Thermally conductive alumina/organic composites for photovoltaic concentrator cell isolation

Styrene-acrylate copolymer coatings were deposited onto anodized aluminum substrates and the processing characteristics correlated with coating properties. The aluminum (5005-H34) alloy trough or housing module was anodized in a chilled (0-5 degrees C) 18% aqueous sulfuric acid bath. The entire housing was anodized to 50 V at a current density of 1.4 A/dm². A styrene-acrylate copolymer electrophoretic bath was prepared, and the bottom of the inside of the module was electrocoated at 0.5 mA/cm² for 120 s. Breakdown measurements were obtained by placing a probe on the coating composite and gradually increasing the voltage until a current in excess of 10 mA occurred. The results indicate that thin, relatively high thermal conductivity, high-voltage breakdown dielectrics can be formed using this economical process.