Photovoltaic devices with encapsulating barrier film

1. An encapsulated device comprising:

a photovoltaic cell; and

a composite film overlaying at least a portion of the photovoltaic cell, the composite film comprising:

a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises a flexible transparent (co)polymeric film;

a base (co)polymer layer on a major surface of the substrate;

an oxide layer on the base (co)polymer layer; and

a protective (co)polymer layer on the oxide layer, wherein the protective (co)polymer layer consists of the reaction product of only a (meth)acrylate monomer and at least one urea (multi)-(meth)acrylate (multi)-silane precursor compound of the formula: R S —N(R 5 )—C(O)—N(H)—R A , wherein:

R S is a silane containing group of the formula: —R 1 —[Si(Y p )(R 2 ) 3-p ] q , wherein:

R 1 is a multivalent alkylene, arylene, alkarylene, or aralkylene group, said alkylene, arylene, alkarylene, or aralkylene groups optionally containing one or more catenary oxygen atoms,

each Y is a hydrolysable group,

R 2 is a monovalent alkyl or aryl group;

p is 1, 2 or 3, and

q is 1-5;

R A is a (meth)acryl group containing group of the formula: R 11 -(A) n , wherein:

R 11 is a polyvalent alkylene, arylene, alkarylene, or aralkylene group, said alkylene, arylene, alkarylene, or aralkylene groups optionally containing one or more catenary oxygen atoms,

A is a (meth)acryl group comprising the formula: X 2 —C(O)—C(R 3 )═CH 2 , further wherein:

X 2 is —O, —S, or —NR 3 ,

R 3 is H, or C 1 -C 4 , and

n=1 to 5; and

R 5 is H, C 1 to C 6 alkyl, C 3 to C 6 cycloalkyl, or R S , with the proviso that at least one of the following conditions applies:

n is 2 to 5, R 5 is R S , or q is 2 to 5; and

wherein the (meth)acrylate monomer is tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate.

2. The encapsulated device of claim 1 , wherein each hydrolysable group Y is independently selected from an alkoxy group, an acetate group, an aryloxy group, and a halogen.

3. The encapsulated device of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the hydrolysable groups Y are alkoxy groups.

4. The encapsulated device of claim 2 , wherein at least some of the hydrolysable groups Y are chlorine.

5. The encapsulated device of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of alternating layers of the oxide layer and the protective (co)polymer layer on the base (co)polymer layer.

6. The encapsulated device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene napthalate (PEN), heat stabilized PET, heat stabilized PEN, polyoxymethylene, polyvinylnaphthalene, polyetheretherketone, fluoro(co)polymer, polycarbonate, polymethylmethacrylate, poly α-methyl styrene, polysulfone, polyphenylene oxide, polyetherimide, polyethersulfone, polyamideimide, polyimide, polyphthalamide, or combinations thereof.

7. The encapsulated device of claim 1 , wherein the base (co)polymer layer comprises a (meth)acrylate smoothing layer.

8. The encapsulated device of claim 1 , wherein the oxide layer comprises oxides, and any one or more of nitrides, carbides or borides of atomic elements from Groups IIA, IIIA, IVA, VA, VIA, VIIA, IB, or IIB, metals of Groups IIIB, IVB, or VB, rare-earth metals, or combinations thereof.

9. The encapsulated device of claim 1 , further comprising an oxide layer applied to the protective (co)polymer layer, optionally wherein the oxide layer comprises silicon aluminum oxide.