BaCl2:Er3+—A High Efficient Upconversion Phosphor for Broadband Near‐Infrared Photoresponsive Devices. Issue 8 (9th May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Zhi; Jia, Hong; Zhang, Xiaowen; Liu, Jianmin; Zeng, Shengfeng; Li, Yang; Ma, Zhijun; Dong, Guoping; Qiu, Jianrong; McKittrick, J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of the American Ceramic Society. Volume 98:Issue 8(2015)
• Page Start: 2508
• Page End: 2513
• Publication Date: 2015-05-09
• Subjects: Ceramics -- Periodicals; 620.1405
• DOI: 10.1111/jace.13558
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-7820

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jace13558-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Utilization of photons with subband‐gap energy, mostly near‐infrared (NIR) photons, is highly desirable for photovoltaic cells; which can be achieved by adding an upconversion layer at the rear face of photovoltaic cells. Here, we study the upconversion luminescence properties of BaCl₂:Er³⁺ phosphors and hexagonal NaYF₄:Er³⁺ phosphors upon excitation of incoherent NIR sunlight with wavelength λ &gt; 800 nm. Higher efficacious upconversion emissions of BaCl₂:Er³⁺ phosphors have been observed in comparison with the well‐known hexagonal NaYF₄:Er³⁺ phosphors. We demonstrate that the photocurrent response from the thin‐film‐hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cell attached with the BaCl₂:Er³⁺ phosphor is notably enhanced under irradiation of incoherent NIR sunlight with wavelength λ &gt; 800 nm. This judicious design may be envisioned to shorten the distance for the remarkable improvement of the power conversion efficiency of the next‐generation photovoltaic cells and suggests a promising application for other NIR photoresponsive devices.</p> </abstract>