Highly efficient multifunctional frosted luminescent solar concentrators with zero-energy nightscape lighting

Abstract

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are receiving increasing attention as photovoltaic (PV) modules to replace glass for seamless integration into the urban architectural landscape. Glass facades exhibiting different transparencies are highly demanded, however, LSCs with similar features of frosted glass are rarely reported. In this work, we developed eco-friendly multifunctional frosted LSCs (FLSCs) by incorporating the Si_5.9Al_0.1O_0.1N_7.9:Eu²⁺ phosphor with photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) up to 93% and the SrAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ phosphor with bright persistent luminescence into a thiol–ene polymer. A record-high external quantum efficiency (η_ext) of 29.8% is demonstrated for a 5 cm × 5 cm FLSC with the corresponding power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.37% and optical efficiency (η_opt) of 3.4% by attaching Si PV cells along the FLSC. The FLSC is proven to be an excellent substitute for commercial frosted glass thanks to its similar aesthetic quality. In addition to PV modules, FLSCs also act as zero-energy nightscape lighting devices due to the persistent luminescence. FLSCs exhibit favorable photostability during 150 h of 1 Sun illumination. Therefore, this work develops a new type of multifunctional and stable FLSC, which can not only replace frosted glass in multiple scenarios, but also play important roles in photovoltaic and lighting applications.