Manuel J. Mendes Website
Professor of Photonics, Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics subjects
CENIMAT-i3N and CEMOP-UNINOVA, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Campus de Caparica. 2829-516 Caparica. Portugal (email)
CENIMAT-i3N and CEMOP-UNINOVA, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Campus de Caparica. 2829-516 Caparica. Portugal (email)
ERC Consolidator grant awarded to X-STREAM projectNovember 2023 Our project "Power-to-X: STREAMing Hydrogen from 3-Band Solar Cells boosted with Photonic Management" will launch a new trend in photovoltaics (PV), showing that the photonically-amplified multi-band solar cell approach is a promissing route towards very high efficiencies. Besides, the solar cells will allow improved combination with electrochemistry (EC), in all-in-one PV-EC devices that will cost-effectively store solar energy in the form of H2 fuel. |
Project ranked 1st place in national callJuly 2022 Our project proposal SpaceFlex (Flexible and High Efficient Tandem Solar Cells endowed with Photonic Management for Space Application, ref: 2022.01610.PTDC), in collaboration with LusoSpace company, received the highest grade in the evaluation of the Materials Panel of the national FCT call for research projects, among a total of ~100 applications, with a score of 9/10. |
Cover article featured in Editorial Highlights of Nature journalNovember 2021 Our article, Light management with quantum nanostructured dots-in-host semiconductors, first-authored by the PhD student Miguel Alexandre, was selected for volume cover and featured in the 2021 Editors' Highlights of the journal Light: Science & Applications of the Nature publishing group. |
I3N+ Award of INCM (highest national prize for individual innovation projects)March 2021 Our project HIGHLIGHT (The Outstanding Light Interaction of High-index Dielectric Nanoparticles) won the 3rd place of the award, delivered in a ceremony with the President and Prime Minister of Portugal which was broadcasted in major news channels. The project received a 150 k€ research grant to develop and bring the idea to the market. |
FEMS Communication Award for Excellence in Materials Science & EngineeringJuly 2020 Prize of the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS), awarded to young European scientists (under 40) who have distinguished themselves by their research work and ability to communicate effectively. See the news of the 3rd edition of this award in FEMS website. |
Article in top 10 of Journal of Materials ChemistryAugust 2018 Our review paper entitled “Multifunctional cellulose-paper for light harvesting and smart sensing applications” was considered by Journal of Materials Chemistry C to be in their top 10 publications of 2018, and featured as one of the content highlights in the journal promotional flyer. |
IAAM Scientist MedalMarch 2018 The International Association of Advanced Materials (IAAM) honored me with the prestigious IAAM Scientist Medal for the year 2018 due to: “outstanding contributions in the field of Advanced Energy Materials and Technology”. I received the award in the IAAM ceremony in the European Advanced Energy Materials and Technology Congress 2018 (Stockholm, Sweden). |
NASA Tech Brief AwardFebruary 2012 Attributed by NASA Inventions & Contributions Board due to the patented work entitled "Dielectrophoresis Field-Flow Fractionation (DEP-FFF) apparatus and application to enrichment and separation of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes - MSC-24368-1-PCT", performed in the R. Smalley Institute of Rice University. |