{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T02:25:49Z","timestamp":1760235949163,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,11]],"date-time":"2021-10-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1633910400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000780","name":"European Commission","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["763989","952169"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["763989","952169"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000780","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDB\/50025\/2020","PTDC\/NAN-OPT\/28430\/2017","PTDC\/NAN-OPT\/28837\/2017","PTDC\/EAM-PEC\/29905\/2017","SFRH\/BD\/148078\/2019","DFA\/BD\/7882\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/50025\/2020","PTDC\/NAN-OPT\/28430\/2017","PTDC\/NAN-OPT\/28837\/2017","PTDC\/EAM-PEC\/29905\/2017","SFRH\/BD\/148078\/2019","DFA\/BD\/7882\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Micro"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Microstructured transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) have shown great potential as photonic electrodes in photovoltaic (PV) applications, providing both optical and electrical improvements in the solar cells\u2019 performance due to: (1) strong light trapping effects that enhance broadband light absorption in PV material and (2) the reduced sheet resistance of the front illuminated contact. This work developed a method for the fabrication and optimization of wavelength-sized indium zinc oxide (IZO) microstructures, which were soft-patterned on flexible indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates via a simple, low-cost, versatile, and highly scalable colloidal lithography process. Using this method, the ITO-coated PET substrates patterned with IZO micro-meshes provided improved transparent electrodes endowed with strong light interaction effects\u2014namely, a pronounced light scattering performance (diffuse transmittance up to ~50%). In addition, the photonic-structured IZO mesh allowed a higher volume of TCO material in the electrode while maintaining the desired transparency, which led to a sheet resistance reduction (by ~30%), thereby providing further electrical benefits due to the improvement of the contact conductance. The results reported herein pave the way for a new class of photonic transparent electrodes endowed with mechanical flexibility that offer strong potential not only as advanced front contacts for thin-film bendable solar cells but also for a much broader range of optoelectronic applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/micro1020016","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,11]],"date-time":"2021-10-11T21:47:34Z","timestamp":1633988854000},"page":"215-227","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Soft-Microstructured Transparent Electrodes for Photonic-Enhanced Flexible Solar Cells"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"1","author":[{"given":"Jenny L. N.","family":"Boane","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CENIMAT\/I3N, Departamento de Ci\u00eancia dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP\/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4868-1813","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro","family":"Centeno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CENIMAT\/I3N, Departamento de Ci\u00eancia dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP\/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2723-9973","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana","family":"Mouquinho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CENIMAT\/I3N, Departamento de Ci\u00eancia dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP\/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7533-9469","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miguel","family":"Alexandre","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CENIMAT\/I3N, Departamento de Ci\u00eancia dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP\/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Tom\u00e1s","family":"Calmeiro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CENIMAT\/I3N, Departamento de Ci\u00eancia dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP\/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Elvira","family":"Fortunato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CENIMAT\/I3N, Departamento de Ci\u00eancia dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP\/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1997-7669","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodrigo","family":"Martins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CENIMAT\/I3N, Departamento de Ci\u00eancia dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP\/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7374-0726","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Manuel J.","family":"Mendes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CENIMAT\/I3N, Departamento de Ci\u00eancia dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP\/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7350-649X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hugo","family":"\u00c1guas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CENIMAT\/I3N, Departamento de Ci\u00eancia dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP\/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Ashok, S. 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