Increasing the power output of a CdTe solar cell via luminescent down shifting molecules with intramolecular charge transfer and aggregation-induced emission characteristics

A series of tetraphenylethylene (TPE) based luminescent downing-shifting (LDS) molecules was synthesized based on a new design strategy for electron donor-acceptor conjugated fluorophores, in which TPE was paired with malononitrile and used as an electron donor. Because of their strong characteristics of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and aggregation-induced emission (AIE), the synthesized fluorophores exhibit both large Stokes shifts (129146 nm) and high quantum yields (0.84-0.99). Applied PMMA solid films doped with the synthesized molecules on the surface of a CdTe solar cell can significantly increase its short circuit current density (J(sc)) by a magnitude of 6-10%.