Luminescent waveguides (LWs) occur in a wide range of applications, from solar concentrators to doped fiber amplifiers. Here we report a comprehensive analysis of escape-cone losses in LWs, which are losses associated with internal rays making an angle less than the critical angle with a waveguide surface. For applications such as luminescent solar concentrators, escape-cone losses often dominate all others. A statistical treatment of escape-cone losses is given accounting for photoselection, photon polarization, and the Fresnel relations, and the model is used to analyze light absorption and propagation in waveguides with isotropic and orientationally aligned luminophores. The results are then compared to experimental measurements performed on a fluorescent dye-doped poly(methyl methacrylate) waveguide.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/AO.52.001230 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Stimulated emission luminescent solar concentrators (SELSCs) have the potential to reduce escape cone losses in luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). However, a functional SELSC is yet to be demonstrated. Previous numerical studies and detailed balance limits provide guidance, but they also contradict and likely overestimate performance and underestimate requirements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBroadband asymmetric light transmission interfaces for luminescent solar concentrators.
Nanoscale Adv
June 2021
Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy NY USA
Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are actively researched to be incorporated into multi-functional building envelope systems. They consist of a plastic matrix with absorbing-emitting media, which guides and concentrates light to edges where solar cells are located. A main drawback of LSCs is escape cone losses at the surface intercepting light.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomimetic light-harvesting funnels for re-directioning of diffuse light.
Nat Commun
February 2018
Department for Biophysical Chemistry, Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Braunschweig, Gaussstrasse 17, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany.
Efficient sunlight harvesting and re-directioning onto small areas has great potential for more widespread use of precious high-performance photovoltaics but so far intrinsic solar concentrator loss mechanisms outweighed the benefits. Here we present an antenna concept allowing high light absorption without high reabsorption or escape-cone losses. An excess of randomly oriented pigments collects light from any direction and funnels the energy to individual acceptors all having identical orientations and emitting ~90% of photons into angles suitable for total internal reflection waveguiding to desired energy converters (funneling diffuse-light re-directioning, FunDiLight).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDesign and realization of transparent solar modules based on luminescent solar concentrators integrating nanostructured photonic crystals.
Prog Photovolt
December 2015
Multifunctional Optical Materials Group Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de Sevilla (US-CSIC) Américo Vespucio 49 41092 Sevilla Spain.
Herein, we present a prototype of a photovoltaic module that combines a luminescent solar concentrator integrating one-dimensional photonic crystals and in-plane CuInGaSe (CIGS) solar cells. Highly uniform and wide-area nanostructured multilayers with photonic crystal properties were deposited by a cost-efficient and scalable liquid processing amenable to large-scale fabrication. Their role is to both maximize light absorption in the targeted spectral range, determined by the fluorophore employed, and minimize losses caused by emission at angles within the escape cone of the planar concentrator.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs the performance of photovoltaic cells approaches the Shockley-Queisser limit, appropriate schemes are needed to minimize the losses without compromising the current performance. In this paper we propose a planar absorber-mirror light trapping structure where a conventional mirror is replaced by a meta-mirror with asymmetric light scattering properties. The meta-mirror is tailored to have reflection in asymmetric modes that stay outside the escape cone of the dielectric, hence trapping light with unit probability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!