Viability of using near infrared PbS quantum dots as active materials in luminescent solar concentrators

The performance of chemically synthesized lead sulfide (PbS) quantum dots (QDs) in planar, nontracking luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) is evaluated using spectroscopic and photovoltaic techniques. Spatially resolved measurements are used to investigate and analyze the role of reduced self-absorption on the LSC efficiency. From comparative measurements of samples with Rhodamine B and CdSe/ZnS QDs it is established that PbS LSCs generate nearly twice the photocurrent in silicon cells than the other materials, achieving an integrated optical efficiency of 12.6%. This is attributed primarily to the broadband absorption of PbS which allows optimum harvesting of the solar spectrum. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3422485]