Long-range self-assembled perovskite nanocrystals for luminescent solar concentrating superlattices

Large-are, glass luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) coupled to photovoltaics offer certain advantages compared to conventional solar cells design, yet the overall efficiency of current LSC technologies leave much to be desired. In particular, light coupling and waveguiding issues limit device performance and to overcome this we direct the self-assembly of perovskite nanorods into superlattices to make a uniform layers of lumophores and endow beneficial, anisotropic photophysical properties. A layer of highly ordered perovskite superlattices is expected to not only alleviate the optical performance loss arising from the optical escape cone but also to enhance the probability of getting amplified emission from the correlated lumophores. To develop in-depth understanding of the perovskite nanorod orientation(s) and their self-assembly processes, synchrotron-based in situ GI-SAXS/WAXS measurements are critical. This project is motivated by preliminary data of self-assembly perovskite nanocrystal observations and opens a new paradigm for perovskite-based LSCs. However, this is only empirically understood, and experiments at BL11-NCD-SWEET will help develop quantitative models to rationalize and exploit these observations.