Surface Treatment of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Film for Lamination of Flexible Photovoltaic Devices

Roll-to-roll lamination of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been carried out using the thermal lamination technique. The laminated substrates show high optical transparency due to the absence of an interlayer. Surface treatment of the PET allows thermal lamination to be carried out at temperatures 20 °C below the glass transition temperature of the PET substrates. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis has been conducted to show the presence of various chemical bonds on the coated PET. The possibility of bond formation after surface treatment has also been discussed to explain the phenomenon behind the low temperature thermal lamination.