Abstract
The integration of photovoltaic (PV) elements in urban environments is gaining visibility due to the current interest in developing energetically self-sustainable buildings. Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) may be seen as a solution to convert urban elements, such as façades and windows, into energy-generation units for zero-energy buildings. Moreover, LSCs are able to reduce the mismatch between the AM1.5G spectrum and the PV cells absorption. In this work, we report optically active coatings for LSCs based on lanthanide ions (Ln3+ = Eu3+, Tb3+)-doped surface functionalized ionosilicas (ISs) embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). These new visible-emitting films exhibit large Stokes-shift, enabling the production of transparent coatings with negligible self-absorption and large molar extinction coefficient and brightness values (~2 × 105 and ~104 M−1∙cm−1, respectively) analogous to that of orange/red-emitting organic dyes. LSCs showed great potential for efficient and environmentally resistant devices, with optical conversion efficiency values of ~0.27% and ~0.34%, respectively.
Highlights
The mismatch between AM1.5G spectrum and photovoltaic (PV) cells absorption is one of the critical factors limiting PV performance
The emission spectra of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-Tb and PMMA-Eu are dominated by the 5 D4 →7 F6-3 and 5 D0 →7 F0-4 transitions, respectively
Relative intensity, full-width-at-half-maximum, and number of Stark components, these spectra resemble those observed for the IS-Ln compounds (Figure S3 in Supplementary Information) pointing out that the IS-Ln compounds preserve their local structure after the PMMA incorporation
Summary
The mismatch between AM1.5G spectrum and photovoltaic (PV) cells absorption is one of the critical factors limiting PV performance. We highlight luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) [1,2,3,4], a complementary technology to PV cells for use in urban environments [5]. LSCs are devices comprising a transparent matrix in which optically active centers are embedded in. These optically active centers absorb the incident radiation and re-emit it at a specific wavelength. Because of the refractive index contrast between the LSC surface and the air, the emitted radiation is guided in the LSC by total internal reflection to PV cells located at its edges [6,7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
