Luminescent europium complex-laden coatings as exceptional downshifters for organic dye-sensitized solar cells

As a feasible option for photovoltaic technology to meet the growing energy demand, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have attracted much attention due to their low cost, ease of fabrication and good performance. In particular, metal-free organic dyes are currently under investigation because of their low cost and high molar extinction coefficient; thus, they are ideal sensitizer for large-scale applications. However, their absorption range is often narrow, so that an important portion of the solar spectrum is not absorbed. In this context, we think that luminescent materials, which are capable of converting a broad spectrum of light into photons of a particular wavelength, can be used to improve the light harvesting efficiency of the solar-cell-based energy conversion process. In this work, for the first time ever new crosslinked fluoropolymeric systems are employed as luminescent downshifters for organic-dye-sensitized solar cells. The effect of these parameters on the photovoltaic cells and the study of devices aging will be presented.