Polymeric Tri-Layer Getter for Photovoltaic Panel Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for manufacturing photovoltaic panels fail to effectively separate the issues of adhesion and water sorption, leading to gradual water ingress and deterioration, even when using adhesives or sealing materials with limited gettering capacity.
Innovation Solution
A polymeric tri-layer structure is employed, where the outer layers are devoid of getter material and the central layer contains a composite getter system for water sorption, ensuring strong adhesion and effective water barrier formation during thermosealing without compromising adhesive properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adhesives or sealing materials with limited gettering capacity are used to join supports, then adhesion is achieved, but water ingress occurs gradually leading to deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing material is segmented into a tri-layer structure with distinct functional layers: outer adhesive layers for bonding supports and a central getter layer for water sorption. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its specific function without compromising the other, resolving the contradiction between adhesion and water barrier performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite sealing structure combining polymeric adhesive materials with getter materials (such as desiccants or hydrophobic substances) in a tri-layer configuration. This composite approach integrates both adhesion and water sorption functions into a single sealed unit, eliminating the need for separate adhesive and barrier layers.
2Reliability
If getter material is distributed throughout the sealing material, then water sorption capacity increases, but adhesion properties are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The tri-layer structure implements local quality by concentrating getter material exclusively in the central layer, while the outer adhesive layers remain free of getter additives. This spatial distribution ensures that adhesion-critical regions maintain optimal bonding properties, while the central layer provides dedicated water sorption capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing material is divided into functional zones: outer layers dedicated to adhesion and a central layer dedicated to water sorption. This functional segmentation prevents the compromise of adhesive strength while maximizing water barrier capacity through localized getter material placement.
3Reliability
If a single-layer sealing material with getter properties is used, then water sorption is achieved, but adhesion between supports is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The single-layer sealing material is segmented into three distinct layers: two outer adhesive layers for strong bonding to supports and a central getter layer for water sorption. This segmentation allows the adhesive layers to maximize bonding force without getter interference, while the central layer provides dedicated water barrier function.
Solution Approach 2:
The tri-layer structure creates a composite sealing system where polymeric adhesive materials and getter materials are combined in distinct layers. This composite approach allows each material type to perform its optimal function—adhesion at the interfaces and water sorption in the core—without mutual interference.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents water ingress into photovoltaic panels by diffusing the sorbing material to create a robust barrier while maintaining strong adhesion between supports, thereby enhancing the longevity and performance of the panels.
Implementation Method 1
a polymeric tri-layer comprising a composite getter system for sorbing H2O
Implementation Method 2
said supports, before being subjected to a thermosealing process
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing thin-film photovoltaic panels by the use of a sealing means composed by a polymeric tri-layer comprising a composite getter system composed of a polymer with a low H2O transmission, having dispersed in its inside a H2O sorption material, and two outer polymeric layers with the composite getter system therebetween, as well as to a polymeric tri-layer for the manufacturing of photovoltaic panels.