Scalable Packaging Materials for Roll-to-Roll Processed Thin Film Solar Cells
As a DuraMAT project, the Georgia Institute of Technology performs calcium corrosion testing on thin film photovoltaic (PV) solar cells to determine permeation properties through barriers and side permeation through adhesives.
Georgia Tech has expertise in developing and characterizing thin film ultra-barriers for packaging solar cells. It also has expertise in measuring the mechanical adhesion—specifically characterizing the critical strain energy release rate—for a range of adhesives and encapsulants as a function of material aging.
Core Objective
Location
Georgia Institute of Technology
Applications
The testing is focused on flexible, thin film solar cells including those compatible with roll-to-roll processing.
Availability
Available to external collaborators and U.S. Department of Energy laboratories.
References
Kim, Y.; Bulusu, A.; Giordano, A.; Marder, S.; Dauskardt, R.; Graham, S. (2012).“Experimental Study of Interfacial Fracture Toughness in a SiNx/PMMA Barrier Film.” ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. Vol. 4, pp. 6711-6719.
Kim, N.; Potscavage, W.J.; Sunaramoothi, A.; Henderson, C.; Kippelen, B.; Graham, S. (2012). “A Correlation Study Between Barrier Film Performance and Shelf-Lifetime of Encapsulated Organic Solar Cells,” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. Vol. 101, pp. 140-146.
Bulusu, A.; Singh, A.; Wang, C.Y.; Dindar, A.; Fuentes-Hernandez, C.; Kim, H.; Cullen, D.; Kippelen, B.; Graham, S. (2015).“Engineering the Mechanical Properties of Ultrabarrier Films Grown by Atomic Lyaer Deposition for the Encapsulation of Printed Electronics.” Journal of Applied Physics. Vol. 118, pp. 085501.
Kim, H.; Singh, A.; Wang, C.Y.; Fuentes-Hernandez, C.; Kippelen, B.; Graham, S. (2016).“Experimental Investigation of Defect-Assisted and Intrinsic Water Vapor Permeation through Ultrabarrier Films.” Review of Scientific Instruments. Vol. 87, pp. 033902.
Contact
To learn more about this project, contact Samuel Graham.
