Publications

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2006
Guedes, A., MJ Mendes, P. P. Freitas, and J. L. Martins. "{Study of synthetic ferrimagnet-synthetic antiferromagnet structures for magnetic sensor application}." Journal of Applied Physics (2006). AbstractWebsite
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2008
Mendes, Manuel J., Howard K. Schmidt, and Matteo Pasquali. "{Brownian dynamics simulations of single-wall carbon nanotube separation by type using dielectrophoresis}." Journal of Physical Chemistry B (2008). AbstractWebsite
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Luque, A., A. Marti, MJ Mendes, and I. Tobias. "{Light absorption in the near field around surface plasmon polaritons}." Journal of Applied Physics. 104 (2008): 8. Abstract

A semiclassical method is developed to calculate the energy absorption of an electronic system located in the near field of a metal nanoparticle sustaining surface plasmons. The results are found to be similar to those of photon absorption from ordinary transversal radiation. However, they are affected by a geometrical factor that can increase the absorption by several orders of magnitude. As example, we investigate ellipsoidal-shaped metal nanoparticles which, under favorable conditions, may provide near field aborption enhancements almost as large as 10(4), and in many cases above 10. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3014035]

2009
Martí, A., E. Antolín, P. G. Linares, E. Cánovas, D. {Fuertes Marrón}, C. Tablero, M. Mendes, A. Mellor, I. Tobías, M. Y. Levy, E. Hernández, A. Luque, C. D. Farmer, C. R. Stanley, R. P. Campion, J. L. Hall, S. V. Novikov, C. T. Foxon, R. Scheer, B. Marsen, H. W. Schock, M. Picault, and C. Chaix. "{IBPOWER: Intermediate band materials and solar cells for photovoltaics with high efficiency and reduced cost}." Conference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference. 2009. Abstract
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Mendes, MJ, A. Luque, I. Tobias, and A. Marti. "{Plasmonic light enhancement in the near-field of metallic nanospheroids for application in intermediate band solar cells}." Applied Physics Letters. 95 (2009): 71105. Abstract

In order to enhance infrared light absorption in sub-bandgap transitions in an intermediate band solar cell, the scattered near-field potential from uncoated and coated metallic nanoparticles with a spheroidal shape is calculated with the electrostatic model. The absorption enhancement produced at the surface plasmon frequency of the nanoparticles can be of several orders of magnitude in some cases.

2010
Mendes, MJ, E. Hernández, I. Tobías, A. Martí, and A. Luque. "{Embedment of metal nanoparticles in GaAs and Si for plasmonic absorption enhancement in intermediate band solar cells}." 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition - 5th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion. Valencia, Spain 2010. 218-222. Abstract
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Mendes, Manuel J., Ignacio Tobías, Antonio Martí, and Antonio Luque. "{Near-field scattering by dielectric spheroidal particles with sizes on the order of the illuminating wavelength}." J. Opt. Soc. Am. B. 27 (2010): 1221-1231. AbstractWebsite
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2011
Mendes, Manuel J., Ignacio Tobías, Antonio Martí, and Antonio Luque. "{Light concentration in the near-field of dielectric spheroidal particles with mesoscopic sizes}." Optics Express. 19 (2011): 16207-16222. AbstractWebsite
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Mendes, MJ, I. Tobías, A. Martí, and A. Luque. "{Near-field light focusing by wavelenght-sized dielectric spheroids for photovoltaic applications}." Optical Nanostructures and Advanced Materials for Photovoltaics - Concepts of Light Trapping and Photon Transport. Ed. Technical O. S. A. Digest. Vol. Renewable. Austin, Texas (USA): Optical Society of America, 2011. JThC. Abstract
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Mellor, A., I. Tobías, A. Martí, MJ Mendes, and A. Luque. "{Upper limits to absorption enhancement in thick solar cells using diffraction gratings}." Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications. 19 (2011): 676-687. AbstractWebsite

The application of diffraction gratings to solar cells is a promising approach to superseding the light trapping limits of conventional Lambertian structures. In this paper a mathematical formalism is derived for calculating the absorption that can be expected in a solar cell equipped with a diffraction grating, which can be applied to any lattice geometry and grating profile. Furthermore, the formalism is used to calculate the upper limit of total absorption that can theoretically be achieved using a diffraction grating. The derived formalism and limits are valid when the solar cell thickness is greater than the coherence length of the illuminating solar spectrum. Comparison is made to the upper limit achievable using an angularly selective Rugate filter, which is also calculated. Both limits are found to be considerably higher than the Lambertian limit within the range of sunlight concentration factors practically employed in photovoltaic systems (1–1000×). The upper limit of absorption using the diffraction grating is shown to be equal to the thermodynamic limit for all absorbances and concentration factors. The limit for the Rugate filter is generally lower, but tends to the thermodynamic limit for lower cell absorbances. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley {&} Sons, Ltd.

2013
Morawiec, Seweryn, Manuel J. Mendes, Salvatore Mirabella, Francesca Simone, Francesco Priolo, and Isodiana Crupi. "{Self-assembled silver nanoparticles for plasmon-enhanced solar cell back reflectors: correlation between structural and optical properties}." Nanotechnology. 24 (2013): 265601. AbstractWebsite

The spectra of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) in self-assembled silver nanoparticles (NPs), prepared by solid-state dewetting of thin films, are discussed in terms of their structural properties. We summarize the dependences of size and shape of NPs on the fabrication conditions with a proposed structural-phase diagram. It was found that the surface coverage distribution and the mean surface coverage (SC) size were the most appropriate statistical parameters to describe the correlation between the morphology and the optical properties of the nanostructures. The results are interpreted with theoretical predictions based on Mie theory. The broadband scattering efficiency of LSPRs in the nanostructures is discussed towards application as plasmon-enhanced back reflectors in thin-film solar cells.

Mendes, Manuel J., Estela Hernández, Esther López, Pablo García-Linares, Iñigo Ramiro, Irene Artacho, Elisa Antolín, Ignacio Tobías, Antonio Martí, and Antonio Luque. "{Self-organized colloidal quantum dots and metal nanoparticles for plasmon-enhanced intermediate-band solar cells}." Nanotechnology. 24 (2013): 345402. AbstractWebsite

A colloidal deposition technique is presented to construct long-range ordered hybrid arrays of self-assembled quantum dots and metal nanoparticles. Quantum dots are promising for novel opto-electronic devices but, in most cases, their optical transitions of interest lack sufficient light absorption to provide a significant impact in their implementation. A potential solution is to couple the dots with localized plasmons in metal nanoparticles. The extreme confinement of light in the near-field produced by the nanoparticles can potentially boost the absorption in the quantum dots by up to two orders of magnitude. In this work, light extinction measurements are employed to probe the plasmon resonance of spherical gold nanoparticles in lead sulfide colloidal quantum dots and amorphous silicon thin-films. Mie theory computations are used to analyze the experimental results and determine the absorption enhancement that can be generated by the highly intense near-field produced in the vicinity of the gold nanoparticles at their surface plasmon resonance. The results presented here are of interest for the development of plasmon-enhanced colloidal nanostructured photovoltaic materials, such as colloidal quantum dot intermediate-band solar cells.

Martí, Antonio, Elisa Antolín, Pablo {García Linares}, Iñigo Ramiro, Irene Artacho, Esther López, Estela Hernández, Manuel J. Mendes, Alex Mellor, Ignacio Tobías, David {Fuertes Marrón}, Cesar Tablero, Ana B. Cristóbal, Christopher G. Bailey, Maria Gonzalez, Michael Yakes, Mathew P. Lumb, Robert Walters, and Antonio Luque. "{Six not-so-easy pieces in intermediate band solar cell research}." Journal of Photonics for Energy. 3 (2013): 31299. AbstractWebsite

Abstract.  The concept of intermediate band solar cell (IBSC) is, apparently, simple to grasp. However, since the idea was proposed, our understanding has improved and some concepts can now be explained more clearly than when the concept was initially introduced. Clarifying these concepts is important, even if they are well known for the advanced researcher, so that research efforts can be driven in the right direction from the start. The six pieces of this work are: Does a miniband need to be formed when the IBSC is implemented with quantum dots? What are the problems for each of the main practical approaches that exist today? What are the simplest experimental techniques to demonstrate whether an IBSC is working as such or not? What is the issue with the absorption coefficient overlap and the Mott's transition? What would the best system be, if any?

2014
Gaspar, D., AC Pimentel, MJ Mendes, T. Mateus, BP Falcão, JP Leitão, J. Soares, A. Araújo, A. Vicente, SA Filonovich, H. Águas, R. Martins, and I. Ferreira. "{Ag and Sn Nanoparticles to Enhance the Near-Infrared Absorbance of a-Si:H Thin Films}." Plasmonics. 9 (2014): 1015-1023. AbstractWebsite
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Morawiec, Seweryn, Manuel J. Mendes, Sergej A. Filonovich, Tiago Mateus, Salvatore Mirabella, Hugo Águas, Isabel Ferreira, Francesca Simone, Elvira Fortunato, Rodrigo Martins, Francesco Priolo, and Isodiana Crupi. "{Broadband photocurrent enhancement in a-Si:H solar cells with plasmonic back reflectors}." Optics Express. 22 (2014): A1059-A1070. AbstractWebsite

Plasmonic light trapping in thin film silicon solar cells is a promising route to achieve high efficiency with reduced volumes of semiconductor material. In this paper, we study the enhancement in the opto-electronic performance of thin a-Si:H solar cells due to the light scattering effects of plasmonic back reflectors (PBRs), composed of self-assembled silver nanoparticles (NPs), incorporated on the cells{&}{\#}x2019; rear contact. The optical properties of the PBRs are investigated according to the morphology of the NPs, which can be tuned by the fabrication parameters. By analyzing sets of solar cells built on distinct PBRs we show that the photocurrent enhancement achieved in the a-Si:H light trapping window (600 {&}{\#}x2013; 800 nm) stays in linear relation with the PBRs diffuse reflection. The best-performing PBRs allow a pronounced broadband photocurrent enhancement in the cells which is attributed not only to the plasmon-assisted light scattering from the NPs but also to the front surface texture originated from the conformal growth of the cell material over the particles. As a result, remarkably high values of Jsc and Voc are achieved in comparison to those previously reported in the literature for the same type of devices.

Mendes, MJ, S. Morawiec, F. Simone, F. Priolo, and I. Crupi. "{Colloidal plasmonic back reflectors for light trapping in solar cells}." Nanoscale. 6 (2014). Abstract

A novel type of plasmonic light trapping structure is presented in this paper, composed of metal nanoparticles synthesized in colloidal solution and self-assembled in uniform long-range arrays using a wet-coating method. The high monodispersion in size and spherical shape of the gold colloids used in this work allows a precise match between their measured optical properties and electromagnetic simulations performed with Mie theory, and enables the full exploitation of their collective resonant plasmonic behavior for light-scattering applications. The colloidal arrays are integrated in plasmonic back reflector (PBR) structures aimed for light trapping in thin film solar cells. The PBRs exhibit high diffuse reflectance (up to 75{%}) in the red and near-infrared spectrum, which can pronouncedly enhance the near-bandgap photocurrent generated by the cells. Furthermore, the colloidal PBRs are fabricated by low-temperature ({\textless}120 °C) processes that allow their implementation, as a final step of the cell construction, in typical commercial thin film devices generally fabricated in a superstrate configuration. © 2014 the Partner Organisations.

Mendes, MJ, S. Morawiec, I. Crupi, F. Simone, and F. Priolo. "{Colloidal self-assembled nanosphere arrays for plasmon-enhanced light trapping in thin film silicon solar cells}." Energy Procedia. 2014. Abstract
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Araújo, A., C. Caro, MJ Mendes, D. Nunes, E. Fortunato, R. Franco, H. Águas, and R. Martins. "{Highly efficient nanoplasmonic SERS on cardboard packaging substrates}." Nanotechnology. 25 (2014). Abstract

© 2014 IOP Publishing Ltd. This work reports on highly efficient surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) constructed on low-cost, fully recyclable and highly reproducible cardboard plates, which are commonly used as disposable packaging material. The active optical component is based on plasmonic silver nanoparticle structures separated from the metal surface of the cardboard by a nanoscale dielectric gap. The SERS response of the silver (Ag) nanoparticles of various shapes and sizes were systematically investigated, and a Raman enhancement factor higher than 106for rhodamine 6G detection was achieved. The spectral matching of the plasmonic resonance for maximum Raman enhancement with the optimal local electric field enhancement produced by 60 nm-sized Ag NPs predicted by the electromagnetic simulations reinforces the outstanding results achieved. Furthermore, the nanoplasmonic SERS substrate exhibited high reproducibility and stability. The SERS signals showed that the intensity variation was less than 5{%}, and the SERS performance could be maintained for up to at least 6 months.

Morawiec, S., MJ Mendes, SA Filonovich, T. Mateus, S. Mirabella, H. Águas, I. Ferreira, F. Simone, E. Fortunato, R. Martins, F. Priolo, and I. Crupi. "{Photocurrent enhancement in thin a-Si: H solar cells via plasmonic light trapping}." Optics InfoBase Conference Papers. 2014. Abstract
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2015
Mendes, MJ, S. Morawiec, T. Mateus, A. Lyubchyk, H. Águas, I. Ferreira, E. Fortunato, R. Martins, F. Priolo, and I. Crupi. "{Broadband light trapping in thin film solar cells with self-organized plasmonic nanocolloids}." Nanotechnology. 26 (2015). Abstract

© 2015 IOP Publishing Ltd. The intense light scattered from metal nanoparticles sustaining surface plasmons makes them attractive for light trapping in photovoltaic applications. However, a strong resonant response from nanoparticle ensembles can only be obtained if the particles have monodisperse physical properties. Presently, the chemical synthesis of colloidal nanoparticles is the method that produces the highest monodispersion in geometry and material quality, with the added benefits of being low-temperature, low-cost, easily scalable and of allowing control of the surface coverage of the deposited particles. In this paper, novel plasmonic back-reflector structures were developed using spherical gold colloids with appropriate dimensions for pronounced far-field scattering. The plasmonic back reflectors are incorporated in the rear contact of thin film n-i-p nanocrystalline silicon solar cells to boost their photocurrent generation via optical path length enhancement inside the silicon layer. The quantum efficiency spectra of the devices revealed a remarkable broadband enhancement, resulting from both light scattering from the metal nanoparticles and improved light incoupling caused by the hemispherical corrugations at the cells' front surface formed from the deposition of material over the spherically shaped colloids.

Tobias, I., MJ Mendes, A. Boronat, E. Lopez, P. Garcia-Linares, I. Artacho, A. Marti, S. Silvestre, and A. Luque. "{HIT intermediate-band solar cells with self-assembled colloidal quantum dots and metal nanoparticles}." 2015 IEEE 42nd Photovoltaic Specialist Conference, PVSC 2015. 2015. Abstract
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Lyubchyk, A., SA Filonovich, T. Mateus, MJ Mendes, A. Vicente, JP Leitão, BP Falcão, E. Fortunato, H. Águas, and R. Martins. "{Nanocrystalline thin film silicon solar cells: A deeper look into p/i interface formation}." Thin Solid Films (2015). AbstractWebsite
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Schuster, Christian S., Seweryn Morawiec, Manuel J. Mendes, Maddalena Patrini, Emiliano R. Martins, Liam Lewis, Isodiana Crupi, and Thomas F. Krauss. "{Plasmonic and diffractive nanostructures for light trapping - an experimental comparison}." Optica. 2 (2015): 194-200. AbstractWebsite

Metal nanoparticles and diffractive nanostructures are widely studied for enhancing light trapping efficiency in thin-film solar cells. Both have achieved high performance enhancements, but there are very few direct comparisons between the two. Also, it is difficult to accurately determine the parasitic absorption of metal nanoparticles. Here, we assess the light trapping efficiencies of both approaches in an identical absorber configuration. We use a 240 nm thick amorphous silicon slab as the absorber layer and either a quasi-random supercell diffractive nanostructure or a layer of self-assembled metal nanoparticles for light trapping. Both the plasmonic and diffractive structures strongly enhance the absorption in the red/near-infrared regime. At longer wavelengths, however, parasitic absorption becomes evident in the metal nanoparticles, which reduces the overall performance of the plasmonic approach. We have formulated a simple analytical model to assess the parasitic absorption and effective reflectivity of a plasmonic reflector and to demonstrate good agreement with the experimental data.

Vicente, Antonio, Hugo Aguas, Tiago Mateus, Andreia Araujo, Andriy Lyubchyk, Simo Siitonen, Elvira Fortunato, and Rodrigo Martins. "{Solar cells for self-sustainable intelligent packaging}." Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 3 (2015): 13226-13236. AbstractWebsite

Nowadays there is a strong demand for intelligent packaging to provide comfort, welfare and security to owners, vendors and consumers by allowing them to know the contents and interact with the goods. This is of particular relevance for low cost, fully disposable and recyclable products, such as identification tags and medical diagnostic tests, and devices for analysis and/or quality control in food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the increase of complexity and processing capacity requires continuous power and can be addressed by the combined use of a small disposable battery, charged by a disposable solar cell, which is able to work under indoor lighting. Herein, we show a proof-of-concept of the pioneering production of thin-film amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells with an efficiency of 4{%} by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) on liquid packaging cardboard (LPC), which is commonly used in the food and beverage industries. Such accomplishment put us one step closer to this revolution by providing a flexible, renewable and extremely cheap autonomous energy packaging system. Moreover, such Si thin films take advantage of their good performance at low-light levels, which also makes them highly desirable for cheap mobile indoor applications.

Águas, Hugo, Tiago Mateus, António Vicente, Diana Gaspar, Manuel J. Mendes, Wolfgang A. Schmidt, LuÍs Pereira, Elvira Fortunato, and Rodrigo Martins. "{Thin Film Silicon Photovoltaic Cells on Paper for Flexible Indoor Applications}." Advanced Functional Materials. 25 (2015): 3592-3598. AbstractWebsite

The present development of non-wafer-based photovoltaics (PV) allows supporting thin film solar cells on a wide variety of low-cost recyclable and flexible substrates such as paper, thereby extending PV to a broad range of consumer-oriented disposable applications where autonomous energy harvesting is a bottleneck issue. However, their fibrous structure makes it challenging to fabricate good-performing inorganic PV devices on such substrates. The advances presented here demonstrate the viability of fabricating thin film silicon PV cells on paper coated with a hydrophilic mesoporous layer. Such layer can not only withstand the cells production temperature (150 °C), but also provide adequate paper sealing and surface finishing for the cell's layers deposition. The substances released from the paper substrate are continuously monitored during the cell deposition by mass spectrometry, which allows adapting the procedures to mitigate any contamination from the substrate. In this way, a proof-of-concept solar cell with 3.4{%} cell efficiency (41{%} fill factor, 0.82 V open-circuit voltage and 10.2 mA cm−2 short-circuit current density) is attained, opening the door to the use of paper as a reliable substrate to fabricate inorganic PV cells for a plethora of indoor applications with tremendous impact in multi-sectorial fields such as food, pharmacy and security.