Highly uniform, bifunctional core/double-shell-structured β-NaYF4:Er3+, Yb3+ @ SiO2@TiO2 hexagonal sub-microprisms for high-performance dye sensitized solar cells.

Highly uniform core/double-shell-structured β-NaYF4:Er(3+),Yb(3+)@SiO2@TiO2 hexagonal sub-microprisms are prepared and employed in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) internally. This work paves a facile way to enable the most-efficient upconversion material (β-NaYF4:Er(3+),Yb(3+)) to be used as scattering and upconversion centers in the photoelectrode of a DSC.