Photonic crystal-enhanced novel green-emitting single-layer perovskite-based luminescent solar concentrators with...

To date, perovskite quantum dot (PQD)-based luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) suffered from relatively low optical efficiency, complex fabrication process, and limited stability. To address these issues, a green-emitting Zn²⁺-doped CsPbBr₃ perovskite nanocrystal composite (Zn-CPB@WS-1) was synthesized through a high-temperature solid-state calcination method using tungsten-doped stilbitite-1 (WS-1) zeolite matrix as a template. Zn²⁺ doping significantly improved the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of the composite from 13.59% to 42.77% and prolonged the fluorescence lifetime from 1.16 to 55.84 ns. Using this composite as the luminescent material and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the waveguide, single-layer LSCs with various concentrations were fabricated, achieving a maximum external optical efficiency (η_opt) of 4.63% ± 0.04%. To reduce escape-cone loss and further boost efficiency, a CdS photonic crystal (PC) back reflector spectrally matched to the composite emission was designed and integrated. The maximum η_opt reached 5.44% ± 0.05%, a 17% increase compared with that of the device without the PC back-reflector. Importantly, the device achieved a maximum total power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.03% ± 0.02%. Meanwhile, the single-layer LSCs exhibited outstanding stability: after two weeks under high-temperature (60 °C), high-humidity (RH = 90%), or continuous-light-irradiation conditions, η_opt remained above 91% of its initial value. Therefore, the Zn-CPB@WS-1-based single-layer LSCs exhibited high efficiency, a simple fabrication, and superior stability, demonstrating strong potential for practical applications. Furthermore, the LSCs were successfully applied to solar hydrogen production, demonstrating commendable hydrogen-production rates and solar-to‑hydrogen (STH) efficiency.