demonstrate its compatibility with perovskite-CIGS tandem solar cells, effectively eliminat... Read More

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Abstract For commercial applications, Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs) need to be well encapsulated to improve long term stability. The most common method, glass-glass encapsulation, uses edge sealant materials to encapsulate the device between sheets of glass. Glass-Glass encapsulation, while providing provide adequate protection from the ambient environment, limits the use of flexible substrates for thin film solar cells due to its rigidity. Additionally, the added weight of glass encapsulation reduces the specific power (W kg 1 ) of PSCs, which is an important factor when designing solar cells for aerospace applications. Here we demonstrate that commercially available acrylic spray encapsulation offers efficient and robust stability for PSCs. It is shown that applying the encapsulation via this method does not degrade the PSCs, unlike other literature and glass-glass encapsulation methods. Additionaly, it is shown that 1 coat of acrylic spray encapsulation has an effective thickness of 1.77 m and a weight of 6 mg. For stability measurements, PSCs with an acrylic coating show a 4... Read More

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This review offers a detailed look at materials in encapsulation and backsheets for crystalline silicon photovoltaic (c-Si PV) modules, along with recent research advancements for performance enhancement.

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A bilayer polymer encapsulation strategy is used to improve the perovskite solar cells stability under high humidity conditions (80 5% RH).

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The development of a reliable encapsulation is a key factor for protecting perovskite solar cells from extrinsic degradation and an important step to commercialization. The use of edge sealing materials has already been proven effective for rigid substrates. However, for flexible devices, a different encapsulation strategy must be developed. In this study, epoxy- and acrylic-based adhesives were tested over blade-coated p-i-n MAPI devices and the encapsulation was evaluated with currentvoltage measurements, calcium, and thermal stability tests. Although causing discoloration around the cells, over the area without the evaporated top electrode, the epoxy adhesive showed great performance after encapsulation and under thermal stress. This strategy was used to compare the stability of PEDOT:PSS and NiO as HTL. After an initial drop of 40 % in performance, the device with NiO was stable for over 5500 h under 85 C. These results show that this method can be used for evaluating the stability of perovskite solar cell and that, with further development of a proper buffer layer, epoxy-based... Read More

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In the current work, we have employed an easy, simple, and cost-effective encapsulation process to enhance the lifespan of solar cells when exposed to challenging outdoor conditions. A solar cell was encapsulated using the liquid phase of a polyurethane elastomer prepared from low-cost vegetable castor oil, employing the simple and easy one-shot process with 2,4-toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and without the use of chain extenders. Optical transmission measurements revealed that the transparency of the encapsulant in the visible region reached 92 % with increasing TDI concentration, while the transparency was blocked in the ultraviolet (UV) region. Through the present work, the performance parameters of the solar cell have been enhanced after encapsulation with polyurethane under different compositions and thicknesses. The polyurethane encapsulant did not retain the applied temperature in the range of 30150 C, but rather transferred the heat outside the solar cell. We can conclude that the low-cost and easily prepared polyurethane is suitable for solar cell encapsulation in various en... Read More

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The degradation behaviors of the encapsulant and the imbedded additives significantly determine the reliability of solar modules. Nevertheless, a link between the degradation of the encapsulant, including the additive interactions, and the longevity of the overall module is rarely established until now. Herein, minimodules containing ethylenevinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) as encapsulant are subject to damp heat (DH) or ultraviolet (UV) weathering based on IEC 61215. Macroscopically, the degradation under both weathering types characterized by I V measurements and electroluminescence (EL) measurements is diverging in dependence on the used stressor. Using electron paramagnetic resonance and orbitrap mass spectrometry, it is shown that deacetylation of the EVA occurs significantly for both types of weathering. In the case of DH, however, the mechanism of action of the UV stabilizer is hindered, so that strong encapsulant degradation is observed despite a lower energy input in comparison with UV. Furthermore, the produced acetic acid under DH weathering leads to the observed reductio... Read More

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<h2>Summary</h2> Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) operating under real-world conditions face various external stimuli, including moisture, UV irradiation, and hailstorms. Therefore, the encapsulants need to be multifunctional to enhance the stability of PSCs with a simple and cost-effective encapsulation process. Here, we present a simple and economical encapsulation strategy with shellac to protect PSCs under various accelerated degradation experiments. The shellac-encapsulated (SE) PSC modules pass outdoor stability, UV preconditioning, and hail tests according to the International Electrotechnical Commission 61215 standard (IEC61215). More importantly, the SE PSC modules demonstrate excellent lead sequestration ability after mechanical shock damage, which is vital in mitigating the perceived toxicity concerns of PSCs during widespread applications.

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Abstract Perovskite solar cells (PSCs), as the forefront of thirdgeneration solar technology, are distinguished by their costeffectiveness, high photovoltaic efficiency, and the flexibility of their bandgap tunability, positioning them as formidable contenders in the photovoltaic market. However, the stability of PSCs remains a significant barrier to their widespread commercialization. Lamination encapsulation is identified as a pivotal intervention to enhance the durability of PSCs under external environmental stress. This review initiates with an indepth exploration of the degradation phenomena in PSCs, triggered by environmental stressors such as water, oxygen, light, and heat. This analysis lays bare the degradation mechanisms, thereby highlighting the specific demands for effective encapsulation materials. Subsequently, the review presents a systematic discourse on the latest developments in encapsulation materials, dissecting their molecular structures and linking these to their physical properties and performance in encapsulation applications. The narrative concludes by cha... Read More

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At present, the care of the environment as well as the use of solar energy are of great importance. One way to use solar energy for clean energy generation is through the use of photovoltaic modules. The performance of the crystalline silicon PV module is mainly determined by the efficiency of the silicon cells, but the properties of the other components, such as the encapsulant material, also have a high impact. The objective of this study was to evaluate the adherence of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) as an alternative material for the protection of solar cells, since the encapsulating material most used in solar production to date is Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and it serves as a comparison of possible advantages and disadvantages. The tests carried out were in accordance with the International IEC 61215 and 61345 Standards. The adhesion results were sufficiently good and without optical defects. It is concluded that TPU can be used as an alternative material for encapsulating solar cells.

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The performance loss caused by encapsulation has been an obstacle to guarantee the excellent power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in practical application. This work revealed that the encapsulation-induced performance loss is highly related to the tensile strains imposed on the functional layers of the device when the PSC is exposed directly to the deformed encapsulant. A barrier strategy is developed by employing a nonadhesive barrier layer to isolate the deformed encapsulant from the PSC functional layer, achieving a strain-free encapsulation of the PSCs. The encapsulated device with a barrier layer effectively reduced the relative performance loss from 21.4% to 5.7% and dramatically improved the stability of the device under double 85 environment conditions. This work provides an effective strategy to mitigate the negative impact of encapsulation on the performance of PSCs as well as insight into the underlying mechanism of the accelerated degradation of PSCs under external strains.

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