Abstract
Photon upconversion of near-infrared photons is a promising way to overcome the Shockley–Queisser efficiency limit of 32% of a single-junction solar cell. However, the practical applicability of the most efficient known upconversion materials at moderate light intensities is limited by their extremely weak and narrowband near-infrared absorption. Here, we introduce the concept of an upconversion material where an organic near-infrared dye is used as an antenna for the β-NaYF4:Yb,Er nanoparticles in which the upconversion occurs. The overall upconversion by the dye-sensitized nanoparticles is dramatically enhanced (by a factor of ∼3,300) as a result of increased absorptivity and overall broadening of the absorption spectrum of the upconverter. The proposed concept can be extended to cover any part of the solar spectrum by using a set of dye molecules with overlapping absorption spectra acting as an extremely broadband antenna system, connected to suitable upconverters.
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Acknowledgements
J.C.H., W.Z. and C.V. acknowledge financial support from the Joint Solar Programme (JSP 1) of the Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie (FOM). The authors thank M.C.A. Stuart for TEM measurements of the nanoparticles and H.M.M. Hesp for assistance with laser spectroscopy. This is the first publication by the FOM Focus Group Groningen, participating in the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER).
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W.Z., C.V. and J.A.M. were responsible for the experimental work. J.C.H. conceived the project. J.C.H. and M.S.P. supervised the research. All authors discussed the results. The manuscript was written by W.Z., M.S.P. and J.C.H.
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Zou, W., Visser, C., Maduro, J. et al. Broadband dye-sensitized upconversion of near-infrared light. Nature Photon 6, 560–564 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2012.158
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2012.158
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