| AVS 61st International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science | Thursday Sessions |
| Session AS-ThP |
| Session: | Applied Surface Science Poster Session |
| Presenter: | Katherine Stika, DuPont Central Research and Development |
| Authors: | K.M. Stika, DuPont Central Research and Development C.S. Westphal, DuPont Central Research and Development J. Kapur, DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers R.G. Raty, DuPont Central Research and Development J. Li, DuPont Central Research and Development J. Kopchick, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions W. Gambogi, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions B. Hamzavytehrany, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions A. Bradley, DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions J.R. Marsh, DuPont Central Research and Development B. Foltz, DuPont Central Research and Development |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
An understanding of material interactions and degradation pathways in both fielded modules and modules used for accelerated testing is important for photovoltaic (PV) materials specification. As part of the effort to build this understanding, a suite of destructive and non-destructive testing protocols has been developed to compare material performance and reliability under the stresses of different service environments.
This presentation will describe our recent experience mapping the physical and chemical changes observed in degraded PV modules. Examples will include: a) the application of Laser Ablation–Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spec (LA-ICP-MS) for the study of ion migration pathways in encapsulants after PID (Potential Induced Degradation); b) Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to follow chemical changes in cells extracted from modules following PID and Damp Heat exposure; and c) NanoHardness testing (NHT) to map mechanical property differences in backsheet structures removed from PV modules after field exposure.