Green-emitting Lu3Al5O12:Ce3+ phosphor as a visible light amplifier for dye-sensitized solar cells

A down convertor Lu3Al5O12:Ce3+ (LuAG) phosphor was used as a visible light amplifier for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). LuAG particles emitting green light with a wavelength of 470 to 650 nm, which is capable of stimulating Ru-dye molecules, enhanced the light-harvesting properties of a DSSC. The average short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of the DSSC containing LuAG down conversion layers was approximately 9.6% higher than that of the mesoporous (mp) TiO2-based DSSC. Therefore, the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) for the DSSC with LuAG was 7.5% under AM 1.5 conditions, which was 8.7% higher than that for the mp-TiO2 based DSSC. The superior photovoltaic properties of the DSSC containing LuAG down conversion layers under UV light illumination revealed the effective wavelength down-converting properties of the LuAG down conversion layers.