Abstract

Study of the protective properties of organic coatings for encapsulation of photovoltaic cells

Author(s): V.Marzocchi, C.R.Tomachuk, A.R.Di Sarli, F.Bellucci

The protective properties of encapsulatingmaterials such as organic coatingsdepositedon simplified photovoltaic cellsmodules (glass/ZnO/encapsulatingmaterial) and subjected to 0.6MNaCl solutionwere investigated.The organic coatings lifetime is related to the reactants diffusion into the bulk and to the adhesion at the ZnO/encapsulatingmaterial interface. EISmeasurements were used to investigate the corrosion phenomena at the ZnO/encapsulating interface. Capacitance Fast Transient Technique (CFTT) was utilized to evaluatewater uptake and the barrier properties of the polymeric films,whileDSCmeasure-ments and SEM micrographs were employed for samplesÂ’ characterization. According to the EIS data obtained and analyzed along the tests in neutral chloride solution, the protective performance afforded by the Ionomeric coating (polyethylene-acrylic acid copolymer including ionic species)wasmuchmore effective than the corresponding to theEVA(ethyl vinyl acetate copolymer) and PU(polyurethane) coatings.