Eco-Friendly and Efficient Luminescent Solar Concentrators Based on a Copper(I)-Halide Composite

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy
• Photovoltaics

Background:

• Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) offer a promising route to reduce silicon solar cell costs.
• Quantum dots (QDs) are favored for LSCs due to stability, but toxicity and small Stokes shifts are limitations.
• Developing non-toxic, efficient light-emitting materials is crucial for advanced LSC applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, toxic metal-free luminescent ink for stable and efficient LSCs.
• To investigate the optical and performance characteristics of LSCs fabricated with the new material.
• To assess the stability and potential for large-area applications of the developed LSC technology.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a highly luminescent, toxic metal-free ink based on a copper(I)-halide hybrid cluster (PEA)4Cu4I4.
• Fabrication of LSC devices using the synthesized ink, characterized by quantum yield (QY) and Stokes shift.
• Performance evaluation of the LSCs, including internal quantum efficiency (ηint) and optical conversion efficiency (ηopt) when coupled to a solar cell.

Main Results:

• The developed ink exhibits a high quantum yield (>68%) and a large Stokes shift, emitting strong orange light.
• The fabricated LSCs achieved an internal quantum efficiency (ηint) of 44.1% and an optical conversion efficiency (ηopt) of 6.85%.
• The LSCs demonstrated excellent stability, including air, water, and photostability.

Conclusions:

• The (PEA)4Cu4I4 ink represents a promising, non-toxic alternative for fabricating high-performance LSCs.
• The material's properties support its potential for use in large-area, cost-effective solar energy harvesting applications.
• This work paves the way for the development of next-generation luminescent solar concentrators with enhanced efficiency and stability.