Synthesis and Characterization of Sm3+/Yb3+ Codoped Oxychloride Tellurite Glasses for Solar Cell Enhancement via Energy Conversion
来源：ACS Publications
This study presents the synthesis and characterization of novel oxychloride tellurite glasses codoped with Sm3+/Yb3+. These materials were investigated for their potential applications as spectral converters to enhance the efficiency of silica-based solar cells. Optical spectroscopy revealed the successful incorporation of both rare-earth ions in the glass matrix. It was observed that with the increase of Yb3+ ion concentration, the lifetime of the 4G5/2 state of Sm3+ ions decreased considerably, indicating an efficient energy transfer mechanism between the Sm3+/Yb3+ pair. A notable energy transfer efficiency of 76% was achieved for the sample containing 3 mol % of YbCl3. The observed visible-to-near-infrared spectral conversion properties make these glasses promising candidates for improving the performance of silicon solar cells by better matching the solar spectrum to the optimal response range of a photovoltaic device.
Research has been developed looking for a sensitizer ion that can effectively absorb visible solar energy and efficiently transfer it to Yb3+ ions. Among the lanthanide ions, the Sm3+ ion is a promising candidate as a sensitizer for ytterbium ions because they are rich in excited energy levels in the UV–vis region, and the large energy gap, about 7000 cm–1, between the excited level 4G5/2 and the lower level 6F11/2 contributes to the high emission quantum efficiency of Sm3+ ions. Thus, in this investigation, we report on the synthesis and characterization of a novel Sm3+/Yb3+ codoped oxychloride tellurite glass system. The optical properties of this material were systematically evaluated to assess its potential as a spectral converter for enhancing the efficiency of Si-based photovoltaic cells through modification of the incident solar spectrum.