Colorless luminescent solar concentrators using colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals
AssigneeTriad National Security, LLC
InventorsHunter McDaniel, Victor I. Klimov
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Abstract
Disclosed herein are embodiments of a composition comprising a polymer or sol-gel and one or more nanocrystals. The composition is useful as a luminescent solar concentrator. The nanocrystals are dispersed in the polymer or sol-gel matrix so as to reduce or substantially prevent nanocrystal-to-nanocrystal energy transfer and a subsequent reduction in the emission efficiency of the composition. In some embodiments, the polymer matrix comprises an acrylate polymer. Also disclosed herein is a method for making the composition. Devices comprising the composition are disclosed. In some cases the polymer is the waveguide, in others the polymer is applied as a coating on a waveguide. In some examples, the device is a window.
Claims20
A luminescent solar concentrator composition, comprising:
- optically clear matrix;
- and
- plural, substantially non-aggregated nanocrystals having a core/shell structure of CuInSexS2-x/ZnS, where x is from 0 to 2, the nanocrystals being substantially homogeneously dispersed in the optically clear matrix and separated by a distance greater than an energy transfer distance, thereby forming an optically clear luminescent solar concentrator having a color rendering index of 80 to 100 and a lightness (L*) value of 60 or less.
A luminescent solar concentrator composition, comprising:
- a polymer matrix;
- and
- a plurality of substantially non-aggregated nanocrystals having a core/shell structure of CuInSexS2-x/ZnS, where x is from 0 to 2, the nanocrystals being substantially homogeneously dispersed in the matrix and separated by a distance greater than an energy transfer distance, thereby having negligibly small light scattering, the luminescent solar concentrator having a color rendering index of 80 to 100 and a lightness (L*) value of 60 or less.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.