Germany-based adhesive technology supplier Panacol has launched Elecolit 3648, a conductive adhesive for making flexible electrical contacts on temperature-sensitive organic photovoltaic (OPV) and perovskite solar devices.

The new product was conceived to adhere well to plastics, such as polyimide, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and flame-retardant epoxy resin.

“The most important features for our customers are usually that the adhesive cures at low temperatures, which is important for the heat-sensitive OPV materials,” Lena Reincke, Panacol business development manager for OPV, told pv magazine, adding flexible and bendable as other desirable properties.

When it comes to dispensing, Reincke noted that OPV customers preferred a one-component adhesive due to its simplicity. It is ready to use, with no measuring or mixing being required as is the case with many conventional adhesives.

Elecolit 3648 is a solvent-free, one-component electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) with silver filler. It is a grey-colored epoxy with curing times that start as low as less than 1m at 150 C for up to 30 minutes at 80 C with a 24-hour post-oven time to achieve full-strength bonds.

Panacol, which produces a range of ECAs, said in a statement it was necessary to develop the new more flexible ECA formulation because even conventional low-temperature curing ECA products can still be brittle and inflexible. Moreover, certain applications that are subjected to vibration, oscillation or rapid temperature changes need an ECA with additional flexibility and stretchability.

When asked about the source of demand for this type of ECA, Reincke said, “We see demand especially in Europe and the United States, but also Asia.”

The Elecolit 3648 ECA technology is compatible with jet print, screen print, or conventional adhesive dispensing equipment. The type of dispensing selected depends on volume, according to Reincke. For low-volume production and lab tests, the choice is conventional dispensing, jetting or squeegee. For higher volume production, customers are using jetting or screen printing methods.

Panacol Elosol, a member of Germany’s Hönle Group, produces industrial and specialized adhesives, including a range of multifunctional adhesive products for flexible photovoltaics and electronics.