Saflex® PS41 Multi Junction PVB Encapsulant
New encapsulant combats corrosion and discoloration in solar modules
Solutia, the only one-stop source for EVA, TPU, and PVB based solar encapsulants, announces an advanced encapsulant designed to prevent corrosion in solar cells. The new encapsulant, branded as Saflex PS41 PVB, also helps prevent discoloration, making it an ideal module encapsulant for use in building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
Metal migration is an electrochemical process where metal (e.g. silver) - in contact with an insulating material in a humid environment and under an applied electric field - migrates into the insulating material. The net result of metal migration can be either a reduction in insulation resistance or a short circuit which may lead to circuit failure. For solar applications, module manufacturers are concerned that metal migration will affect the long term performance of solar modules which have life expectancies of twenty to thirty years.
Modules designed for use in architectural applications (BIPV) are particularly sensitive to metal migration as any discoloration in the solar module is a critical concern for architects, designers, and module manufacturers. Discoloration in this case would undermine the aesthetical appearance of a building and bring to question the reliability and performance of the solar modules.
Saflex PS41 is the first solar encapsulant designed specifically to protect against metal migration and maintain the original aesthetics of the solar module. The key to this patent-pending technology is the ability of this encapsulant to prevent oxidation of certain metals such as silver, nickel, and vanadium when in contact with metal. It is often the presence of these oxides that leads to module discoloration.
Silver, for example, is a widely used metal in solar cell stacks and conductive adhesives. Elemental analysis shows significantly reduced silver levels in Saflex PS41 compared to other standard encapsulants. Saflex PS41 is IEC certified, RoHS approved and UL recognized.
Saflex PS41 is IEC certified, RoHS approved and UL recognized.
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Saflex PS41 Technical Data Overview
Saflex PVB encapsulants by Solutia
Solutia is a market-leading performance materials and specialty chemicals company. In 2010, Solutia acquired Etimex Solar to become the world’s only single-source supplier of all major encapsulation technologies branded as Vistasolar EVA/TPU and Saflex PVB. With 100 plus years of combined processing expertise, unmatched manufacturing scale, and a track record of rapid innovation, Solutia provides expert analysis and cutting-edge solutions to the world’s leading solar energy companies.
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