Environmental fatigue crack growth of PV glass/EVA laminates in the melting range

The delamination of encapsulants in photovoltaic (PV) modules is a common issue that leads to power loss due to optical losses. Encapsulant debonding is usually examined under monotonic loading conditions subsequent to environmental exposure such as damp heat. Service-relevant, superimposed environmental-mechanical fatigue loads are not considered adequately. Hence, the environmental fatigue delamination resistance of thermally toughened double glass laminates with an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) adhesive layer was investigated in this study. Focus was given to the melting range of EVA, in which the non-crosslinked crystalline phase fraction is already in the partly molten state. Double cantilever beam specimens were tested on an electrodynamic test machine at temperatures of 60, 70, 80, and 90°C and relative humidity (rh) levels of 2%, 30%, 50%, and 80%. The fractured surfaces were characterized by digital microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The cyclic fatigue tests revealed a decay in delamination resistance at elevated temperature and humidity levels. At 70°C, the delamination resistance was low, regardless of the relative humidity. Most of the laminates failed by debonding. XPS analysis showed a reduction of the C=O and C–O content, along with an increase in Si–O content with increasing relative humidity. For laminates tested at 60 and 70°C, an EVA recrystallization peak was observed in DSC experiments. This peak was shifted to significantly higher temperatures at 80% rh. XPS and DSC indicated local hydrolysis within the porous fracture process zone ahead of the crack tip. Consequently, acetic acid formation led to a decrease in delamination resistance, resulting in lower fatigue threshold values. The investigations confirmed the significant impact of environmental conditions on the fatigue delamination resistance within glass/encapsulant laminates. Notably, acetic acid formation and a significant reduction in delamination properties were observed after around 100 h of environmental fatigue exposure.