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Here, we report the characterization of one-pot synthesized silicon quantum dots and its employment as luminophore of luminescent solar concentrators (SiQDLSC). Colloidal SiQDs shown attractive optical features such as absorption of high energy photons with wavelengths below 450 nm and a broad band of luminescence with maximum intensity at ∼525nm. The fabricated SiQDLSC shown transmittances of ∼90% over the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, while preserving the absorbance characteristics of the colloidal SiQDs. The photoluminescent properties of the SiQDLSC were measured at the edges of the devices, obtaining broad bands of emission with maximum around ∼500 nm. The observed results demonstrate the promising properties of the one-pot synthesized silicon quantum dots and its possible employment as luminophore in building integrated photovoltaic technologies such as SiQDLSC.

There is currently an increased interest in demonstrating white light emitting devices that exhibit a higher energy efficiency compared to the ubiquitous incandescent sources and that are at the same time cost-competitive as well as compatible with a mass-production environment. Under the aforementioned stringent constraints, photoluminescent quantum dots can be considered a suitable option to demonstrate said white light emitting constructs. To this end, the present report discusses the synthesis and characterization of nanoparticles of zinc oxide (ZnO) and zinc sulphide (ZnS) that exhibit Stokes shift effects and optical properties of light absorption in the UV range (~340 nm) and luminescent capabilities obtaining peaks centered in 525 nm and 440 nm, respectively. Colloidal mixtures of these nanostructures were made with different volumetric ratio in order to achieve a near white color emission. Photoluminescence studies of the mixtures were carried out and a chromaticity diagram was made to localize and identify a trend in the luminescent variations of the samples within the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) diagram. The experimental results indicate that quantum dots could be a viable alternative for high-efficiency and cost-competitive white light emitting devices.