US 12,408,479 B2
Asymmetric light transmission surfaces for enhancing efficiency of solar concentrators
Vincent James Oliveto, Troy, NY (US); and Diana-Andra Borca-Tasciuc, Troy, NY (US)
Assigned to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (US)
Appl. No. 18/033,380
Filed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 22, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/056175
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 24, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/087355, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 28, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/104,615, filed on Oct. 23, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0395738 A1, Dec. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. H10F 77/45 (2025.01); H10F 77/42 (2025.01); H10F 77/70 (2025.01)
CPC H10F 77/45 (2025.01) [H10F 77/488 (2025.01); H10F 77/707 (2025.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A luminescent solar concentrator, comprising:
a light propagation device comprising a plurality of nanostructures configured to permit preferential propagation of a wavelength range of light in one direction, and a plurality of substrates arranged such that each one of the plurality of nanostructures is positioned on a respective one of the plurality of substrates to form a nanostructure-substrate pairing wherein each of the nanostructures are defined by a pyramidal configuration having a top surface and a bottom surface, in which the height of each nanostructure between the top and bottom surfaces is at least equal to or greater than a base width of the bottom surface and wherein each of the substrates are defined by a cuboid configuration in which width dimension is greater than a corresponding height dimension thereof;
at least one photovoltaic cell positioned adjacent an end of the light propagation device; and
at least one waveguide configured to guide light toward the at least one photovoltaic cell via total internal reflection within the luminescent solar concentrator and in which the plurality of nanostructure-substrate pairings is arranged in a periodic array having a periodicity in the range of 100 nm to 1000 nm, wherein each of the plurality of nanostructures is configured to permit a first quantity of light to propagate in a forward direction and a second quantity of light to propagate in a backward direction, the first quantity of light being greater than the second quantity of light for the wavelength range and over azimuthal angles ranging between −20 degrees and 180 degrees.