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cope413 t1_iv7fmq7 wrote

Pdms has been used to coat solar panels for a while now. It increases the efficiency.

Wouldn't be ideal for windows on the first floor of a house, but on a skyscraper or multi-storey building, it would be durable enough.

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sirkilgoretrout t1_iv89p9m wrote

Interesting… is that due to reduced absorption in the near-UV range vs acrylic, polycarb, etc?

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cope413 t1_iv8aitb wrote

Yes, it has exceptional intrinsic thermal and UV stability (won't suffer degradation), and it has excellent transmittance.

It's also used as a boundary to prevent lead oxides from forming (called PDMS passivating). This is the main way that PDMS increases efficiency of solar cells.

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SignorJC t1_iv8h50d wrote

Yeah but we could also have just required those skyscrapers not be built with so much glass in the first place. Horribly inefficient but we did it for the aesthetics.

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