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Doctor-blade deposition of quantum dots onto standard window glass for low-loss large-area luminescent solar concentrators

Nature Energy volume 1, Article number: 16157 (2016) Cite this article

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Abstract

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are envisioned to reduce the cost of solar electricity by decreasing the usage of more expensive photovoltaic (PV) materials and diminishing the complexity of multi-cell PV modules. The LSC concept can also enable unconventional solar-energy conversion devices such as PV windows that can be especially useful in highly populated urban areas. Here we demonstrate low-loss, large-area (up to about 90 × 30 cm2) LSCs fabricated from colloidal core/shell quantum dots (QDs) whose optical spectra are tailored so as to minimize self-absorption of waveguided radiation. For improved compatibility with a polymer matrix and enhanced stability, QDs are encapsulated into silica shells, which allows for maintaining high emission efficiencies (∼70% quantum yields) under four-month exposure to air and light, and heat treatments up to 200 ∘C. The QD/polymer composites are processed into devices using standard doctor-blade deposition onto commercial window glasses. The fabricated semi-transparent devices demonstrate internal quantum efficiencies of more than 10% for dimensions of tens of centimetres.

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Figure 1: Thick-shell, type-I CdSe/Cd1−xZnxS g-QDs.
Figure 2: Silica-coated g-QDs.
Figure 3: Tests of photostability and thermal stability of silica-coated and uncoated g-QDs.
Figure 4: Fabrication of thin-film LSCs by a doctor-blade technique.
Figure 5: Evaluation of the performance of fabricated devices.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Centre for Advanced Solar Photophysics (CASP), an Energy Frontier Research Centre funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences. The authors would like to thank N. S. Makarov for assistance in setting up a system for accelerated photostability tests.

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  1. Hongbo Li and Kaifeng Wu: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemistry Division, Center for Advanced Solar Photophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA

    Hongbo Li, Kaifeng Wu, Jaehoon Lim, Hyung-Jun Song & Victor I. Klimov

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Contributions

J.L. fabricated and characterized the QD samples. H.L. developed the procedure for QD overcoating with silica and conducted characterization of the resulting QD/silica structures. H.L. and K.W. fabricated devices using a doctor-blade approach. K.W. characterized and analysed their LSC performance. H.-J.S. fabricated and characterized coupled LSC–PV devices. V.I.K. initiated the study, developed the analytical LSC model, and wrote the manuscript with contributions from all co-authors. H.L. and K.W. contributed equally to this work.

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Correspondence to Victor I. Klimov.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Supplementary Information

Supplementary Figures 1–9, Supplementary Tables 1–2, Supplementary Notes 16 and Supplementary References (PDF 2073 kb)

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Li, H., Wu, K., Lim, J. et al. Doctor-blade deposition of quantum dots onto standard window glass for low-loss large-area luminescent solar concentrators. Nat Energy 1, 16157 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.157

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