Additive for improving ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass and application thereof

Abstract

The application provides an additive for improving the ultraviolet light transmittance of photovoltaic glass and an application thereof, and the additive comprises etching additive A and loading additive B used in combination, wherein the etching additive A comprises the following components in mass fraction: 0.5%-4.0% of an organic solvent, 1%-10% of a loading agent, and the balance of water; and the loading additive B comprises the following components in mass fraction: 3%-10% of a metal oxide, 1%-2% of a dispersing agent, and the balance of water. The additive provided by the application has simple components and low cost, the etching additive A and the loading additive B are used in combination, the metal oxide can be loaded on the surface of the photovoltaic glass, an irregular plane with concave-convex fluctuations is formed, the light reflectivity is reduced, meanwhile, the loaded metal oxide can improve the ultraviolet transmission, and the ultraviolet light transmittance of the photovoltaic glass can be increased by about 4%.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of photovoltaic glass technology, specifically to an additive for improving the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass and its application. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid development of the photovoltaic industry, my country's market share of photovoltaic glass has remained above 90% globally, making it the world's largest producer of photovoltaic glass. With the advancement of photovoltaic technology and the continuous expansion of enterprise production capacity, it is expected that my country's photovoltaic industry will continue to maintain its leading global position in the future. Photovoltaic glass is generally used as the encapsulation panel for photovoltaic modules and is one of the core auxiliary materials for photovoltaic modules. The light transmittance of a photovoltaic module refers to the proportion of light that can pass through the module and be converted into electrical energy after sunlight shines on its surface. The higher the light transmittance, the more light energy the solar panel can convert; therefore, light transmittance is an important parameter of solar panels. As an important component of photovoltaic cell module encapsulation, photovoltaic glass is directly applied to solar photovoltaic power generation modules, and its light transmittance is a crucial factor affecting the conversion efficiency of solar photovoltaic cells.

[0003] Currently, the most common methods for etching glass in industrial production are chemical etching and physical processing.

[0004] Among them: (1) Chemical etching method: With the development of glass processing and deep processing industry, the main etching agent used in chemical etching method is hydrofluoric acid; however, the use of hydrofluoric acid will not only increase the danger of operation, but also cause environmental pollution. As we all know, it is possible to die after ingesting about 1.5g of hydrofluoric acid. Inhalation of high concentrations of hydrofluoric acid mist can also cause bronchitis and hemorrhagic pulmonary edema. Hydrofluoric acid can also be absorbed through the skin and cause serious poisoning. Exposure to hydrofluoric acid at a concentration of 50ppm for a few minutes may be fatal. Therefore, it is particularly urgent to get rid of the use of hydrofluoric acid in chemical etching method. (2) Physical laser etching method: Laser processing of glass has large investment and high cost. It has high requirements for the shape and strength of glass. The process is complicated, the breakage rate is high, the energy consumption is large, it is difficult to control, and the production process is also constrained by raw materials, production equipment, production technology, etc., which greatly limits the development of photovoltaic glass. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the problem of low ultraviolet transmittance in current glass etching methods by developing an additive for preparing photovoltaic glass with high ultraviolet transmittance, which can effectively improve the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, thereby helping to improve the power of photovoltaic modules.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an additive for improving the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, the additive comprising an etching additive A and a loading additive B used in combination, wherein the etching additive A comprises the following components in mass fractions: 0.5% to 4.0% organic solvent, 1% to 10% loading agent and the balance water; and the loading additive B comprises the following components in mass fractions: 3% to 10% metal oxide, 1% to 2% dispersant and the balance water.

[0008] Preferably, the organic solvent is selected from one or more of N,N-dimethylformamide, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran.

[0009] Preferably, the loading agent is a compound containing a silaneoxy structure.

[0010] More preferably, the loading agent is selected from one or more of isobutyltriethoxysilane, diphenyldimethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, and γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane.

[0011] Preferably, the metal oxide is a metal oxide that can increase ultraviolet light transmittance.

[0012] More preferably, the metal oxide is selected from one or more of aluminum oxide, calcium oxide, titanium dioxide, zirconium oxide, and cerium oxide.

[0013] Preferably, the dispersant is a surfactant capable of interacting with the surface of a metal oxide.

[0014] More preferably, the dispersant is selected from one or more of polyoxyethylene siloxane, polyacrylamide, polyquaternium-11, sodium stearate, sodium dodecyl sulfonate, and OP-10.

[0015] In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a method for improving the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, the method comprising the following steps:

[0016] S1. Prepare an alkaline solution for etching photovoltaic glass, wherein the alkaline solution is a potassium hydroxide solution with a concentration of 3.0 wt% to 5.0 wt%.

[0017] S2. The etching additive A is mixed with the alkaline solution to obtain a glass etching solution, wherein the etching additive A comprises the following components by mass fraction: 0.5% to 4.0% organic solvent, 1% to 10% loading agent and the balance water, and the volume ratio of etching additive A to the alkaline solution is (1 to 5): 100.

[0018] S3. Place the photovoltaic glass in the glass etching solution and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Etch at 80-90°C for 30-60 minutes, and then clean the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass etching.

[0019] S4. Place the photovoltaic glass in the loading additive B and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Load it at 75-95°C for 20-50 minutes, and then clean the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass loading. The loading additive B includes the following components by mass fraction: 3%-10% metal oxide, 1%-2% dispersant and the balance water.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0021] This invention provides an additive with simple composition and low cost. The etching additive A and the loading additive B are used together to load metal oxides on the surface of photovoltaic glass to form an irregular plane with uneven surface, which reduces light reflectivity. At the same time, the loaded metal oxides can increase ultraviolet light transmission, so that the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass can be increased by about 4%.

[0022] In the etching additive A provided by this invention, the loading agent component is one of the key components. On the one hand, it can react with silicon dioxide and be chemically bonded to the layered structure of photovoltaic glass; on the other hand, the loading agent can help the metal oxide in the loading additive B to be loaded more uniformly and stably on the photovoltaic glass, thereby improving the stability of the structure.

[0023] The addition of metal oxides to the loading additive B provided in this invention can improve the transmittance of photovoltaic glass to ultraviolet light, thereby improving energy utilization efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the following description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a microstructure diagram of the photovoltaic glass surface after etching according to Example 1 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 The image shows the light transmittance test results of the photovoltaic glass after etching according to the schemes of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 of this invention. Implementation

[0027] To address the problem of low ultraviolet transmittance in current photovoltaic glass, which prevents the full utilization of light energy and thus limits the power output of photovoltaic modules, the inventors of this invention have developed an additive for preparing photovoltaic glass with high ultraviolet transmittance. Photovoltaic glass treated with the additive of this invention can effectively improve the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, thereby helping to increase the power output of photovoltaic modules.

[0028] In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides an additive that can improve the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, comprising an etching additive A and a loading additive B.

[0029] The etching additive A comprises the following components by mass fraction: 0.5% to 4.0% organic solvent, 1% to 3% loading agent, and the balance being water.

[0030] Organic solvents are used to mitigate the hydrolysis of the supported agent and the self-polymerization of hydrolysis products. They need to be miscible with water, and the solubility of the supported agent in the organic solvent needs to be superior to that in water. In a preferred embodiment, the organic solvent is one or more selected from N,N-dimethylformamide, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran.

[0031] The loading agent can react with silica and chemically bond to the layered structure of the photovoltaic glass, thereby helping the metal oxide in loading additive B to be loaded more uniformly and stably on the photovoltaic glass, improving the structural stability. The loading agent is preferably a compound containing a silaneoxy group.

[0032] In a more preferred embodiment, the loading agent is selected from one or more of isobutyltriethoxysilane, diphenyldimethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, and γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane.

[0033] The loaded additive B comprises the following components by mass fraction: 3%-10% metal oxide, 1%-5% dispersant, and the balance water.

[0034] The metal oxide described above can increase the transmittance of ultraviolet light. The selected metal oxide is loaded onto the glass surface, altering the ultraviolet transmittance of the glass by changing the binding energy of oxygen atoms in the silicon dioxide. To improve ultraviolet transmittance, the selected metal oxide can increase the binding energy of oxygen atoms in the glass.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the metal oxide is selected from one or more of aluminum oxide, calcium oxide, titanium dioxide, zirconium oxide, and cerium oxide.

[0036] The dispersant reduces surface tension. Preferably, the dispersant can interact with the surface of the metal oxide, mainly by acting on the surface of the metal oxide to reduce the surface tension between the solid and liquid and prevent the metal oxide from agglomerating.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the dispersant is selected from one or more of polyoxyethylene siloxane, polyacrylamide, polyquaternium-11, sodium stearate, sodium dodecyl sulfonate, and OP-10.

[0038] In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a method for using the additive as described above, the specific steps of which are as follows:

[0039] 1. Prepare an alkaline solution for etching photovoltaic glass. The alkaline solution is a potassium hydroxide solution with a concentration of 3.0 wt% to 5.0 wt%.

[0040] 2. Mix the etching additive A with the alkaline solution, wherein the volume ratio of the etching additive to the alkaline solution is (1-5):100, to obtain a glass etching solution;

[0041] 3. Place the photovoltaic glass in the glass etching solution and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Etch at 80-90°C for 30-60 minutes, and then clean the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass etching.

[0042] 4. Place the photovoltaic glass in the load additive B and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Load it at 75-95°C for 20-50 minutes, and then clean the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass loading.

[0043] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Example 1

[0044] An additive is formulated to improve the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, wherein the additive comprises etching additive A and loading additive B.

[0045] Etching additive A Example 1 comprises the following components by mass fraction: 1 wt% N,N-dimethylformamide (organic solvent), 1 wt% γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (supporting agent), and the balance water (98 wt%).

[0046] Example 1 of the loaded additive B comprises the following components by mass fraction: 1 wt% zirconium oxide (metal oxide), 4 wt% cerium oxide (metal oxide), 3 wt% polyoxyethylene siloxane (dispersant), and the balance water (92 wt%).

[0047] The specific steps for using additives are as follows:

[0048] 1. Prepare 1000ml of alkaline solution for etching photovoltaic glass, wherein the alkaline solution is a 5.0wt% potassium hydroxide solution;

[0049] 2. Mix 10 ml of the etching additive A prepared as described above in Example 1 with 1000 ml of alkaline solution to obtain a glass etching solution;

[0050] 3. Place the photovoltaic glass in the glass etching solution and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Then, etch at 90°C for 60 minutes. Then, clean the residual salts on the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass etching.

[0051] 4. Place the photovoltaic glass in the loading additive B of Example 1 and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Then load it at 75°C for 30 minutes. Then clean the residual salts on the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass loading. Example 2

[0052] An additive is formulated to improve the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, wherein the additive comprises etching additive A and loading additive B.

[0053] The etching additive A in Example 2 comprises the following components by mass fraction: 1.5 wt% ethanol (organic solvent), 1 wt% dimethyl sulfoxide (organic solvent), 0.5 wt% isobutyltriethoxysilane (supporting agent), 1.5 wt% diphenyldimethoxysilane (supporting agent), and the balance water (95.5 wt%).

[0054] The loaded additive B in Example 2 comprises the following components by mass fraction: 6 wt% cerium oxide (metal oxide), 1 wt% polyacrylamide (dispersant), 1 wt% polyquaternium-111 wt% (dispersant), and the balance water (92 wt%).

[0055] The specific steps for using additives are as follows:

[0056] 1. Prepare 1000ml of alkaline solution for etching photovoltaic glass, wherein the alkaline solution is a 5.0wt% potassium hydroxide solution;

[0057] 2. Mix 10 ml of the etching additive A prepared as described above in Example 2 with 1000 ml of alkaline solution to obtain a glass etching solution.

[0058] 3. Place the photovoltaic glass in the glass etching solution and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Then, etch at 85°C for 60 minutes. Then, clean the residual salts on the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass etching.

[0059] 4. Place the photovoltaic glass in the loading additive B in Example 2 and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Then load it at 80°C for 35 minutes. Then clean the residual salts on the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass loading. Example 3

[0060] An additive is formulated to improve the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, wherein the additive comprises etching additive A and loading additive B.

[0061] The etching additive A in Example 3 comprises the following components in the indicated mass fractions: acetone 2 wt% (organic solvent), tetrahydrofuran 1 wt%, vinyltrimethoxysilane 2 wt% (supporting agent), γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane 8 wt% (supporting agent), and the balance water (87 wt%).

[0062] The loaded additive B in Example 3 comprises the following components by mass fraction: 3 wt% calcium oxide (metal oxide), 4 wt% cerium oxide (metal oxide), 1 wt% sodium stearate (dispersant), 1 wt% sodium dodecyl sulfonate (dispersant), 1 wt% OP-10 (dispersant), and the balance water (90 wt%).

[0063] The specific steps for using additives are as follows:

[0064] 1. Prepare 1000ml of alkaline solution for etching photovoltaic glass, wherein the alkaline solution is a 5.0wt% potassium hydroxide solution;

[0065] 2. Mix 10 ml of the etching additive A prepared as described above in Example 3 with 1000 ml of alkaline solution to obtain a glass etching solution;

[0066] 3. Place the photovoltaic glass in the glass etching solution and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Then, etch at 80°C for 50 minutes. Then, clean the residual salts on the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass etching.

[0067] 4. Place the photovoltaic glass in the loading additive B in Example 3 and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Then load it at 75°C for 20 minutes. Then clean the residual salts on the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass loading.

[0068] Comparative Example 1

[0069] An etching additive A is provided, comprising the following components by mass fraction: 1 wt% N,N-dimethylformamide (organic solvent) and the balance water (99 wt%).

[0070] A loading additive B is provided, comprising the following components in mass fractions: 3% calcium oxide (metal oxide), 4% cerium oxide (metal oxide), 3% polyoxyethylene siloxane (dispersant), and the balance water (90 wt%).

[0071] The specific steps for using additives are as follows:

[0072] 1. Prepare 1000ml of alkaline solution for etching photovoltaic glass, wherein the alkaline solution is a 5.0wt% potassium hydroxide solution;

[0073] 2. Mix 10 ml of the etching additive A prepared in Example 1 above with 1000 ml of alkaline solution to obtain a glass etching solution.

[0074] 3. Place the photovoltaic glass in the glass etching solution and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Then, etch at 90°C for 60 minutes. Then, clean the residual salts on the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass etching.

[0075] 4. Place the photovoltaic glass in the loading additive B (Comparative Example 1) and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Then load it at 75°C for 30 minutes. Then clean the residual salts on the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass loading.

[0076] The transmittance of photovoltaic glass without loading additive treatment, photovoltaic glass treated in Example 1, and photovoltaic glass treated in Comparative Example 1 were tested. The test results showed that after removing the loading agent in Example 1, the average transmittance of the photovoltaic glass was not as improved as that of Example 1 after etching at 90°C for 60 minutes.

[0077] In comparison, the loading agent used in this invention can effectively increase the transmittance of the etched glass in the ultraviolet region, and its effect is significant.

[0078] The above embodiments only use a few exemplary components to illustrate the scheme and principle of the present invention. However, it should be understood that the selected components are only exemplary and should not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Other compounds that have similar effects to the selected components, such as other components and corresponding compound categories described in the above specification, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention. The specific scope of protection is subject to the claims.

[0079] Any aspects of this invention not described in detail are well-known to those skilled in the art.

[0080] Finally, it should be noted that the above specific embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications and equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications and substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An additive for improving the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, characterized in that, The additive comprises etching additive A and loading additive B used in combination. Etching additive A is used to mix with alkaline solution for etching photovoltaic glass to obtain a glass etching solution during the etching of photovoltaic glass. Loading additive B is used to load the photovoltaic glass onto the loading additive B after the photovoltaic glass has been etched by the glass etching solution. Etching additive A comprises the following components by mass fraction: 0.5-4.0% organic solvent, 1%-10% loading agent, and the balance water. Loading additive B comprises the following components by mass fraction: 3%-10% metal oxide, 1%-2% dispersant, and the balance water. The loading agent is a compound containing a silanoxy structure, and the metal oxide is selected from one or more of calcium oxide, titanium dioxide, zirconium oxide, and cerium oxide.

2. The additive for improving the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass according to claim 1, characterized in that, The organic solvent is selected from one or more of N,N-dimethylformamide, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran.

3. The additive for improving the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass according to claim 1, characterized in that, The loading agent is selected from one or more of isobutyltriethoxysilane, diphenyldimethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, and γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane.

4. The additive for improving the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dispersant is a surfactant that can interact with the surface of a metal oxide.

5. The additive for improving the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass according to claim 4, characterized in that, The dispersant is selected from one or more of polyoxyethylene siloxane, polyacrylamide, polyquaternium-11, sodium stearate, sodium dodecyl sulfonate, and OP-10.

6. A method for improving the ultraviolet transmittance of photovoltaic glass, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: S1. Prepare an alkaline solution for etching photovoltaic glass, wherein the alkaline solution is a potassium hydroxide solution with a concentration of 3.0 to 5.0 wt%; S2. Etching additive A is mixed with the alkaline solution to obtain a glass etching solution, wherein the etching additive A comprises the following components in mass fractions: 0.5-4.0% organic solvent, 1%-10% loading agent and the balance water, and the volume ratio of etching additive A to the alkaline solution is (1-5):100, wherein the loading agent is a compound containing a silaneoxy structure. S3. Place the photovoltaic glass in the glass etching solution and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Etch at 80-90°C for 30-60 minutes, and then clean the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass etching. S4. Place the photovoltaic glass in the loading additive B and keep the photovoltaic glass in a vertical position. Load it at 75-95°C for 20-50 minutes, and then clean the surface with deionized water to complete the photovoltaic glass loading. The loading additive B includes the following components by mass fraction: 3%-10% metal oxide, 1%-2% dispersant and the balance water. The metal oxide is selected from one or more of calcium oxide, titanium dioxide, zirconium oxide and cerium oxide.

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