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

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二期项目的更广泛的影响和商业潜力是扩展窗户的功能，把它们变成白天的电力来源。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，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的窗户色调，并通过窗户的玻璃将某种颜色的光投射到位于边缘的小型太阳能电池上。这项技术以前还没有商业化，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颖的解决方案，即由量子点制成的低成本窗口着色材料。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，甚至可以向电网供电。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。拟议的项目开发和扩大发电窗口原型到平方米大小，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，它是通过用荧光团材料对窗户着色制成的，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。由于全内反射，荧光被困在窗户内，并集中到边缘，在那里小型太阳能电池有效地将光转化为电能。由于荧光团不合适，利用这种技术在窗户上发电还没有商业化。本课题使用的荧光团是由CuInSeS/ZnS组成的量子点，解决了以往材料存在的问题。传统的染料等荧光团自吸性强，光谱吸收窄，稳定性差。量子点更稳定，但价格昂贵，有时有毒（由于重金属），而且还会自我吸收。CuInSeS/ZnS量子点的突破在于它们的价格明显便宜，避免了有毒元素，具有近红外荧光，是低成本商用太阳能电池的最佳选择，并且不会自吸收。在第二期项目结束时，原型产品将安装在至少一栋建筑中。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

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.