Laser dyes doped with poly(ST-Co-MMA) as fluorescent solar collectors and their field performance

Poly(ST-Co-MMA) was prepared as base matrix for fluorescent solar collectors (FSCs). The optical energy gap (E-g) and the Urbach's energy (E-u) of coumarin 6/copolymer and perylene/copolymer have been calculated before and after exposure to UV radiation. The fluorescence spectra for different dye concentrations were measured and the fluorescence quantum yield (phi(f)) as well as the energy yield of fluorescence (E-F) have been calculated. The photo-stability of the dye/copolymer samples has been studied. All the used dyes were found to be more photo-stable doped in copolymer matrix than in PMMA matrix. The out door test measurement over one season was carried out for different models of FSCs and the optical efficiency of FSCs has been determined. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.