Environmentally friendly, highly efficient, and large stokes shift-emitting ZnSe:Mn(2+)/ZnS core/shell quantum dots for luminescent solar concentrators

In this study, heavy-metal-free orange light-emitting ZnSe:Mn(2+)/ZnS doped-core/shell (d-C/S) quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized using a nucleation doping strategy. To synthesize high quality d-C/S QDs with high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY), the Mn(2+) concentration was optimized. The resulting ZnSe:Mn(2+)(5%)/ZnS d-C/S QDs showed a high PL QY of 83.3%. The optical properties of the synthesized QDs were characterized by absorption and PL spectroscopy. Their structural and compositional properties were studied by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. After doping Mn(2+) into a ZnSe core, the ZnSe:Mn(2+)/ZnS d-C/S QDs showed a large Stokes shift of 170 nm. The ZnSe:Mn(2+)/ZnS d-C/S QDs were embedded in a poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PLMA) polymer matrix and the ZnSe:Mn(2+)/ZnS-based polymer film was fabricated. The fabricated ZnSe:Mn(2+)/ZnS-PLMA film was highly transparent in the visible spectral region (transmittance > 83.8% for λ ≥ 450 nm) and it exhibited bright orange light under air mass (AM) 1.5G illumination using a solar simulator. The optical path-dependent PL measurement of the ZnSe:Mn(2+)/ZnS-PLMA film showed no PL band shift and minimal PL decrease under variation of excitation position. These results indicate that the highly efficient and large Stokes shift-emitting ZnSe:Mn(2+)/ZnS QDs are promising for application to luminescent solar concentrators.