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

SBIR 第二阶段：量子点着色玻璃发光太阳能聚光窗

• 批准号: 1758697
• 负责人: Hunter McDaniel
• 金额: $ 75万
• 依托单位: UbiQD, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-03-01 至 2022-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1758697&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Quantum; Dot

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.

这个小企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第二阶段项目的更广泛影响/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。该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，而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阳光并将某种颜色的光通过窗户玻璃反射到位于边缘的小型太阳能电池的窗户色调。这项技术此前尚未商业化，因为大多数着色材料通常会吸收自身发出的光，从而限制了效率。该项目将通过由量子点制成的低成本窗户着色材料为这些问题提供新颖的解决方案。该项目进行的工作重点是扩大原型规模以及优化成本和可靠性。借助这项技术，高层建筑将实现净零能耗，甚至向电网供电。这将减少城市的碳足迹，并为占用这些建筑物的公司/个人节省资金，从而增加他们的繁荣和福利。这项技术还可以通过限制发电所需的化石燃料燃烧量来减少污染。 拟议的项目开发发电窗户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聚光器，该聚光器是通过用荧光团材料对窗户着色而制成的，该荧光团材料部分吸收阳光，然后将其转化为荧光（最好是近红外荧光）。荧光通过全内反射被捕获在窗口内，并集中到边缘，小型太阳能电池可以有效地将光转化为电能。由于荧光团不合适，在窗户中利用这项技术发电尚未商业化。该项目使用的荧光团是由CuInSeS/ZnS组成的量子点，解决了之前材料的问题。传统的荧光团如染料通常具有强自吸收、窄光谱吸收和稳定性差的特点。量子点更稳定，但价格昂贵，有时有毒（由于重金属），并且还存在自吸收问题。 CuInSeS/ZnS 量子点的突破在于它们明显更便宜，避免有毒元素，具有最适合低成本商业太阳能电池的近红外荧光，并且不会自吸收。第二阶段项目结束时，原型产品将安装在至少一栋建筑中。 该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。