Crosslinked fluorinated polymer coatings as innovative host matrices for organic-based luminescent solar concentrators

State-of-the-art organic-based thin-film LSC devices currently rely on PMMA as host matrix. However, PMMA-based LSCs still suffer from degradation due to the limited photostability of the polymer. New crosslinked fluoropolymers are presented in this work as alternative host matrices for high-stability, mechanically-resistant thin-film LSC devices. The new coatings are obtained by distinctively crosslinking a functional chloro-trifluoro-ethylenevinyl- ether copolymer with two types of crosslinking agents, namely a cycloaliphatic isocyanurate and a melamine-based crosslinker. Superior long-term operational stability compared to PMMA-based devices is obtained by appropriate selection of the crosslinking agent, as evidenced by long-term Xenon-light weathering tests on operating LSC devices.