March 2021:
Our project HIGHLIGHT, on photonic nanostructures for anti-counterfeiting, won the 3rd place of the IN3+ award of INCM (Imprensa Nacional da Casa da Moeda) - the highest innovation award in Portugal to individual projects/ideas. The 3 top projects and the ceremony (with the participation of the President and Prime Minister) were announced in the main media as:
TVI24 - Prémio de inovação entrega 1 milhão de euros a projetos inovadores.
Público - 3 ideias para mudar o futuro: conheça os projetos finalistas do prémio IN3+.
February 2021:
Our research of Photonic-enhanced Thin-film Solar Cells was reported on TV! See the complete video here:
SIC Notícias - Exame Informática: novos painéis fotovoltaicos, by Sara Sá.
October 2020:
Our article in collaboration with Univ. of York, entitled "Light trapping in solar cells: simple design rules to maximize absorption" became viral in the news worldwide! It was the top downloaded paper from Optica in October 2020 (>4000 views only in first month), and in November we received a congratulating report from Optical Society of America (OSA) stating that “the media coverage related to this article has a potential audience reach of at least 760,046 worldwide”. This work was broadcasted in >150 international media outlets, and here is a list of a few selected news items:
International news:
ScienceDaily.com - New solar panel design could lead to wider use of renewable energy
MaterialsToday magazine - Solar panel checkerboard design improves light absorption
Optics&Photonics News - Checkerboard Nanostructure Boosts Thin-Film PVs
PV Magazine.com - Checkerboard solar cell design for improved light diffraction
TechExplore.com - New solar panel design could lead to wider use of renewable energy
Newsbreak.com - New solar panel design boosts the light absorption by 125%
Good News Network.org - Breakthrough 3D Solar Panel Design Increases Light Absorption By 125% – A Potential Game-Changer
National news:
Expresso.pt - Painéis fotovoltaicos ao preço de uma bateria de telemóvel
Publico.pt - Painéis solares mais eficientes propostos por cientistas de Portugal e Reino Unido
Observador.pt - Investigadores de Portugal e Reino Unido propõem desenho de painéis solares mais eficiente
Energiser.pt - Desenho inovador melhora eficiência dos painéis solares
RTP.pt - Investigação portuguesa pode revolucionar preços da energia solar
Micro-patterned perovskite solar cells trap light better, in MaterialsToday.com by Dra. Cordelia Sealy.
Plasmonics and quantum dots team up for solar harvesting, in Nanotechweb.org Lab Talk, article 54813
Separation of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with DEP-FFF, in NASA Tech Briefs New Technology Item. MSC-24368-1/70-1