PV eco-design : an analysis on new encapsulants to recycle EoL modules

The study delved into the alteration of chemical and physical properties of various non-conventional encapsulant materials following UV aging. Three polymer classes were scrutinized: ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), traditionally utilized as an encapsulant, alongside thermoplastic polyolefins (TPO) and polyolefin elastomers (POE), emerging as alternatives to EVA, promising to mitigate reliability issues in photovoltaic modules associated with EVA degradation. Multiple commercially available encapsulating polymer films from each class, featuring diverse chemical formulations, were examined. To simulate harsh environmental conditions, a climatic chamber was employed to assess the variation in properties of different polymer films pre- and post-UV aging. The study investigated the correlation between chemical structure, formulation, encapsulant degradation, and durability under simulated UV stress, evaluating alterations in thermal stability, optical transmittance, crystallinity, yellowing index, and chemical degradation; furthermore, the analysis addresses the properties of the polymers used in their possible degrees of recyclability