Transparent Siloxane-Based Polyolefin Vitrimer and Its Use As an Encapsulant for Recyclable Photovoltaic Modules

Photovoltaic (PV) modules are one of the core future solutions for producing large amounts of renewable energy to overcome the ongoing climate crisis. While PV modules extensively use strategic and critical materials such as silicon and silver, their recyclability is still poorly addressed, and the few existing processes are limited by their recovery yields and their environmental impacts. To address this recyclability issue, it is imperative to develop materials that not only maintain the required module properties but also facilitate easy disassembly, thereby promoting a wider use of PV modules as an energy production means. In this study, a transparent vitrimer polyolefin based on siloxane bond exchange was prepared through melt grafting. Grafting efficiency was evaluated using FTIR analyses, and the materials were characterized through thermal analyses, tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analyses, and creep. The vitrimer showed high transparency and reversible adhesion to glass through a simple localized heating process. Vitrimer encapsulant-based PV modules were prepared and showed promising dismantling ability, paving the way for recyclable vitrimer encapsulant-based PV modules.