A carbon dot-based tandem luminescent solar concentrator

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are light-management devices concentrating solar light.
• Semitransparent LSCs offer potential for integration into urban building glass walls as photovoltaic power plants.
• Key challenges include developing cost-effective, eco-safe materials, expanding operational range, and enhancing optical efficiency for self-sustainable buildings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a large-area tandem LSC fabricated with eco-friendly carbon dots.
• To evaluate the optical quantum efficiency and transparency of the developed LSC.
• To explore the application of carbon dots in advanced solar light harvesting.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a large-area (64 cm²) tandem LSC.
• Utilized highly emissive blue, green, and red carbon dots.
• Characterized internal and external optical quantum efficiencies and spectral transparency.

Main Results:

• Achieved an internal optical quantum efficiency of 23.6%.
• Reported an external optical quantum efficiency of 2.3%.
• Maintained high transparency across the visible spectrum.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated a viable large-area tandem LSC using entirely eco-friendly carbon dots.
• The developed LSC shows potential for efficient solar light harvesting in building-integrated photovoltaics.
• Opens new avenues for carbon dot applications in advanced solar energy technologies.