Case 13296

Methods for Increasing Power Output from Luminescent Solar Concentrators

Keywords:

Luminescent solar concentrator (LSC), confinement efficiency

Applications:

Luminescent solar concentrator (LSC)

Problem:

    To reduce the loss of non-confined light radiated out of the collection face or backside of the LSC

Technology:

This invention describes methods to control the emission direction in LSCs through physical alignment of the light emitting species for the purposes of reducing confinement losses in the energy transduction cycle of LSCs. Permanent alignment of the emitters can be achieved by reducing its energetic interaction with the matrix by stretching the matrix to achieve anisotropy, binding the emitter via covalent bonds or Van der Waals forces, forcing dipole alignment during the manufacture process followed by induced polymerization of the matrix, aligning the emitter between an emissive coating and waveguide substrate, oriented with supramolecular aggregates linked by chemical bonds and even deactivating a subset of emitters if it exhibits anisotropic interaction with the deactivating force.

Advantages:

    Increase in conversion efficiency by 30-90% efficiency

Inventors:
  • Professor Marc A. Baldo (Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT)
  • Jonathan K. Mapel (Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT)
  • Michael James Currie (Lincoln Laboratory)
  • Shalom Goffri (Research Laboratory of Electronics, MIT)

Intellectual Property:

US Patent Application Number 13/029730, filed on February 17, 2011

Publications:

N/A

Related Cases:

13284: Applications for Luminescent Solar Concentrators

13289: Materials for Luminescent Solar Concentrators

Last revised: January 19, 2012

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