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October 14, 2005 September 9, 2026

Photonic crystals for applications in photoelectrochemical processes: Photoelectrochemical solar cells with inverse opal topology - Notes

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Published abstract

Photonic crystal structures, that present strong light localization effects near photonic band gap frequency regions, can be very useful to maximize chemical processes of phototoactive materials. One example is the use of photonic crystals to improve solar energy harvesting in photoelectrochemical solar cells. Here, we describe the optical monitoring synthesis of macroporous materials, with inverse opal topology, made of transition metal and rare-earth oxide nanoparticles. Through the optical properties we can obtain information concerning both infiltration and over layer growth. Finally, we report on the efficiency improvement of photoelectrochemical cells when titania inverse opal topology is used.

Figures

Complete original Figure 1 composition extracted directly from the embedded PDF image
Figure 1. Summary. SEM images of the cleft edge of a thin film (30 monolayers) opal made of 615 nm latex particles: (a) before; (b)-(d) after infiltration with ceria nanoparticles. Scale bars: (a) 10 μm; (c) 2 μm; (b) and (d) 5 μm.

Source: I. Rodriguez et al., Photonics Nanostruct. Fundam. Appl. 3, 148-154 (2005). © Elsevier B.V.

Complete original Figure 2 composition extracted directly from the embedded PDF image
Figure 2. Summary. Optical reflectance of samples, along the (111) direction, during the spin-coating-mediated CeO2 infiltration process. The number of infiltration cycles increases from spectrum ‘a’ to ‘e’.

Source: I. Rodriguez et al., Photonics Nanostruct. Fundam. Appl. 3, 148-154 (2005). © Elsevier B.V.

Complete original Figure 3 composition extracted directly from the embedded PDF image
Figure 3. Summary. (a and b) SEM images of inverse ceria structure after the colloidal crystal template removal. (c) Inverse structure with an overlayer of CeO2 on the top surface.

Source: I. Rodriguez et al., Photonics Nanostruct. Fundam. Appl. 3, 148-154 (2005). © Elsevier B.V.

Complete original Figure 4 composition extracted directly from the embedded PDF image
Figure 4. Summary. The reflectance spectra track zirconia and yttria opal templates through nanoparticle infiltration and subsequent removal of the polymer spheres. Infiltration shifts the Bragg peak to longer wavelength as the mean refractive index rises, whereas formation of the inverse structure shifts it strongly towards shorter wavelength. The accompanying electron micrographs confirm ordered, interconnected macroporous replicas without a surface overlayer, so the spectral changes provide a non-destructive measure of loading and template removal.

Source: I. Rodriguez et al., Photonics Nanostruct. Fundam. Appl. 3, 148-154 (2005). © Elsevier B.V.

SEM image of a titania inverse opal electrode with a 2 micrometre scale bar
Figure 5. Summary. SEM image of a titania inverse opal 8 μm thick electrode used for a photoelectrochemical solar cell. The void size is 170 nm and the bar corresponds to 2 μm.

Source: I. Rodriguez et al., Photonics Nanostruct. Fundam. Appl. 3, 148-154 (2005). © Elsevier B.V.

Complete Figure 6 composition with current-voltage curve and spectral response panels
Figure 6. Summary. Panel a compares current-voltage curves for titania inverse-opal and conventional photoelectrochemical cells of equal thickness under AM1.5 one-sun illumination. The inverse-opal cell has higher open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current, yielding about 35% more total power despite containing roughly one quarter of the active material and therefore about five times greater conversion per active-material volume. Panel b places the strongest spectral response near the titania absorption edge, consistent with the deliberately aligned low-frequency edge of the photonic pseudogap, although the paper treats this photonic interpretation as a preliminary result requiring further verification.

Source: I. Rodriguez et al., Photonics Nanostruct. Fundam. Appl. 3, 148-154 (2005). © Elsevier B.V.

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Related publications

Connections within F. Ramiro-Manzano's publication record, selected from shared research topics and evidence reviewed in the source papers.

Complete cross-sectional SEM image of a TiO2 photonic-sponge film
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What the related paper adds

This later paper extends the research direction developed in Photonic crystals for applications in photoelectrochemical processes: Photoelectrochemical solar cells with inverse opal topology. This study takes the photonic-sponge concept beyond photovoltaics and applies it directly to photocatalysis. Without changing the TiO2 chemistry, the multiscale void network increases photon residence near the absorption edge and produces a much larger degradation rate, revealing how physical architecture alone can raise catalytic efficiency.

What this paper adds to the related work

This paper provides an earlier basis for the later development reported in Enhancement of TiO2 photocatalytic activity by structuring the photocatalyst film as photonic sponge. This paper establishes inverse-opal metal-oxide architectures as optically monitorable materials for photochemistry. It follows template infiltration and removal through reflectance, extends the method across several oxides, and demonstrates that a titania inverse opal can improve a photoelectrochemical solar cell by controlling photon propagation inside the active material.

Complete original Figure 2 composition extracted directly from the article PDF
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What the related paper adds

This later paper extends the research direction developed in Photonic crystals for applications in photoelectrochemical processes: Photoelectrochemical solar cells with inverse opal topology. This paper compares the principal optical routes developed for titania photoelectrochemical cells instead of treating them separately. It places inverse opals and photonic sponges in the same device-level framework, shows broad photocurrent enhancement from the sponge architecture, and also tests corrugated metal electrodes as a route to improved charge collection.

What this paper adds to the related work

This paper provides an earlier basis for the later development reported in Solar energy harvesting in photoelectrochemical solar cells. This paper establishes inverse-opal metal-oxide architectures as optically monitorable materials for photochemistry. It follows template infiltration and removal through reflectance, extends the method across several oxides, and demonstrates that a titania inverse opal can improve a photoelectrochemical solar cell by controlling photon propagation inside the active material.

Complete original Figure 2 composition extracted directly from the article PDF
Journal article
Chem. Commun., 242-244 (2007)
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What the related paper adds

This later paper extends the research direction developed in Photonic crystals for applications in photoelectrochemical processes: Photoelectrochemical solar cells with inverse opal topology. This work replaces the narrow spectral action of a periodic photonic crystal with a highly porous, quasi-fractal photonic sponge. Its interconnected cavities span several sizes, trap light across the near-ultraviolet and visible ranges, and turn broad-band scattering into a concrete strategy for improving dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical solar cells.

What this paper adds to the related work

This paper provides an earlier basis for the later development reported in Apollony photonic sponge based photoelectrochemical solar cells. This paper establishes inverse-opal metal-oxide architectures as optically monitorable materials for photochemistry. It follows template infiltration and removal through reflectance, extends the method across several oxides, and demonstrates that a titania inverse opal can improve a photoelectrochemical solar cell by controlling photon propagation inside the active material.

Research fields

Bottom-up

Latex opals are infiltrated with TiO₂, CeO₂, ZrO₂ or Y₂O₃ nanoparticles and then removed to leave interconnected inverse-opal frameworks. Repeated infiltration controls wall loading while preserving the three-dimensional macropore topology.

Characterization

Infrared reflectance follows stop-band shifts during infiltration and template removal, providing a non-destructive measure of how the pores fill. SEM and photoelectrochemical current-voltage tests then connect the completed inverse-opal morphology with improved light harvesting in solar-cell electrodes.

RESEARCH TOPICS

HarvestingBecause the reference contains roughly four times more active material at the same thickness, the conversion efficiency per unit TiO2 volume is about five times higher for the inverse opal. The result isolates a photonic benefit beyond simply adding more semiconductor.InterferenceReflectance therefore provides an in-process monitor of pore filling and overlayer growth before the template is removed. The spectral photocurrent peaks near TiO2's absorption edge, linking the device response to the designed optical structure.MaterialsThe connected macropores retain a high internal surface while arranging it periodically, unlike a dense film. Optical monitoring during repeated infiltration cycles helps distinguish successful filling from an unwanted surface overlayer, making structural quality part of the synthesis rather than a post hoc SEM check.ChemistryThe same replication strategy is extended to ceria, zirconia and yttria because each oxide brings different photocatalytic or acid-base properties. The study therefore joins sol-gel/precipitation chemistry with optical feedback from the evolving photonic crystal.
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