Fraunhofer-GesellschaftDevelopment of a plastic film for flexible photovoltaic systems
Dr. Sabine Amberg-Schwab (Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC), Dr. Klaus Noller (Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV)
Roll-up displays and flexible solar cells for use in mobile applications are markets with excellent prospects for the future. A key component of these technologies are barrier layers that extend the lifespan of thin-film solar cells by protecting them from exposure to oxygen and water vapor, for example.
Dr. Sabine Amberg-Schwab Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC and Dr. Klaus Noller of Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV have developed a specially-coated plastic film which is ideally suited to encapsulating inorganic solar cells. Hybrid polymers are applied as a varnish to the film using a specially developed roll-to-roll procedure – resulting in durable high-barrier films that are produced cost-effectively and with minimal impact on the environment. Industry partners are already using the patented procedure.