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Published on: July 2, 2012
Transparent Phase Change Materials for Solar-Cell Front-Encapsulation Combining High Transmittance and Passive
Lei Tan1,2, Xuyang Lu1, Wentao He1
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Industrial Solid Waste Cyclic Utilization and Advanced Materials, Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Manufacturing Technology, North Minzu University, Yinchuan750021, China.
New solid-solid phase change materials (SS-PCMs) offer transparent and stable films for solar cell thermal management. These materials effectively buffer heat, improving photovoltaic performance and energy efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Energy Science
- Photovoltaics
Background:
- Solid-solid phase change materials (SS-PCMs) are explored for solar cell thermal management due to latent heat storage capabilities.
- Current SS-PCMs face challenges with low optical transmittance and poor mechanical stability, limiting their practical use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop robust, highly transparent, and morphologically stable phase change films for enhanced solar cell thermal management.
- To investigate the relationship between material design, crosslinker architecture, and the resulting optical, mechanical, and thermal storage properties.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of phase change films using synergistic crosslinking polymerization of octadecyl acrylate with tailored diacrylate crosslinkers.
- Characterization of optical transmittance (up to 96.8% at 700 nm), mechanical properties (2.8-11.3 MPa), and thermal storage capacity (43-86 J/g).
- Integration and testing of the phase change films as front-encapsulants for monocrystalline silicon solar cells.
Main Results:
- Optimized phase change films exhibited exceptional visible light transmittance and enhanced mechanical strength.
- Precise engineering of optical, mechanical, and thermal storage properties was achieved by modulating crosslinker architecture and density.
- PCM-encapsulated solar cells showed a 940 s delay in temperature rise and maintained more stable photovoltaic performance under irradiation.
Conclusions:
- The developed SS-PCMs provide a versatile platform for effective passive thermal management in solar cells.
- This material design strategy overcomes limitations of traditional SS-PCMs, enabling improved solar cell efficiency and longevity.
- The study presents a multifunctional material for next-generation photothermal-cooperative energy management systems.
