RUI, GOALI: Multiple-Dye Luminescent Solar Concentrators- Extending Lifetime and Absorption

主要的研究目标是提高发光太阳能聚光器（LSCs）的性能，使其在商业上可行。LSC是一种由高荧光材料制成的薄平板，它利用内部反射将光线集中在其边缘，然后通过半导体太阳能电池将其转化为电能。LSC的主要优势是它的成本。它是一种廉价的、无方向性的、能将吸收的74%的光子聚焦到一块非常小的昂贵半导体材料上的区域光收集器。我们之前的研究结果表明，与单一染料的LSC相比，由多种染料制成的LSC形成了一个激发能量转移网络，将更多的阳光转化为电能。染料网络的构建是为了最大限度地吸收和最小化与发射重吸收相关的损失。该提案的重点是减少光降解，使LSC在5年的现场使用后至少有其初始最大产量的50%。光降解是LSC商业化的主要限制。将确定不同荧光材料的光降解原因，例如，依赖于激发波长（特别是紫外光）、氧气、温度、使用的溶剂和聚合物的状态。根据确定的原因，将尝试各种解决方案。新的解决方案，将探索包括使用荧光量子点和提高荧光量子产率和光稳定性通过电动力学的相互作用之间的荧光材料和金属。还将继续开发和测试新的多染料LSCs，通过增加对阳光的吸收来进一步改善其性能。知识价值-这项工作将大大提高我们对荧光材料光降解的原因和解决方案的理解，不仅用于LSCs，而且用于许多其他应用，如发光二极管，固体染料激光器，荧光探针和一般染料。通过实验验证量子点和金属增强荧光应用的可行性。更广泛的影响-本科生将获得跨学科项目的宝贵研究培训，并积极参与其传播。我们建议在赠款期间扩大我们的合作基础。社会将受益于太阳能收集的进步。

The primary research goal is to improve the performance of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) to where they become commercially viable. A LSC is a thin, flat plate of highly fluorescent material that uses total internal reflection to concentrate light at its edges where it is converted to electricity by semiconductor solar cells. The main advantage of the LSC is its cost. It is a cheap, non-directional, area collector of light focusing 74% of the photons it absorbs down to a very small area of expensive semiconductor material. Results from our previous grant illustrate that LSCs made with multiple dyes that form an excitation energy transfer network convert significantly more sunlight into electricity than a single-dye LSC. The dye networks are constructed to maximize absorption and minimize losses associated with the reabsorption of emission.The focus of this proposal is to decrease photodegradation such that a LSC has at least 50% of its initial maximum output after 5 years of field use Photodegradation is a major limit to the commercialization of LSCs. The causes of photodegradation for different fluorescent materials will be identified, such as, dependence on the wavelength of excitation (particularly that of ultraviolet light), oxygen, temperature, solvent used, and the state of the polymer. A variety of solutions will be tried depending on the causes identified. Novel solutions that will be explored include the use of fluorescent quantum dots and enhancing fluorescence quantum yield and photostability through electrodynamics interactions between a fluorescent material and metal. Work will also continue on developing and testing new multiple-dye LSCs to further improve their performance through increased absorption of sunlight.Intellectual merit- This work will significantly enhance our understanding of the causes and solutions for photodegradation of fluorescent materials not only for use in LSCs but also in many other applications, such as, light-emitting diodes, solid dye lasers, fluorescent probes and for dyes in general. The feasibility of application of quantum dots and metal enhanced fluorescence will be experimentally tested. Broader impacts- Undergraduates will receive valuable research training on an interdisciplinary project and actively participate in its dissemination. We are proposing to broaden our base of collaborations during this grant period. The society will benefit from advances in solar energy collection.