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Opal-inverse opal imprinted on PMP

Another method for improving the PMP properties is the opal-inverse opal imprinting on PMP surface. The inverse opals [1] are ordered porous solids, a sort of photonic crystals [2] much cheaper and with large number of layers. The main characteristic of photonic crystals is the existence of the photonic band gap (PBG) which makes visible…

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Ultrathin layers deposition for plasmonics

Plasmons are collective excitations of free electrons in metals, such as Au, Ag or Cu, that, when stimulated by an energy source, such as sunlight, or a laser. A harmonic oscillation of the surface charges is induced with a wave-like behavior. In the process, they scatter light that can be read by a spectrometer, which…

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Emulator circuit for piezoelectric systems

Multiple device applications based on the photo-mobile polymers are proposed in the PULSE-COM project, including an energy harvesting system. This device converts light-induced movement of the photo-mobile polymer into electrical energy via the piezoelectric effect. The system consists not only of the harvester itself but must also be integrated with the rectification and energy storage…

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Solar simulator

Over the course of the PULSE-COM project, prototypes of different devices based on the photo-piezo layered system are being created. In order to perform characterization and benchmarks, several test benches are being developed. One of them is the solar simulator operated in CBRTP. This device, equipped with a xenon arc lamp, produces white illumination commonly…

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Why piezoelectric semiconductor nanowires are interesting for the PULSE-COM project?

Piezoelectric semiconducting nanowires have attracted a lot of attention recently because of their intrinsic enhanced properties compared to bulk materials. For instance, they are more sensible to small forces [1], they show reduced dielectric properties [2] and higher piezoelectric properties [3]. All this combined could potentially increase their efficiency as transducers [4]. Simulations show that…

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