RADIATION CURABLE ADHESIVES FOR REFLECTIVE LAMINATED SOLAR PANELS, LAMINATED SOLAR PANELS INCLUDING RADIATION CURABLE ADHESIVES, AND/OR ASSOCIATED METHODS

• US 20120087030A1
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guardian Glass LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Guardian Industries Corporation (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: DEVISETTI, Suresh K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,566,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/883
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10183 being not continuous, e.g. in edge regions
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/1022 Metallic coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10706 being photo-polymerized
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10743 containing acrylate (co)polymers or salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/1077 containing polyurethane
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10981 Pre-treatment of the layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/1099 After-treatment of the layered product, e.g. cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2250/02 2 layers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/205 Metallic coating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2255/28 Multiple coating on one surface
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/412 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/416 Reflective
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/12 Photovoltaic modules
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/06 characterised by the heating method
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/12 characterised by using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3639 Multilayers containing at least two functional metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3642 the multilayer coating containing a metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3644 the metal being silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3649 made of metals other than silver
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3663 : specially adapted for use as mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/38 : at least one coating being a coating of an organic material
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/268 : Other specific metals
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2025/601 : by bonding, e.g. by using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 23/82 : characterised by the material or the construction of the reflector
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0816 : Multilayer mirrors, i.e. having two or more reflecting layers G02B5/0883, G02B5/0891 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0875 : the reflecting layers comprising two or more metallic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0547 : comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 : Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 : PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

Certain example embodiments relate to techniques for creating flat laminated mirrors, e.g., for use in concentrating solar power (CSP) applications. In certain example embodiments, the first substrate is a low iron glass substrate. A reflective coating is provided between the first and second substrates. The first and second substrates are laminated together via a radiation curable laminating adhesive with the reflective coating between the substrates. In certain example embodiments the radiation curable laminating adhesive is cured via UV radiation in order to form a laminated reflective article.

Claims

1. A method of making an article, the method comprising:

providing a first low-iron glass substrate, the first substrate having a thickness of about 0.5-3 mm;

disposing a reflective coating on a major surface of the first substrate;

disposing a radiation curable laminating adhesive over the reflective coating;

providing a second glass substrate substantially parallel to the first substrate, the second substrate being oriented over the radiation curable laminating adhesive;

irradiating the substrates such that radiation causes the adhesive to become a solid polymer interlayer to laminate together the first substrate with the reflective coating disposed thereon and the second substrate to form a reflective article,

wherein the reflective article has a reflectivity of at least 90 percent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the first substrate is about 1.6 mm.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the laminating adhesive is cured using UV radiation at a wavelength of from about 340 to 430 nm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the laminating adhesive is cured using UV radiation at a wavelength of from about 350 to 420 nm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the laminating adhesive is cured using UV radiation at a wavelength of from about 350 to 390 nm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the laminating adhesive is cured using UV radiation at a wavelength of from about 390 to 420 nm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the laminating adhesive comprises at least oligomers, monomers, an adhesion promoter, and a photoinitiator.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the oligomers comprise aliphatic urethane acrylate resins.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the photoinitiator has maximum UV absorption at from about 350 to 390 nm.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the monomers are mono-functional acrylates.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the laminating adhesive comprises from about 80 to 995% total oligomer, from about 1 to 5% adhesion promoter, and from about 0.1 to 1% photoinitiator.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer interlayer appears hazy and/or sateen following said irradiating.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting 0.5-5 trim of the reflective coating from around a periphery of the first substrate.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer interlayer has a thickness from about 0.1-1.0 mm before and/or after said irradiating.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the second substrate is at least twice as thick as the first substrate.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the second substrate includes more iron than the first substrate.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the second substrate includes a major surface area that is larger than a major surface area of the first substrate.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflective coating comprises a plurality of thin film layers including a silver-based layer and a copper-based layer over and contacting the silver-based layer.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the reflective coating further comprises a tin-inclusive layer, the tin-inclusive layer being interposed between and contacting both the first substrate and the silver-based layer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the silver-based layer is from about 80 mg per square foot to 95 mg per square foot.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the laminating together of the first and second substrates hermetically seals the reflective coating between the first and second substrates.

22. A method of making an article, the method comprising:

providing a first low-iron glass substrate, the first substrate having a thickness of about 0.5-3 mm;

disposing a multi-layer thin-film reflective coating on a major surface of the first substrate, the reflective coating comprising, in order moving away from the substrate, a tin-inclusive layer, an Ag-inclusive layer directly contacting the tin-inclusive layer, and a copper-inclusive layer directly contacting the Ag-inclusive layer;

disposing a radiation curable laminating adhesive over the reflective coating;

providing a second glass substrate substantially parallel to the first substrate, the second substrate being oriented over the laminating adhesive, the second substrate being at least as thick as the first substrate, the second substrate having an iron content higher than an iron content of the first substrate;

laminating together the first substrate with the reflective coating disposed thereon and the second substrate to form a reflective article by irradiating the substrates with UV radiation such that the radiation curable laminating adhesive is cured to form a solid polymer interlayer.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the laminating adhesive comprises at least oligomers, monomers, an adhesion promoter, and a photoinitiator.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the laminating adhesive is cured using UV radiation at a wavelength of from about 340 to 430 nm.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the laminating adhesive is cured using UV radiation at a wavelength of from about 350 to 390 nm.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the photoinitiator has maximum UV absorption at from about 350 to 390 nm.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the oligomers comprise aliphatic urethane acrylate resins, and wherein the monomers are mono-functional acrylates.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the laminating adhesive comprises from about 80 to 99.5% total oligomer, from about 1 to 5% adhesion promoter, and from about 0.1 to 1% photoinitiator.

29. A coated article, comprising:

a first low-iron glass substrate having a thickness of 0.5-3 mm;

a reflective coating comprising a plurality of thin film layers disposed on a major surface of the first substrate; and

a second substrate that is substantially parallel to the first high transmission substrate, the second substrate having a higher iron content than the first substrate and being at least twice as thick as the first substrate,

wherein the first and second substrates are laminated together with a radiation cured polymer interlayer, the polymer interlayer hermetically sealing the reflective coating between the first and second substrates,

wherein the reflective article has a reflectivity above 90 percent.