Profound investigation on bidirectional luminescence of Dy3+ activated BaCeO3 perovskite for enhanced solar cell performance

An innovative bidirectional (up and down) luminescence conversion agent (BaCeO3: Dy3+) which transforms UV and near-infrared lights into visible lights, is synthesized by the solution combustion method. The structure and phase of the crystal samples were examined from XRD and Rietveld refinement analysis. Surface morphology and elemental configuration were analyzed using FESEM, EDS, and elemental mapping techniques. Raman spectral analysis revealed corresponding vibrational bands of both host and dopant ions incorporated lattice. The optical band gaps of the samples were determined through UV-Visible diffuse reflection study. The luminescence characteristics, including up and down conversions (UC and DC) of the samples have been investigated on the basis of excitation and emission spectra. Upon 350 nm down conversion, the low-symmetric site of Dy3+within the host lead to a sharp emission peak at 578 nm (yellow) which dominates blue emission at 479 nm. Additionally, a peak at 654 nm is observed upon 980 nm up conversion. These findings recommend that the obtained material can be a potential candidate for solar spectral conversion materials in solar cell applications. The presence of these nanoparticles makes solar cells indirectly exploit UV and near-infrared lights in solar illuminations thus enhancing light absorption range and improving the solar energy utilization rate.