Enhanced performance of cadmium selenide quantum dot-sensitized solar cells by incorporating long afterglow europium, dysprosium co-doped strontium aluminate phosphors

• Published in: Journal of colloid and interface science 2014-02, Vol.416 (416), p.81-85
• Main Authors: Sun, Hengchao, Pan, Likun, Piao, Xianqing, Sun, Zhuo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Afterglows; Applied sciences; Cadmium selenides; Down-converting; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Illumination; Long afterglow; Natural energy; Phosphors; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic conversion; Quantum dots; Qunatum dots; Scattering; Solar cells; Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells; Solar energy; Sun; Titanium dioxide
• ISSN: 0021-9797; 1095-7103
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2013.10.050

[Display omitted] •Long afterglow SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy phosphors are introduced into the CdSe QDSSCs.•SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy phosphors improve the cell efficiency at one sun illumination.•The cell can be driven by the long persistent light from SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy in the dark. CdSe quantum dot-sensitized solar cells based on an efficient bifunctional structured layer composed of long afterglow SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy phosphors on top of a transparent layer of nanocrystalline TiO2 were fabricated and their photovoltaic performances were investigated. The results show that a high power conversion efficiency of 1.22% is achieved for the cell with SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy at one sun illumination (AM 1.5 G, 100mWcm−2), which is an increase of 48% compared to the cell without SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy (0.82%). After one sun illumination for 1min and subsequent turn off of the light source, the cell with SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy still shows an efficiency of 0.04% under dark condition due to the irradiation by the long persistent light from SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy. The present strategy should provide a possibility to fulfill the operation of solar cells even in the dark.