6.1 Emerging Polymeric Applications
Because photovoltaic (PV) cells will ultimately reach a technological limit, scientists have investigated alternative packaging materials to improve efficiencies. Antisoiling, antiscratch, and antireflective coatings can be externally applied to PV modules to increase the concentration of incident light and offset diminished performance due to environmental exposure. This is a growing field for commercial chemistries, and a number of PV manufacturers are eager to integrate antisoiling or antireflective technologies into their products.
Module improvements can also be made by substituting traditional packaging components with new materials. ...
