Flexible luminescent solar concentrators utilizing bio-derived tandem fluorophores

In this work we aim to investigate flexible luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) for the purpose of portable power generation. We will focus on Surelight® PE-610, which is a tandem fluorophore consisting of R-Phycoerythrin and Rhodamine, as well as PbSe nanorods, as the luminescent species. The luminescent quantum yield, LQY, of PE-610 was measured as 53% in buffer solution, and 75% when deposited in a thin-film. Computational simulations show that a 25cm by 25cm LSC with a 0.1mm thick thin-film containing PbSe nanorods, a LQY of 70% and a substrate thickness of 3mm has an optical efficiency of 4.5±0.1%. An identical LSC with a 0.5mm thick substrate had an optical efficiency of 1.7±0.1% meaning substrate thickness is a key factor for flexible LSCs. A primary advantage of PE-610 as a LSC material is that it is bio-derived, and therefore cheap and abundant. The PbSe nanorods have the advantage of a broad absorption spectrum, though the LQY used is still speculative at this time.