Plasmon-enhanced quantum efficiency of CdSe/ZnS luminescent solar concentrators through Au nanoparticle integration

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are effective large-area sunlight collectors that use solar cells to convert focused sunlight into electricity based on the emissive fluorophores. However, the development of high-performance LSCs still remains a challenge. In this work, LSCs are fabricated by incorporating CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) and Au nanoparticles (NPs) into the off-stoichiometric thiol-ene (OSTE) polymer. The light absorption efficiency and photoluminescence (PL) intensity of CdSe/ZnS QDs are significantly enhanced by the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of Au NPs. When the concentration of Au NPs is 2 ppm, the maximal internal quantum efficiency ( η int ) and external quantum efficiency ( η ext ) of CdSe/ZnS LSCs are measured to be 9.90% and 3.85%, respectively. Compared to the control devices, the increases of 1.78-fold in η int and 2.97-fold in η ext are achieved. In addition, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) and optical efficiency ( η opt ) of CdSe/ZnS LSCs show increases of 0.49 times and 0.35 times, respectively. Furthermore, the LSC with 2 ppm Au NPs possesses excellent aesthetic parameters with a color rendering index (CRI) of 92.11 and an average visible transmission (AVT) of 75.02%. Therefore, the optimal concentration of Au NPs will shed light on high-efficiency LSCs with superior aesthetic parameters to meet the demands of practical applications.