Lamination-interface-dependent deacetylation of ethylene vinyl acetate encapsulant in crystalline Si photovoltaic modules evaluated by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

摘要

The generation of acetic acid from the ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) encapsulant in crystalline Si photovoltaic (PV) modules was investigated by free-volume analysis with positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). The reduction in size of a free-volume hole attributable to deacetylation was clearly observed near the surface of the EVA encapsulant for a module aged in a damp heat (DH) test following UV irradiation (hereafter referred to as the post-UV DH test). Deacetylation in the post-UV DH test was considerable compared with that in a normal DH test. The depth profile of the size of a free-volume hole in a sample exposed outdoors was revealed to be very similar to that obtained in the post-UV DH test. This strongly implies that deacetylation was promoted near the interface between EVA and other components in the accelerated degradation test as well as by outdoor exposure. (C) 2018 The Japan Society of Applied Physics