SBIR Phase II: Quantum Dot-Tinted Glass Luminescent Solar Concentrator Windows

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过将窗户变成白天的电力来源来扩展窗户的功能。这项技术的目标市场是城市地区的高层建筑，那里的电力需求最高，安装太阳能电池的可用空间最小。这项技术利用了一种可以吸收太阳光的窗户色调，并通过窗户玻璃将某种颜色的光反射到位于边缘的小型太阳能电池上。这项技术以前没有商业化，因为大多数着色材料通常会吸收自己发出的光，限制了效率。该项目将为这些问题提供一种新的解决方案，即由量子点制成的低成本窗户着色材料。在这个项目中进行的工作重点是扩大原型和优化成本和可靠性。有了这项技术，高层建筑将接近净零能耗，甚至向电网供电。这将减少城市的碳足迹，并为占用这些建筑的公司/个人节省资金，这将增加他们的繁荣和福利。这项技术还将通过限制发电所需的化石燃料燃烧量来减少污染。该项目将开发发电窗原型，并将其扩大到平方米大小，验证长期可靠性，优化制造，并启动试点项目。该技术基于发光太阳能集中器，其通过用荧光团材料着色窗户制成，该荧光团材料部分吸收阳光，然后将其转化为荧光，优选地在近红外线中。荧光通过全内反射被捕获在窗口内，并集中到边缘，在那里小型太阳能电池有效地将光转换为电能。由于不合适的荧光团，在窗户中利用这种技术来发电尚未商业化。本项目采用的荧光团是由CuInSeS/ZnS组成的量子点，解决了以往材料存在的问题。传统的荧光团如染料通常具有强的自吸收、窄的光谱吸收和差的稳定性。量子点更稳定，但价格昂贵，有时有毒（由于重金属），并且还遭受自吸收。CuInSeS/ZnS量子点的突破在于它们明显更便宜，避免有毒元素，具有低成本商业太阳能电池的近红外荧光，并且不会自吸收。在第二阶段项目结束时，将在至少一座建筑物中安装原型产品。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to extend the function of windows by turning them into daytime sources of electricity. The target market for this technology is tall buildings in urban areas, where electricity demand is the highest and the available space for installing solar cells is smallest. This technology utilizes a window tint that can absorb sunlight and remit light of a certain color through the window's glass to small solar cells located at the edges. This technology hasn't been commercialized previously because most tint materials typically absorb their own emitted light, limiting efficiency. This project will provide a novel solution to these problems with a low-cost window tint material made from quantum dots. The work conducted in this project focuses on scaling up prototypes and optimization for cost and reliability. With this technology, tall buildings will approach net-zero energy consumption or even supply electricity to the grid. This would reduce the city's carbon footprint as well as save money for the companies/individuals occupying these buildings, which would increase their prosperity and welfare. This technology would also reduce pollution by limiting the amount of burned fossil fuels needed to generate electricity. The proposed project develops and scales up the electricity-generating window prototypes to the square meter size, validates long-term reliability, optimizes for manufacturing, and launches pilot projects. The technology is based on luminescent solar concentrators, which are made by tinting a window with a fluorophore material that partially absorbs sunlight and then converts it to fluorescence, preferably in the near-infrared. The fluorescence is trapped inside the window by total internal reflection and is concentrated to the edges where small solar cells efficiently convert that light into electricity. Utilizing this technology in windows to generate electricity has not been commercialized due to unsuitable fluorophores. The fluorophore used in this project are quantum dots composed of CuInSeS/ZnS, which solves the problems of previous materials. Traditional fluorophores like dyes typically have strong self-absorption, narrow spectral absorption, and poor stability. Quantum dots are more stable, but are expensive, sometimes toxic (due to heavy metals), and also suffer from self-absorption. The breakthrough in CuInSeS/ZnS quantum dots is that they are significantly cheaper, avoid toxic elements, have near-infrared fluorescence optimal for low-cost commercial solar cells, and do not self-absorb. At the conclusion of the phase II project, prototype products will be installed in at least one building. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.