Photon Upconversion Strategies for Enhancing Efficiency in Photovoltaic Devices: Mechanisms and Materials Review

Photovoltaic devices transform sunlight into electrical power, offering a plentiful and eco-friendly solution to meet global energy demands. Yet, their performance remains limited by the loss of sub-bandgap photons that pass through without absorption. Photon upconversion presents an effective strategy to overcome this issue, transforming those lower-energy photons into higher-energy light suitable for absorption where solar cells exhibit peak quantum yields. This overview highlights recent advancements in diverse high-performance upconversion materials and their successful integration into various photovoltaic technologies, such as crystalline and amorphous silicon cells, GaAs cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, and additional cell variants. It also examines the hurdles and future potential of these materials in photovoltaic systems. This review presents a detailed examination of key advancements and ongoing challenges in upconversion research, designed to inform upcoming investigations and accelerate the broad implementation of these materials in renewable energy production.