YVO4:Eu3+,Bi3+ UV to visible conversion nano-films used for organic photovoltaic solar cells

Abstract

The irradiation of ultraviolet (UV) light usually induces the photodegradation of organic photovoltaic materials, leading to the significant degeneration of organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells. In view of this, we designed UV to visible photo-conversion YVO4: Eu3+, Bi3+ nano-films for the first time. These nano-films could not only filter out the harmful UV light to improve the lifetime of OPV, but also enhanced the power conversion efficiency (PCE). In this paper, we present the preparation, structure and excellent photoconversion properties of Y0.97−xVO4:0.03Eu3+, xBi3+ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) microsized powders and the nano-film converters fabricated by laser ablation. Furthermore, the photo-stability of P3HT film with the converter was investigated. It is exciting to observe that the degradation of P3HT thin-film can be effectively retarded with the converter, about 3 fold compared to that of the glass reference. The photoconverter from UV to visible has the potential to be practically used in future OPV solar cells devices.