Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation

    Directionally Emissive Luminescent Solar Concentrators Enabled by Electrically Aligned Quantum Rods within a Polymer Matrix

    Nan Ren1,*, Muhammad Umer1,*, Edoardo Carraro2, Andrea Iudica2, Chao Wang3, Huaiyu Xu4, Jian Hu5, Qiang Jing1, Junlong Xiao1 et al.

    Qinglong Tu1, Jishuai Lin1, Fengjia Fan4, Alberto Vomiero7,8,†, Margherita Zavelani-Rossi2,6,‡, Yang Song1,§, and Haiguang Zhao1,‖

    • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
    • †Contact author: alberto.vomiero@ltu.se
    • ‡Contact author: margherita.zavelani@polimi.it
    • §Contact author: yangsong@qdu.edu.cn
    • ‖Contact author: hgzhao@qdu.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 207002 – Published 22 May, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/y5gy-n6qb

    Abstract

    Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) are highly transparent, cost-effective photovoltaic devices that convert sunlight into fluorescence, which is then concentrated on peripheral solar cells via total internal reflection (TIR). In this Letter, we systematically analyzed the influence of directional emission on the efficiency of LSCs, revealing that directional emission not only enhances TIR efficiency but also mitigates light propagation losses. To validate this, we utilized highly bright and polarized emitting CdSe/CdZnS quantum rods (QRs) as the emitter. By developing an electrically aligned photopolymerization technique, we successfully induced and fixed the orientation of the QRs within a polymer matrix, thereby preventing the aggregation-induced quenching. Further characterization demonstrated a 1.23-fold efficiency improvement for the directionally emitting LSC device compared to its isotropic counterpart. Ultimately, the 3.5×3.5×0.85  cm3 laminated-glass device achieved an extremely high power conversion efficiency of ∼4.92%. By adjusting QRs concentration, a light utilization efficiency of ∼2.39% with over 60% transmittance was obtained, rivaling state-of-the-art transparent photovoltaic devices.

    Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

    Authorization Required

    We need you to provide your credentials before accessing this content.

    Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

    References (Subscription Required)

    Outline

    Information

    Sign In to Your Journals Account

    Filter

    Filter

    Article Lookup

    Enter a citation