Colourless luminescent solar concentrators based on Iridium(III)-Phosphors

The first real examples of luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) based on Ir(III) cyclometalates, are described herein. Two new Ir(III) tetrazole complexes, namely [Ir(ppy)2(iQTZ-PPG)]+ and [Ir(npy)2(iQTZ-PPG)]+, where (C^N) = ppy, 2 phenylpyridine or npy = 2-(naphthalen-2-yl)pyridine and iQTZ-PPG = 1-(2-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-2H-tetrazol-5-yl)isoquinoline, were synthesized, fully characterized and tested as phosphors for colourless LSCs. Notably, increasing quantities (0.2–1.8 wt %) of the new Ir(III) based phosphors were dispersed in different acrylate polymers like poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, poly(benzyl methacrylate), PBzMA and poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate), PCHMA, leading to visible transparent polymeric films exhibiting excellent photostability and bright yellow to orange phosphorescent emissions. The performances as solar collectors of all the Ir(III)-doped polymers were investigated, providing results comparable, or superior, to those obtained from colourless LSC based on organic fluorophores. In fact, the best optical efficiency (ηopt up to 7%, combined to transmittance close to 80% at 390 nm) was displayed by the polymer film obtained from physical dispersion of [Ir(ppy)2(iQTZ-PPG)]+ (1.4 wt %) in PCHMA.