HIGHLIGHT

This idea proposes the creation of an unprecedented optically variable paint (OVI) based on nanostructures of titanium oxide. This inexpensive, environment friendly, inert and abundant material on Earth is present in our day-to-day life, because many of the surfaces and white pigmented items contain this compound.

The major advantage of the proposed structures has to do with the fact that they are nanoscale particles, composed of a high refractive index material, which allows strong interaction with light at tunable resonance frequencies in the UV-visible range.

It is proposed to create an innovative, low-cost and easily scalable OVI ink, which can be used, for example, when printing security documents and seals, providing the unique possibility of optical variation visible or invisible to the human eye. This technology is expected to be rapidly marketable on the anti-counterfeiting market which is growing globally at an annual rate of 20%.

Promoting Team:

Prof. Manuel João Mendes’s Nano-Photonics Team

Prof. Manuel J. Mendes

Expert in nanophotonics for light management/manipulation in optoelectronics and energy applications. Author of 2 U.S. Patents and has coordinated 5 projects (3 national, 2 European).

Prof. Hugo Aguas

PhD in 2005 in Optoelectronics Engineering. He has coordinated 7 national projects and has been responsible in several national and international projects such as the H2020 project APOLO..

Dr. Ana Mouquinho

Expertise in chemistry and nanostructures for light management, namely developing colloidal nanoparticle synthesis and wet-coating methods for photonic substrates enabling light-trapping.

Dr. Daniela Gomes

Develops nanotechnology solutions for multifunctional applications, with main expertise in TiO2 nanoparticle structures for photocatalysis, and nano-scale microscopy/characterization.

Dr. Iñigo Ramiro

Specialist in the investigation of the opto-electronic properties of quantum-structured materials for light-harvesting applications. Doctorate in Photovoltaic Solar Energy.

Dr. U. Deneb Menda

Post-doctoral researcher leading the topic of perovskite solar cells on oxide layers, mostly on TiO2, with solution and vacuum based techniques, as well as application on flexible substrates.

MSc. Tiago Mateus

Clean room lab. technician and engineer, expert in thin-film deposition techniques. Twelve years experience in the production and characterization of photonic/photovoltaic materials/devices.

MSc. Miguel Alexandre

Expertise in quantum-optics simulations, k.p perturbation method, and detailed optical analysis of photonic nano/micro-structures through the FDTD and TMM numerical methods.

MSc. Pedro Centeno

Background on interface engineering applied to nano-photonic coatings with self-cleaning capabilities. Recently involved in the development of novel tetrahedrite thin-films for optoelectronics.

MSc. Jenny Boane

PhD student developing colloidal lithography patterning methods for the scalable fabrication of photonic nano/micro-structures. Expertise in the chemical synthesis of colloidal particles.

MSc. Guilherme Ribeiro

PhD student advancing the topic of quantum-nanostructured semiconductor technology based in wide-bandgap hosts embedded with arrays of colloidal nanoparticles.

MSc. Sirazul Haque

Specialist in electromagnetic and materials modelling with FDTD and FEM methods, targeting the optimization of light-management structures for photonic-enhanced optoelectronics.