%0 Journal Article
%T Broadband sensitized near-infrared emission in Eu2+-Nd3+ co-doped BaAl2O4 as a potential spectral modulator for silicon solar cells.
%A Song G
%A Lou C
%A Zhu R
%A Diao H
%A Shen B
%J Luminescence
%V 39
%N 7
%D 2024 Jul
%M 39023133
%F 2.613
%R 10.1002/bio.4836
%X The near-infrared (NIR) down-conversion process for broadband sensitization has been studied in Eu2+-Nd3+ co-doped BaAl2O4. This material has a broad absorption band of 200-480 nm and can convert photons in the visible region into NIR photons. The NIR emission at 1064 nm, attributed to the Nd3+:4F3/2 → 4I11/2 transition, matches the bandgap of Si, allowing Si solar cells to utilize the solar spectrum better. The energy transfer (ET) process between Eu2+ and Nd3+ was demonstrated using photoluminescence spectra and luminescence decay curves, and Eu2+ may transfer energy to Nd3+ through the cooperative energy transfer (CET) to achieve the down-conversion process. The energy transfer efficiency (ETE) and theoretical quantum efficiency (QE) were 68.61% and 156.34%, respectively, when 4 mol% Nd3+ was introduced. The results indicate that BaAl2O4:Eu2+-Nd3+ can serve as a potential modulator of the solar spectrum and is expected to be applied to Si solar cells.