Detection of acid moisture in photovoltaic modules using a dual wavelength pH-sensitive fluorescent dye

The formation of acetic acid via the penetration of moisture into ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) in photovoltaic (PV) modules is cited as the main reason for PV modules' degradation. Currently, there is no effective method for detecting acetic moisture in PV modules. We proposed a simple method for detecting acid moisture in PV modules using a dual-wavelength pH-sensitive dye that measures pH by the ratio of the intensities of two peaks in the fluorescence spectra of the dye. We detected the pH change caused by acetic acid with the change in the intensity ratio of the fluorescence spectra of the dried dye. Furthermore, we observed that the dry fluorescent dye is heat resistant to withstand the lamination process for the manufacturing of PV modules, and has good long-term durability. (C) 2014 The Japan Society of Applied Physics

光伏（PV）组件中，水分渗入乙烯 - 醋酸乙烯酯（EVA）形成乙酸被认为是光伏组件性能退化的主要原因。目前，尚无有效的方法来检测光伏组件中的乙酸水分。我们提出了一种简单的方法，利用一种双波长对pH敏感的染料来检测光伏组件中的酸性水分，该染料通过其荧光光谱中两个峰的强度比值来测量pH值。我们通过干燥染料的荧光光谱强度比的变化检测到了由乙酸引起的pH变化。此外，我们观察到干燥的荧光染料具有耐热性，能够承受光伏组件制造过程中的层压工艺，并且具有良好的长期耐久性。（C）2014日本应用物理学会