TY - JOUR
T1 - The potential of transparent sputtered NaI:Tm2+, CaBr2:Tm2+, and CaI2:Tm2+ thin films as luminescent solar concentrators
AU - Merkx, Evert P.J.
AU - Plokker, Maarten P.
AU - van der Kolk, Erik
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - The parameters governing the performance of a luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) are determined for sputtered thin-films of NaI:Tm2+, CaBr2:Tm2+, and CaI2:Tm2+. These parameters are determined by using six gradient thin film material libraries, combinatorially sputtered from metallic and pressed powder targets. These films show strong 4f13→4f12d1 absorption of maximally 752 cm−1 at.%−1 for NaI:Tm2+, 31 cm−1 at.%−1 for CaBr2:Tm2+, and 473 cm−1 at.%−1 for CaI2:Tm2+. This absorption covers the entire visible spectrum and does not overlap with the infrared 4f-4f emission at 1140 nm. Decay measurements are used to estimate the quantum yields of the thin-films. These quantum yields can be as high as 44 % for NaI:Tm2+, when doped with 0.3 at.% Tm. Even at doping percentages as low as 0.3 at.%, the films appear to show luminescence quenching. The concentration-dependent absorption and quantum yield are combined with the index of refraction, resolved from transmission measurements, to simulate the optical efficiency of a thin film Tm2+-doped halide LSC. These simulations show that LSCs based on Tm2+ can display excellent color rendering indices of up to 99 %, and neutral color temperatures, between 4500K and 6000K. Under optimal conditions, thin-films constrained to a thickness of 10μm and 80 % transmission of the visible spectrum, would be able to display optical efficiencies of 0.71 %. This optical efficiency compares favorably to the maximally achievable 3.5 % under these constraints. This efficiency is largely independent of the size of LSC itself.
AB - The parameters governing the performance of a luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) are determined for sputtered thin-films of NaI:Tm2+, CaBr2:Tm2+, and CaI2:Tm2+. These parameters are determined by using six gradient thin film material libraries, combinatorially sputtered from metallic and pressed powder targets. These films show strong 4f13→4f12d1 absorption of maximally 752 cm−1 at.%−1 for NaI:Tm2+, 31 cm−1 at.%−1 for CaBr2:Tm2+, and 473 cm−1 at.%−1 for CaI2:Tm2+. This absorption covers the entire visible spectrum and does not overlap with the infrared 4f-4f emission at 1140 nm. Decay measurements are used to estimate the quantum yields of the thin-films. These quantum yields can be as high as 44 % for NaI:Tm2+, when doped with 0.3 at.% Tm. Even at doping percentages as low as 0.3 at.%, the films appear to show luminescence quenching. The concentration-dependent absorption and quantum yield are combined with the index of refraction, resolved from transmission measurements, to simulate the optical efficiency of a thin film Tm2+-doped halide LSC. These simulations show that LSCs based on Tm2+ can display excellent color rendering indices of up to 99 %, and neutral color temperatures, between 4500K and 6000K. Under optimal conditions, thin-films constrained to a thickness of 10μm and 80 % transmission of the visible spectrum, would be able to display optical efficiencies of 0.71 %. This optical efficiency compares favorably to the maximally achievable 3.5 % under these constraints. This efficiency is largely independent of the size of LSC itself.
KW - Building-integrated photovoltaics
KW - Combinatorial science
KW - Halide
KW - Luminescent solar concentrator
KW - Optical simulation
KW - Sputter deposition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099303805&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.solmat.2020.110944
DO - 10.1016/j.solmat.2020.110944
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85099303805
SN - 0927-0248
VL - 223
JO - Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
JF - Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
M1 - 110944
ER -