Self-healing Coating Material for Photovoltaics
Self-healing is a highly desired property to extend the lifespan of materials because practically all materials are susceptible to degradation over time. In order to achieve healing on both a microscopic and nanoscopic scale, self-healing materials must be designed. This is essential to prevent the spread of cracks, preventing catastrophic system failure, and restoring all of the original properties of the materials. The potential for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), solar cells, and other renewable energy sources is enormous. However, they are susceptible to damage leading to system failure in hot and humid weather. The research team led by Dr. Sanjib Banerjee at the Dept. of Chemistry, IIT Bhilai has developed a new self-healing polymeric coating material for photovoltaics that exhibits spontaneous crack healing. This work provides a cost-effective and facile access to self-healing coating materials.
The report is published in European Polymer Journal. The article can be accessed through the following link;
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2023.112251