Issue 6, 2018

Large area quantum dot luminescent solar concentrators for use with dye-sensitised solar cells

Abstract

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) have the potential to significantly contribute to solar energy harvesting strategies in the built environment. For the practical realisation of LSC technology, the ability to create large area devices, which contain considerable volumes of high quality luminescent species, is paramount. Here, we report the development of large area (90 cm2 top face), planar LSCs doped with green-emitting CdSe@ZnS/ZnS core–shell quantum dots (QD) with a composition gradient shell. The champion LSC demonstrates an optical efficiency of 1.2%, for a geometric factor of 7.9, under full spectrum illumination (AM1.5G). It was observed that inhomogeneity in the edge emission is a feature of large area devices and that an appropriate measurement geometry should be used to account for this when determining the optical efficiency. The LSCs exhibit excellent optical stability under accelerated testing conditions and display reasonably low optical reabsorption losses. Proof-of-principle integration of the QD-LSC with a planar, thin strip DSSC is demonstrated to generate an enhanced photocurrent. These results not only highlight the promise of composition gradient shell QDs for the practical realisation of large area LSCs, but indicate that we should look beyond conventional silicon cells and towards emerging photovoltaic (PV) technologies for the design of hybrid LSC-PV systems for the urban environment.

Graphical abstract: Large area quantum dot luminescent solar concentrators for use with dye-sensitised solar cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
31 may 2017
Accepted
11 yan 2018
First published
23 yan 2018

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018,6, 2671-2680

Large area quantum dot luminescent solar concentrators for use with dye-sensitised solar cells

L. J. Brennan, F. Purcell-Milton, B. McKenna, Trystan M. Watson, Y. K. Gun'ko and R. C. Evans, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2018, 6, 2671 DOI: 10.1039/C7TA04731B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements