High‐performance hybrid luminescent‐scattering solar concentrators based on a luminescent conjugated polymer

Abstract

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are considered a promising building‐integrated photovoltaic technology. Over the past decade, numerous luminophores have been developed for LSCs. However, conjugated polymers are rarely reported for LSCs despite their wide application in other fields. In this study, we investigated a luminescent conjugated polymer, poly(naphthalene‐alt‐vinylene) (PNV), for LSCs. PNV exhibits an absorption wavelength (λabs) of 535 nm, an emission wavelength (λem) of 632 nm and a photoluminescence quantum yield of 0.40 in a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix. When tested under outdoor direct sunlight (1000 W m−2 ± 10%) and indoor diffuse light‐emitting diode (LED) light (10 W m−2 ± 10%), the PNV‐based LSCs with a size of 12 in. (30.48 cm) exhibited power conversion efficiencies (ηLSC) of up to 2.9% and 3.6%, respectively, and concentration ratios (C) of up to 1.49 and 3.53, respectively. The external quantum efficiencies of the LSCs and the edge emission spectra of the luminescent waveguides were analyzed to reveal the impact of surface scattering treatment on device performance. Monte Carlo ray‐tracing simulation was employed to project the performance of large‐area LSCs with sizes of up to 120 in. (304.8 cm). For the LSCs under outdoor direct sunlight and indoor diffuse LED light, the projected ηLSC values were 1.29% and 0.88%, respectively, and the projected C values were 6.73 and 8.62, respectively. This study suggests that high‐performance LSCs can be achieved through luminescent conjugated polymers. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry

A Preliminary Investigation on the Photothermal Properties of Luminescent Solar Concentrators

“…To date, numerous studies on the LSCs have focused on developing novel luminescent materials [24][25][26] and optical techniques [27][28][29][30] to enhance the performance of LSCs. However, only a handful of reports demonstrated devices with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) (>5%) and/or high concentration ratios (>2) at large scales [31][32][33][34][35]. According to a theoretical study, LSCs are subjected to over 50% photon loss due to the luminophore self-absorption, host matrix absorption, and waveguide escape [36].…”

Tunable Photovoltaics: Adapting Solar Cell Technologies to Versatile Applications

“…[344] Several research works presented semitransparent colored LSC based on QDs and conjugated polymers, for coupling with PV. [91,[345][346][347][348][349] Internal Design Strategies: The thickness of the transparent electrodes can be adjusted to achieve colorful semitransparent SCs. Jiang et al showed that changing the thickness of a PEDOT:PSS electrode between 48 and 160 nm allowed a wide range of color in semitransparent PSC (Figure 7c).…”

“…[ 344 ] Several research works presented semitransparent colored LSC based on QDs and conjugated polymers, for coupling with PV. [ 91,345–349 ]…”

Self-Absorption Analysis of Perovskite-Based Luminescent Solar Concentrators

“…An LSC with the dimensions of 6 in × 6 in × 1/4 in (152.4 mm × 152.4 mm × 6.35 mm) was fabricated in this study. The fabrication procedure was according to a previous report [32], where a thin (thickness: approximately 15 µm; density: 1.18 g cm −3 ) polymer (poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)) layer containing perovskite (CsPbI 3 ) NCs was sandwiched between two clear acrylic sheets, and four gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells connected in parallel were used to attach to the waveguide. Liquid optically clear adhesives (refractive index: 1.52@590 nm; cure by heating at 50 • C for 1 day) were used for index matching between the solar cells and the waveguide.…”