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Dr. Ann Norris, Development Scientist, Dow Corning Corporation

ABSTRACT

Silicone polymers and resins have been formulated into multiple products that have a long history of successful use in a wide variety of applications and industries. Through chemical modifications of the polymer repeat unit, the optical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the polymers can be extensively varied and tuned to meet the requirements of specific applications. The inherent properties of silicones, such as very low ionic impurities, low moisture absorption, low dielectric constant and broad temperature utility, make them excellent material choices for applications in many of the specialty markets such as automotive, healthcare, electronics and microelectronics. These properties, in conjunction with their excellent optical transparency over a wide spectrum and UV stability, make silicones highly suitable for meeting the materials requirements for encapsulation of photovoltaic cells and other opto-electronic applications. This review will focus on the unique properties of silicones that make them ideal products for the entire photovoltaic (PV) module assembly market.

Silicones: ideal material solutions for the photovoltaic industry