Our group focuses on the investigation of nanoscale phenomena at (electrified) solid-liquid interfaces and the development of new materials and energy conversion principles for sustainable energy generation.

Current photovoltaic technologies require the use of highly pure materials, where the purification process is very energy intensive. In the group, we investigate how the same conversion efficiency can be obtained with lower quality material by introducing nanophotonic concepts and rational light management strategies. We develop new fabrication pathways for photovoltaic absorber and contact layers within the framework of circular chemistry, that minimize raw material usage and less energy-intensive systems. In parallel, we are interested in the (in)direct storage of solar energy. In particular, we focus on underpinning the key physico-chemical properties of solid-liquid interfaces that rule charge transfer and conversion from electrical to chemical energy. For this, we develop in-situ characterisation techniques with which electrochemical, optical and surface properties of materials can be determined with nanoscale resolution.

Group Members

  • Esther Alarcón Lladó appointed professor at the University of Amsterdam

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  • SHINE consortium receives NWO funding to combine the best of two worlds

    A consortium consisting of AMOLF and other academic partners in the Netherlands receives funding from the NWO Research Infrastructure (RI) call for the project ‘Shining light on atomic-scale processes’ (SHINE).

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  • Light-Catalyst Interactions to Sense and Steer Chemical Reactions

    AMOLF and Utrecht University have been awarded a 1.9 million euro research project by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) Key Technologies 2020-2023 programme to develop radically new catalytic reactors using …

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  • Record efficiencies in thin film photovoltaic cells

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Latest Publications

  • R. Paul, S.W. Tabernig, J. Reñé Sapera, J. Hurni, A. Tiede, X. Liu, D.A. Damry, V. Conti, M. Zamani, S. Escobar Steinvall, M. Dimitrievska, E. Alarcón-Lladó, V. Piazza, J. Boland, F.-J. Haug, A. Polman and A. Fontcuberta i Morral, Carrier generation and collection in Zn3P2/InP heterojunction solar cells, Sol. Energ. Mater. Sol. Cells 256, 112349: 1-9 (2023)

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  • M. Valenti, M. Wobben, Y. Bleiji, C.E.A. Cordaro, S.W. Tabernig, M. Aarts, R.D. Buijs, S.R.K. Rodriguez, A. Polman and E. Alarcón-Lladó, Optical Characterization of Plasmonic Indium Lattices Fabricated via Electrochemical Deposition, ACS Appl. Opt. Mater. 1, (3), 753-758 (2023)

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  • L. S. D. Antony, S.W. van Dongen, G. Grimaldi, S. Mathew, L. Helmbrecht, A. van der Weijden, J. Borchert, I. Schuringa, B. Ehrler, W.L. Noorduin and E. Alarcón-Lladó, The role of Pb oxidation state of the precursor in the formation of 2D perovskite microplates, Nanoscale 15, (13), 6285-6294 (2023)

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  • Y. Bleiji, M. Dieperink, I. Schuringa, H. Sun and E. Alarcón-Lladó, Influence of the crystallographic texture of ITO on the electrodeposition of silver nanoparticles, RSC Adv. 13, (10), 6490-6497 (2023)

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  • C.E.A. Cordaro, S.W. Tabernig, M. Pollard, C. Yi, E. Alarcón-Lladó, B. Hoex and A. Polman, Nanopatterned SiNx Broadband Antireflection Coating for Planar Silicon Solar Cells, Phys. Status Solidi A 220, 2200827: 1-8 (2023)

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  • M. Aarts, W.Q. Boon, B. Cuénod, M. Dijkstra, R. van Roij and E. Alarcón-Lladó, Ion Current Rectification and Long-Range Interference in Conical Silicon Micropores, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 14, (50), 56226-56236 (2022)

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  • S.W. Tabernig, Charge Carrier Generation Management in Photovoltaics, University of Amsterdam, 2022-12-08

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  • N. Tavakoli, R. Spalding, A. Lambertz, P. Koppejan, G. Gkantzounis, C. Wan, R. Röhrich, E. Kontoleta, A.F. Koenderink, R. Sapienza, M. Florescu and E. Alarcón-Lladó, Over 65% Sunlight Absorption in a 1 μm Si Slab with Hyperuniform Texture, ACS Photonics 9, (4), 1206-1217 (2022)

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  • T. Veeken, B. Daiber, H. Agrawal, M. Aarts, E. Alarcón-Lladó, E.C. Garnett, B. Ehrler, J. van de Groep and A. Polman, Directional quantum dot emission by soft-stamping on silicon Mie resonators, Nanoscale Adv. 4, (4), 1088-1097 (2022)

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  • M. Aarts, A. Reiser, R. Spolenak and E. Alarcón-Lladó, Confined pulsed diffuse layer charging for nanoscale electrodeposition with an STM, Nanoscale Adv. 4, (4), 1182-1190 (2022)

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