Enercon lab trials have confirmed the effectiveness of Plasma3™ atmospheric plasma for improving the adhesion of EFTE for flexible solar applications.
Application Specifications
Material: ETFE film encapsulation layer
Challenge: To improve the adhesion of ETFE encapsulation
Process: Atmospheric Plasma
Chemistry: Inert gas + Reactive gas
Production Speed: 10 mpm
ETFE, poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene), has a very high melting temperature, excellent chemical, electrical and high energy radiation resistance properties. It also has a very low surface tension of 15.6 mN/m. This application required a high level of power energy to assure stable and long-term adhesion of the ETFE layer for a flexible solar application.
Outcome: A highly activated atmospheric plasma glow discharge created uniform surface cleaning of hydrocarbon residues from the ETFE surface, eliminating an existing chemical surface cleaning process. Moreover, the surface energy of the ETFE encapsulation film was raised to 54 mN/m for successful adhesion promotion.
Note: Specific application data is protected by non-disclosure agreements.