Improving the efficiency and longevity of sensitized solar photovoltaic cells using non-coherent photon upconversion with dual absorber/upconverters

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The global supply of solar energyamounts to about 10,000 times the world's total current combined electrical energy generation capacity. Solar energy therefore represents the ultimate source of "green" power. Photovoltaic cells directly convert solar energy to electrical energy, but existing devices using inorganic semiconductor materials are too expensive for widespread deployment in solar energy farms and can also contain environmentally sensitive elements. The current generations of organic solar photovoltaic cells (dye-sensitized solar cells, DSCs, and others) are much less expensive to produce and present no significant environmental hazard, but are relatively inefficient and have an unacceptably short working lifespan. The University of Saskatchewan group of applicants has demonstrated proof-of-principle that a photovoltaic response will result from the process of non-coherent photon upconversion in combination with existing dye-sensitized solar PV cell technology. We have taken the unique approach of using a dual absorber-upconverter that both absorbs sunlight and pools (upconverts) the energy of two light-activated molecules to produce one highly excited singlet state that can act as the electron donor in the photovoltaic. An excellent opportunity exists to improve solar cell efficiency by using photon upconversion with a dye or other substance that absorbs sunlight strongly in the near infrared and thereby extracts the energy from a segment of the solar spectrum that is currently wasted in conventional DSCs. Of equal importance, extremely robust materials such as fullerenes and single-walled carbon nanotubes may, in principle, be used to effect the same process, thereby improving organic solar cell longevity by orders of magnitude. This application, with the support of MW Canada Ltd., requests funding primarily to support the personnel who will carry out the development of these new, advanced DSCs.