Near-Infrared Sunlight Harvesting in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells Via the Insertion of an Upconverter-TiO2 Nanocomposite Layer

Er3+,Yb3+ co-doped LaF3-TiO2 nanocomposites (UC-TiO2) are inserted as a middle layer in a novel tri-layer photoanode design of a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The Er3+,Yb3+ co-doped LaF3 part of the nanocomposite helps capture near-infrared (NIR) light by converting it into visible light absorbable by the dye hence opening the road for the development of DSSCs with higher conversion efficiency and photocurrent output.