Ytterbium oxide nanodots via block copolymer self-assembly and their efficacy to dye-sensitized solar cells

•A novel phosphor, Yb2O3, was developed as a UV-absorbing spectral converter for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs).•The ordered Yb2O3 nanodots trap more light and prevent charge recombination at the interfaces.•Their multifunctionality improves DSSC performance for both Ru-based and organic dyes. In this study, we develop a novel phosphor, Yb2O3, to be used as the spectral converter in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for the efficient capture of ultraviolet light via down-conversion. These zero-dimensional nanodots with a high refractive index also allow more light to be trapped and can prevent charge recombination at the interfaces in the DSSCs. Compared to DSSCs without the nanodots, the DSSCs fabricated with the Yb2O3 nanodots exhibits higher power-conversion efficiencies for both the N719 (10.5%) and CSD-01 (20.5%) dyes. The multifunctionality of the Yb2O3 nanodots provides a new route for improving the performance of DSSCs.