The polymer backsheet of a Photovoltaic (PV) module plays a vital role in maintaining the overall integrity of the system. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is a common choice of PV backsheet material for both internal and external layers of the composite. Degradation modes such as hydrolysis result in a loss of molar mass in PET that can be quantified by Differential Scanning Calorimetry, which provides valuable information regarding the thermal characteristics of polymers.
In this application note, the results obtained by GPC for molar mass of PET samples are compared to the crystallization temperatures of the same samples collected on a PerkinElmer DSC 4000.