Highly efficient, ultra-stable multi-interlayer luminescent solar concentrators based on green and red-emitting perovskite nanocrystal composites†

Perovskite nanocrystal (NC) based LSCs suffer from complex preparation processes, relatively low efficiency, and limited stability. To address this issue, green-emitting Zn²⁺-doped Zn-CsPbBr₃@SiO₂ and red-emitting Zn-CsPbBrI₂@SiO₂ composites (denoted as ZB and ZBI) are synthesized for the first time by the solid-phase calcination method using silica aerogels (AGs) as template materials. This method not only ensures high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) and good perovskite stability but also significantly reduces the use of organic solvents and cost, greatly simplifying the preparation process. The high PLQYs of the ZB and ZBI composites are obtained, up to 51.46% and 25.15%, respectively. Subsequently, using ZB and ZBI composites as fluorescent materials and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as waveguide material, single-interlayer and overall curing flexible LSCs with different composite concentrations are fabricated by the hot curing method. Single-interlayer LSCs based on ZB and ZBI composites exhibit the maximum external optical efficiencies (η_opt) of 4.36% and 3.61%, respectively. Based on this, multi-interlayered LSCs with multiple emission peaks are developed using green-emitting ZB as the top layer and red-emitting ZBI as the bottom layer, achieving an η_opt value of 4.72%. The overall curing flexible LSCs based on ZB and ZBI exhibit maximum η_opt values of 9.30% and 5.97%, respectively. Remarkably, the laminated LSC can maintain above 85% of the initial η_opt values after two weeks even under harsh conditions such as high temperature (60 °C), high humidity (RH = 90%), or sunlight exposure. Thus, the obtained LSCs have more advantages, including high efficiency, simple fabrication, and ultra-stability.