Influence of Nano Zinc Oxide on EVA Encapsulant Material for Photovoltaic Applications

Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)/ Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposites with three different nano filler loadings were prepared. The insulation property was investigated and the results were compared. These studies revealed that volume resistance increased after inclusion of nano ZnO (n-ZnO) in EVA matrix. Transmission electron microcopy (TEM) images confirmed the existence of good dispersion of n-ZnO in the EVA matrix and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) results revealed that the crystallization behavior of EVA did not significantly affected by the presence of n-ZnO. Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA) verified thermal stability of the EVA/ 0.1wt% n-ZnO nanocomposite was noticeably improved by ~52 °C, in comparison with pristine EVA. Under cone calorimetry heat release rate study, it was noticed that the ignition time of pristine EVA increased from 29 Seconds to 61 seconds for EVA/ 0.1wt% n-ZnO nanocomposite. Mechanical behavior seems to be maximized for EVA/ 0.1wt% n-ZnO nanocomposite. As the n-ZnO was added, it was observed that the intensity of UV and visible light Transmission is augmented which can enhance the photovoltaic module efficiency.