UV Degradation Analysis of Material for Solar Cell Modules Using GC/MS and FTIR

Materials for solar cell modules are expected to maintain their performance for over a decade despite the harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures and ultraviolet irradiation to which they are subjected outdoors. However, there is concern that UV-induced degradation may occur in materials used in modules such as ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) which is a copolymer used as a clear encapsulation film.

This article introduces three example analyses: analysis of EVA film subjected to intense UV irradiation using a UV (ultraviolet) -Py (double-shot pyrolyzer) /GC-MS (gas chromatograph mass spectrometer) system, evolved gas analysis by mass spectrometry (EGA-MS) of EVA film which was degraded by UV irradiation in the same way as with the above, and analysis of the same using a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR).