# US 12,015,094 B2 · Sealing material sheet for solar-cell module and solar-cell module using the same

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- Number: US 12,015,094 B2
- Document ID: US12015094B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/958,948
- Filed: 2022-10-03
- Published: 2023-03-30
- Granted: 2024-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2019-04-11
- Assignees: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kosuke Saeki; Shinya Yoneda; Jun Tanaka; Hiroaki Tamaki; Shinsuke Nagino; Naohiro Obonai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015094B2

## CPC

- H10F 19/804: {Materials of encapsulations}
- B32B 3/30: characterised by a layer formed with recesses or projections, e.g. {hollows, grooves, protuberances, ribs (apertured layer B32B3/266; layer with cavities or internal voids B32B3/26)}
- B32B 17/10036: {comprising two outer glass sheets}
- B32B 17/1055: {characterized by the resin layer, i.e. interlayer}
- B32B 27/08: of synthetic resin
- B32B 27/18: characterised by the use of special additives
- B32B 27/20: using fillers, pigments, thixotroping agents
- B32B 27/32: comprising polyolefins {(comprising vinyl (co)polymers or acrylic (co)polymers B32B27/30)}
- B32B 27/327: {comprising polyolefins obtained by a metallocene or single-site catalyst}
- B32B 37/153: {at least one layer is extruded and immediately laminated while in semi-molten state}
- H10F 19/807: {Double-glass encapsulation, e.g. photovoltaic cells arranged between front and rear glass sheets}
- H10F 19/85: Protective back sheets
- B32B 2250/03: 3 layers
- B32B 2250/242: All polymers belonging to those covered by group B32B27/32
- B32B 2307/412: Transparent
- B32B 2307/72: Density
- B32B 2307/732: Dimensional properties
- B32B 2457/12: Photovoltaic modules
- B32B 2581/00: Seals; Sealing equipment; Gaskets
- Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION
- B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

To provide a sealing material sheet for a solar-cell module that has high productivity without performing crosslinking processing, and has a high tensile shear adhesion force at normal temperature at a high level in addition to heat resistance and molding characteristics. A sealing material sheet is a multi-layer sheet using a polyethylene-based resin as a base resin, a core layer has a density of 0.880 g/cm3 to 0.895 g/cm3 and a melting point of 70° C. or higher, a skin layer has a density of 0.880 g/cm3 to 0.910 g/cm3 and a melting point of 90° C. or lower and contains a silane-modified polyethylene-based resin, a weight average molecular weight of the silane-modified polyethylene-based resin contained in the skin layer 11 in terms of polystyrene is 70000 to 120000, and a polymerized silane amount of the skin layer in the whole resin component is 300 ppm to 2000 ppm.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A sealing material sheet for a solar-cell module,
the sealing material sheet being a multi-layer sheet comprising:
a core layer composed of a polyethylene-based resin as a base resin, and
skin layers, which are laminated directly on both sides of the core layer and disposed on both outermost surfaces of the core layer and are composed of a polyethylene-based resin as a base resin,
wherein:
the multi-layer sheet has a total thickness of 250 μm or more and 600 μm or less,
the core layer has a thickness of 200 μm or more and 400 μm or less and has a density that is in a range of from 0.880 g/cm3 to 0.930 g/cm3 and a melting point of 70° C. or higher;
the skin layers have a thickness of 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less and have a density that is in a range of from 0.880 g/cm3 to 0.910 g/cm3 and a melting point of 90° C. or lower;
the core layer and the skin layers contain a silane-modified polyethylene-based resin, a weight average molecular weight of the silane-modified polyethylene-based resin present in the core layer and the skin layers in terms of polystyrene is 70000 or more;
a polymerized silane amount of the core layer with respect to a total amount of all resin components is in a range of from 30 ppm to 2000 ppm;
a polymerized silane amount of the skin layers with respect to a total amount of all resin components is in a range of from 300 ppm to 2000 ppm;
a melt mass flow rate of the sealing material sheet is 3.0 g/10 min or more and less than 3.8 g/10 min in terms of average of the whole layer;
a tensile shear adhesion strength measured by a tensile shear adhesion strength measurement experiment is at least 1000 N; and
the tensile shear adhesion strength measurement experiment measures the tensile shear adhesion strength by a test method according to JIS K7197 at a tensile rate of 1.27 mm/min, after preparing an evaluation sample using two colorless strengthened glass plates having a flat surface, placing a sealing material sheet cut to 2.5 cm×1.27 cm between the two glass plates, and performing a vacuum heating lamination treatment at a set temperature of 150° C. under a vacuum aspiration for 3 minutes and an atmospheric pressurization of 7 minutes.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The sealing material sheet according to claim 1, wherein the weight average molecular weight of the silane-modified polyethylene-based resin present in the skin layers in terms of polystyrene is in a range of from 90000 to 120000.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The sealing material sheet according to claim 1, wherein the melting points of the core layer and the skin layers are both in a range of from 70° C. to 80° C.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A solar-cell module obtained by sequentially laminating
a transparent front substrate,
a sealing material of a light receiving surface side,
a solar cell element,
a sealing material of a non-light receiving surface side, and
a rear-surface protecting substrate,
the sealing material of the light receiving surface side and the sealing material of the non-light receiving surface side being the sealing material sheet according to claim 1.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The solar-cell module according to claim 4, wherein both the transparent front substrate and the rear-surface protecting substrate are a protecting substrate made of glass.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The solar-cell module according to claim 5, wherein the solar-cell module is a frameless module having no protecting frame that surrounds a circumference of a side surface of a module laminate interposed between the protecting substrates made of glass to maintain a shape of the module laminate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The solar-cell module according to claim 4, wherein,
in a surface of the solar cell element, convex portions formed by a part of the surface protruding in a line-shaped manner or a dot-shaped manner exist, the convex portions being buried inside the sealing material sheet laminated on the surface, and
a thickness of the convex portion is in a range of from 50% to 90% of a thickness of the sealing material sheet laminated on the surface of the solar cell element.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The sealing material sheet according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material sheet does not undergo crosslinking treatment.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The sealing material sheet according to claim 1, wherein the melting point of the skin layers is 80° C. or lower.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The sealing material sheet according to claim 1, wherein the melting point of the core layer is in a range of from 80° C. to 90° C.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The sealing material sheet according to claim 1, wherein a melt mass flow rate of the core layer is higher than a melt mass flow rate of the skin layers.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The sealing material sheet according to claim 1, wherein the density of the core layer is in a range of from 0.885 g/cm3 to 0.895 g/cm3.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The sealing material sheet according to claim 1, wherein the density of the skin layers is in a range of from 0.880 g/cm3 to 0.899 g/cm3.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The sealing material sheet according to claim 1, wherein the core layer and the skin layers both do not contain a crosslinking agent.