Impact of melting range on delamination process and recycling potential of photovoltaic encapsulants

In this study, we introduce a method to evaluate the disassembly potential of photovoltaic (PV) modules by quantifying the force required to separate their constituent layers. Specifically, we conducted delamination tests on single-cell photovoltaic modules, focusing on three polymeric encapsulants: on the one hand, the cross-linked encapuslant Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) and Polyolefin Elastomer (POE); on the other hand, the noncross-linked Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO). The objective was to demonstrate that delamination force significantly decreases at temperatures exceeding the polymer’s melting range, as determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). Therefore, delamination was performed at various temperatures using a blade to separate the glass from the remaining layers. The results indicate that, beyond the melting range, the delamination force decreases markedly for all three encapsulants. Furthermore, TPO exhibited the lowest delamination strength, followed by EVA and POE, with the latter two requiring similar forces once their melting ranges were exceeded. • Introduces a thermomechanical method using a blade to separate PV module layers. • Delamination and DSC measurements were performed on EVA, TPO, and POE. • Delamination force drops markedly, once each polymer exceeds its melting temperature. • Identifies TPO as the easiest to delaminate, with EVA and POE requiring similar forces above their melting ranges.