Improved Dispersion of CuInS$_{\mathrm{\mathbf{2}}}$\textbf{/ZnS Quantum Dots in Poly(methylmethacrylate) for High Performance Luminescent Solar Concentrators}.

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) use down-converting luminophores embedded in a waveguide to absorb sunlight and deliver high irradiance, narrowband output light for driving photovoltaic (PV) and other solar energy conversion devices. Achieving a technologically useful level of optical gain requires bright, broadly absorbing, large-Stokes-shift luminophores incorporated into low-loss waveguides, a combination that has long posed a challenge to the development of practical LSCs. With the recent introduction of a new generation of broadband, high-brightness, giant effective Stokes Shift phosphors based on materials such as CuInS$_{\mathrm{2}}$ and Mn:ZnSe nanocrystals (NCs), LSCs have come closer to commercial viability. However a key remaining challenge concerns incorporation of NCs into technologically-relevant waveguide materials, especially poly(methylmethacrylate), where aggregation occurs at even very low loadings, leading to unacceptable light-scattering losses. This poster describes a strategy for achieving uniform dispersion at even high NC loading, by substituting native NC ligands for diblock poly(styrene)-poly(methylmethacrylate) oligomeric ligands. Using this strategy we describe CuInS$_{\mathrm{2}}$/ZnS-based LSCs demonstrating outstanding performance as large-area, semitransparent concentrators suitable for use in energy-harvesting window layers and related applications.