Effect of ZnO on structure and luminescence properties of Ce3+-Yb3+ co-doped Na2O–CaO–SiO2–Al2O3 glasses for solar panel applications

The Ce3+-Yb3+ co-doped Na2O–CaO–SiO2–Al2O3–ZnO glasses were prepared by the melt-quenching method. The effects of ZnO replacing CaO on the structure and luminescent properties of glass were studied. The thermodynamic temperature and thermal stability of the glasses were determined by DSC. The change in the glass network structure was analyzed by FT-IR spectra. The excitation spectrum, emission spectrum and fluorescence lifetime of Ce3+ in glass were determined by fluorescence spectrometer. The down-conversion luminescence spectra of Ce3+-Yb3+ ions excited at 355 nm were measured. According to the emission spectra of Ce3+ ions under different excitation wavelengths, the multiple luminescence centers of Ce3+ ions are determined, and the chromaticity coordinates of CIE are calculated. Finally, the energy transfer between Ce3+ and Yb3+ was analyzed. The Ce3+-Yb3+ co-doped glass can convert ultraviolet and visible light to the response band of c-Si solar cells, so it is an ideal candidate for solar panel glass. Although Yb3+ cannot directly absorb the light in the range of 300–500 nm, the ultraviolet band can be down-converted and emitted to the response band of c-Si solar cells by Ce3+-Yb3+ co-doping in glass, and a strong broadband near-infrared emission occurs near 978 nm, which matches the best response spectrum of c-Si solar cells. Therefore, the Ce3+-Yb3+ co-doped glass is expected to be a suitable spectral converter to be used as solar cover glass, which has potential application value in improving the actual photoelectric efficiency of silicon-based solar cells. [Display omitted] •Substitution of ZnO for CaO in glass composition has a significant effect on structure and properties.•Phenomenon of multiple luminescence centers of Ce3+ ions in a glass matrix has been discussed.•CIE Chromaticity coordinates indicate that the luminescence color of glass transitions from blue to turquoise light.•Chromaticity coordinates excited by ultraviolet light indicate UV protection performance of cover glass to photovoltaic module.•It provides guiding significance for the functional improvement of solar cell cover glass at present.