abstract
Here we present a new concept on lightweight and mechanically flexible high-performance waveguiding photovoltaics through the fabrication of cylindrical luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) of commercial poly(methyl methacrylate)-based plastic optical fibers coated with an Eu3+-doped organic-inorganic hybrid layer. Our optimized fiber LSC displays an effective optical conversion efficiency of 20.7 +/- 1.3% and a power conversion efficiency of 2.5 +/- 0.2% in the absorbing spectral region of the active layer (300-380 nm), values that are among the larger ones reported so far for UV-absorbing devices. Moreover, the measured optical conversion efficiency was used to calculate the self-absorption and transport efficiencies of the LSCs yielding values close to the unit Conventional LSCs are usually made of rigid glass or plastics with limited flexibility, hampering its applicability. The approach proposed here might then open new opportunities for cost-effective sunlight collection and wearable solar-harvesting fabrics for mobile energy with negligible self-absorption and transport losses. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
keywords
ORGANIC-INORGANIC HYBRIDS; SELF-ABSORPTION LOSS; OPTICAL-FIBER; QUANTUM DOTS; ENERGY; PERFORMANCE; EMISSION; COMPLEX; CELLS; GLASS
subject category
Energy & Fuels; Materials Science; Physics
authors
Correia, SFH; Lima, PP; Andre, PS; Ferreira, RAS; Carlos, LD
our authors
Luís Carlos
Full professor
Maria Rute de Amorim e Sá Ferreira André
Full professor
Patrícia Pereira Lima
Post-doc Fellowship
Sandra Filipa Henriques Correia
Researcheracknowledgements
This work was developed in the scope of the projects CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (UID/CTM/50011/2013) and Intituto de Telecomunicacoes (UID/EEA/50008/2013), financed by national funds through the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia/Ministerio da Educacao e Ciencia (FCT/MEC) and when applicable co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. The support of COST Action MP1202