Fabrication of Fluorescent PMMA-Carbon Nanodots Optical Films and their Feasibility in Improving Solar Cells Efficiency using Low-Cost Sustainable Materials

Abstract

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots synthesized from L-arginine and ethylenediamine (NCNDs); citric acid-derived carbon nanodots with carboxylic surface groups (α-CDs); and Silica-Cdots hybrids produced through coupling α-CDs to SiO2 nanoparticles were used for the fabrication of fluorescent PMMA-CDs optical films. PMMA naturally emits luminescence when irradiated by 300-320 nm and the nanoparticles occlusion allows the conversion of a broader UV bandwidth to the visible: emissions around 450 nm are observed for excitations from 330-360 nm. Since this photoluminescence could increase the efficiency of solar energy concentrators and generators, photovoltaic cells were coated with films obtained with the blue-emitting NCNDs for a proof-of-concept of increasing the cells’ efficiencies with such materials. At our preliminary experiments, even using a setup with low contact of the optical polymer film on silicon surface, a promising increase from 4.24% to 4.72% cell efficiency was observed, showing the feasibility and potential for application of these environmentally friendly materials.