Application and technical advantages of molybdenum foil in solar energy industry
As the global demand for renewable energy surges, solar technology, as a core area of clean energy, continues to drive innovation in materials science. Molybdenum foil, as a high-performance metal material, plays an irreplaceable role in the solar energy industry because of its unique physical and chemical properties.
First, the key characteristics of molybdenum foil and industry adaptability
Molybdenum is a rare metal with a high melting point (2623 ° C), low coefficient of thermal expansion, excellent thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance. Molybdenum strips made by precision rolling process (thickness is usually 0.01-0.1mm) further enhance its mechanical strength and flexibility. These characteristics make it suitable for the long-term stable operation of solar equipment in high temperature, high radiation and complex chemical environment.
Second, moly foil in the solar energy industry's core application scenarios
1. Substrate materials for thin film solar cells
Thin-film solar cells (such as CIGS copper indium gallium selenium cells) have become representatives of a new generation of photovoltaic technology because of their lightweight and flexible characteristics. Moly foil is widely used as the back electrode substrate for CIGS batteries because of its high conductivity and chemical stability. The surface can form a uniform electrode layer by sputtering process, which significantly improves the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the battery (up to 22%).
2. Support substrate in high temperature process
In the preparation process of perovskite solar cells, molybdenum strip can be used as a bearing substrate for high temperature annealing process (400-600℃). Its low thermal expansion coefficient can avoid the deformation of the substrate and the battery material due to temperature change, and ensure the integrity of the battery structure.
3. Packaging protective layer of photovoltaic modules
High purity molybdenum foil (purity ≥99.95%) with corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance, is used for edge packaging of photovoltaic modules, especially in desert, coastal and other high humidity, high salt spray areas, can greatly extend the service life of the module.
4. Mirror substrate for concentrated solar power generation (CSP) system
In concentrated solar power systems, molybdenum foil is plated with aluminum or silver to form a high reflectivity mirror, which is used to focus sunlight to the collector. Its high temperature resistance can withstand the concentrating temperature of more than 800℃, which is better than the traditional glass substrate.
Third, molybdenum foil technical advantages and market prospects
Increased efficiency: The high conductivity of molybdenum foil can reduce the internal resistance of the battery and increase the energy output.
Cost optimization: Compared with silver, copper and other precious metals, molybdenum foil reduces material costs while ensuring performance.
Environmentally compatible: Molybdenum can be 100% recycled, in line with the sustainable development goals of the photovoltaic industry.
Fourth, challenges and future development direction
Although molybdenum foil has significant advantages, the problems of high processing difficulty (need to control grain size and surface roughness) and high initial cost still need to be broken through. In the future, by improving the rolling process (such as electrochemical deposition technology) and developing molybdenum alloy foils (such as molybdenum-titanium alloy), it is expected to further expand its application in emerging fields such as laminated cells and flexible photovoltaics.
Mosten Alloy can produce molybdenum sheet, molybdenum block, molybdenum foil, molybdenum rod, molybdenum wire, molybdenum cup, molybdenum processing workpiece according to customer demand.
