Molecular approaches to third generation photovoltaics: photochemical up-conversion

Yuen Yap Cheng; Burkhard Fückel; Derrick A. Roberts; Tony Khoury; Raphaël G. C. R. Clady; Murad J. Y. Tayebjee; Roland Piper; N. J. Ekins-Daukes; Maxwell J. Crossley; Timothy W. Schmidt

doi:10.1117/12.862739

24 August 2010 Molecular approaches to third generation photovoltaics: photochemical up-conversion

Yuen Yap Cheng, Burkhard Fückel, Derrick A. Roberts, Tony Khoury, Raphaël G. C. R. Clady, Murad J. Y. Tayebjee, Roland Piper, N. J. Ekins-Daukes, Maxwell J. Crossley, Timothy W. Schmidt

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7772, Next Generation (Nano) Photonic and Cell Technologies for Solar Energy Conversion; 777207 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.862739
Event: SPIE Solar Energy + Technology, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We have investigated a photochemical up-conversion system comprising a molecular mixture of a palladium porphyrin to harvest light, and a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon to emit light. The energy of harvested photons is stored as molecular triplet states which then annihilate to bring about up-converted fluorescence. The limiting efficiency of such triplet-triplet annihilation up-conversion has been believed to be 11% for some time. However, by rigorously investigating the kinetics of delayed fluorescence following pulsed excitation, we demonstrate instantaneous annihilation efficiencies exceeding 40%, and limiting efficiencies for the current system of ≈60%. We attribute the high efficiencies obtained to the electronic structure of the emitting molecule, which exhibits an exceptionally high T₂ molecular state. We utilize the kinetic data obtained to model an up-converting layer irradiated with broadband sunlight, finding that ≈3% efficiencies can be obtained with the current system, with this improving dramatically upon optimization of various parameters.

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Yuen Yap Cheng, Burkhard Fückel, Derrick A. Roberts, Tony Khoury, Raphaël G. C. R. Clady, Murad J. Y. Tayebjee, Roland Piper, N. J. Ekins-Daukes, Maxwell J. Crossley, and Timothy W. Schmidt "Molecular approaches to third generation photovoltaics: photochemical up-conversion", Proc. SPIE 7772, Next Generation (Nano) Photonic and Cell Technologies for Solar Energy Conversion, 777207 (24 August 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.862739

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