Performance of Luminescent Solar Concentrators Integrated with Negative Replica Layers of Leaf Surface Microstructures

Abstract

In this study, a negative replica layer of leaf surface microstructures was used to cover the top surfaces of semitransparent thin-film luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) to enhance the concentrators’ performance. With low reflection on the air–glass interface of the glass plate in a thin-film LSC, a negative replica layer enables the scattering of incident sunlight and increases the path of light transmitted into the LSC and the thin phosphor layer at the bottom surface of the LSC. The incident sunlight is therefore more likely to interact with the phosphor particles in the thin-film phosphor layer, thereby enhancing the performance of the LSC. In this study, semitransparent thin-film LSCs with different inorganic phosphors were examined. The experimental results revealed that the optical collection efficiency of semitransparent thin-film LSCs covered with negative replica layers of leaf surface microstructures was higher than that of the semitransparent thin-film LSCs without negative replica layers. Furthermore, the LSCs with negative replica layers with high haze ratios exhibited high optical collection efficiency. Integrating negative replica layers of leaf surface microstructures as semitransparent layers in thin-film LSCs may optimize the application of LSCs in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs).

The Role of Solar Spectral Beam Splitters in Enhancing the Solar-Energy Conversion of Existing PV and PVT Technologies

“…Whilst research into LSC 'Smart Window' devices poses new applications for passive-energy-generating systems with novel integration strategies, they still conform to this traditional (planar) geometry. Modern research within the space of LSCs is pushing the boundaries of the various geometries of devices that can be produced, such as a bio-inspired leaf design [131,132]. The leaf, designed by Huang et al was designed to mimic a natural leaf and provide passive cooling through channels within the device.…”

Biomimetic Approaches to “Transparent” Photovoltaics: Current and Future Applications

“…Such a nanostructure, composed of an ordered array of nanospheres, closely resembles another structure from the natural world, namely that of the opal, which has also been shown to lead to improvements in the PCE of solar cells, thanks to its light-trapping properties [68]. Another type of PV device that may benefit from further developments in the implementation of bio-inspired light-management strategies is that of semi-transparent luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs), as shown, for instance, in a recent work by Chen et al [69]. Here, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) negative replica layer of leaves' microstructures conferred improved light-scattering properties to the device (i.e., the "haze" or the portion of light diffusely scattered through a transparent surface with respect to the total light transmitted through such interface).…”