Ligand Engineering Enhances Fluorescence Properties of Eu‐Based Complexes for Efficiency Enhancement and UV Stability in Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells
Abstract The development of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells is substantially constrained by two UV‐related limitations: insufficient photon utilization in UV spectrum and pronounced UV‐induced degradation. Downshifting luminescent materials address this by absorbing harmful UV photons and converting them into visible light that matches the spectral response range of SHJ solar cells. Herein, a high‐performance europium (Eu)‐based complex is demonstrated, Eu(TTA) 3 Bath, synthesized using a π‐extended diphenyl‐conjugated ligand, achieving a record‐high quantum yield of 92.79%. Compared to Eu(TTA) 3 Phen, the Eu(TTA) 3 Bath complex exhibits superior and more stable luminescent properties due to optimized energy transfer. More importantly, the complex demonstrates excellent compatibility with polyvinyl butyral (PVB) matrix. To validate, Eu(TTA) 3 Bath@PVB composite films are fabricated by blending the Eu(TTA) 3 Bath complex with PVB powder and thermally cured on glass substrates, enhancing UV absorption while maintaining comparable visible transmittance. The optimized composite film demonstrates a 0.26%abs increase in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) when applied to SHJ solar cells, compared to the pristine PVB counterpart. Furthermore, it exhibits a 1.13%abs reduction in the PCE degradation under cumulative UV irradiation of 30 kWh m −2 compared to the control group. The materials synthesized by this strategy offer potential to address efficiency limitations and UV instability in SHJ technology.
Authors
- S.L. Zhang
- Hao Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7836-2894)
- Xiaodong Su (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0293-1365)
- Yueqian Zhen
- Shuai Zou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0630-6687)
- Yu Xiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6947-3178)
- Zheng Lu
Institutions
- Soochow University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Optical Materials
- Published
- 2025-06-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202501394
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Silicon Nanostructures and Photoluminescence
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.52
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation