Upconversion photoluminescence enhancement by Gd-doped NaYF4:Yb,Er@SiO2 nanoparticles and their application in dye-sensitized solar cells

Introducing upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) onto photoanode films is an effective way to enhance the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this contribution, the β -NaYGdF 4 :Yb, Er UCNPs and β -NaYGdF 4 :Yb,Er@SiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by tuning the dopant contents of the Gd ions and the β -NaYGdF 4 :Yb,Er@SiO 2 NPs were applied as an upconverting layer in DSSCs. Upconversion photoluminescence indicates that the UCNPs doped with 5% Gd ions exhibit the strongest green and red fluorescence emissions . Moreover, the DSSCs device incorporating the NPs with 5% Gd ion dopant can achieve an optimal photovoltaic efficiency of 5.89%, which is 20.20% enhancement in comparison to the device without NPs and 16.17% increasement with respect to the device containing β -NaYF 4 :Yb,Er@SiO 2 nanocrystals , thus highlighting the effect of the doping of the Gd ions in nanoparticles on their upconversion photoluminescence and photoelectric performance. Accordingly, the current results offer a feasible strategy for further regulating the photoluminescence property of UCNPs and optimizing the photovoltaic performance of UCNPs-based DSSCs devices.