Luminescent solar concentrator containing Parylene-C microfibrous thin film infiltrated with Lumogen F Red 305

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) were made by the infiltration of microfibrous thin films (µFTFs) of Parylene C by Lumogen F Red 305 (LFR305), in order to maximize the concentration of light made available to a photovoltaic solar cell (PVSC). The Parylene-C µFTFs with either tilted columnar or chevronic morphology were fabricated using physicochemical vapor deposition and infiltrated with LFR305 using thermal evaporation. Application of a voltage across a photoresistor illuminated by a solar simulator (AM1.5) through an LFR305-infiltrated Parylene-C LSC resulted in an enhancement of the ON-OFF minimum current ratio by a factor of 1.5 ± 0.29 compared to the ratio before LFR305 infiltration/deposition, regardless of morphology; furthermore, LFR305 infiltration enhanced the ON-OFF minimum current ratio by 56.5 ± 21.5 %, depending on the morphology. The LSC concentration factor was determined to be 8.7 ± 3.4 after integration with a monocrystalline-silicon solar cell, depending on the morphology.