Singlet Fission and Triplet Transfer to PbS Quantum Dots in TIPS-Tetracene Carboxylic Acid Ligands

Singlet exciton fission allows for the generation of two triplet excitons for each photon absorbed within an organic semiconductor. Efficient harvesting of these triplets could allow for the Shockley–Queisser limit on the power conversion efficiency of single-junction photovoltaics to be broken. Here, we show that singlet fission molecules bound directly to PbS quantum dots as ligands can undergo singlet fission with near unity efficiency and can transfer triplets sequentially into the PbS with near unity efficiency. Within the PbS, the excitations recombine, giving rise of the emission of photons. This allows for the doubling of the quantum dot photoluminescence quantum efficiency when photons are absorbed by the singlet fission ligand, as compared to when directly absorbed in the quantum dot. Our approach demonstrates that it is possible to convert the exciton multiplication process of singlet fission into a photon multiplication process and provides a new path to harness singlet fission with photovoltaics.