Lanthanide based dyes belong to one of the most promising fields of photovoltaic research,
combining high quantum yields and large spectral shift. However, many challenges are faced when
working with lanthanide dyes for spectral conversion: their thermal and chemical stability, which
can greatly influence the shelf-life of the dyes; the absorption band position, which depends on the
organic part of the dye, the so called "antenna"; self-quenching mechanisms, which lead to a
photoluminescence emission loss. The chemical composition of the surrounding environment of the
dyes has a fundamental role in their properties. In this paper, the optical and PLQY
(photoluminescence quantum yield) properties of an europium-based dye embedded in a silica
matrix are reported. The in-house synthesized dye consists of a bis(2-
(diphenylphosphino)phenyl)ether oxide (DPEPO) ligand and three hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hfac)
co-ligands coordinating a central europium ion. The dye has been included in porous core-shell
particles, to study its optical properties once embedded in a solid dielectric matrix. The optical
properties of the resulting samples have been characterized by photoluminescence emission and
PLQY measurements. The results have been compared with data obtained from a commercially
available dye (BASF Lumogen family) in similar conditions.
Fluorescent solar collectors represent an alternative to flat plate photovoltaic arrays. With the emphasis on minimizing
the use of silicon, the collector is usually composed of a mixture of fluorescent dyes embedded in a transparent medium.
The absorbed incoming sunlight is re-emitted at a longer wavelength. A large fraction of fluorescence is totally internally
reflected and transported to the edge of the collector, where the solar cell is placed. The key requirements for efficient
fluorescent collectors are a good photon transport and a broad absorption of sunlight. The fundamental parameter that
determines the efficiency of photon transport is the probability of reabsorption.
Based on experimental results and ray-tracing simulations carried out with "TracePro", this publication illustrates the use
of ray tracing to model reabsorption in collectors with different shapes as well as inhomogeneous structures, and to
assess the validity of the traditional analytical approach. We show that, contrary to expectations, some novel structures
(for example, "thin film" or "waveguide" collectors) do not represent an improvement over their corresponding
homogeneous collectors and that any variation of the film refractive index on a glass substrate leads to an efficiency
drop.
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