Curriculum Vitae - Paul Braun Research Group - University of Illinois ...

Agustín Mihi Ph.D.
406 S Prairie apt 1. Champaign, IL.. 61820. USA
Cell: 001 2174184067 email:agusmihi@gmail.com
PROFILE
Doctor in physics from the University of Seville (Spain) awarded with one of the four Beckman
Institute postdoctoral fellowships in 2008. Research activities mainly focused on the design,
fabrication and characterization of photonic structures that enhance the light harvested by solar
cells. A scientific career endorsed by 20 publications which sum 531 cites, with an h-index of 14,
according to the web of knowledge.
SKILLS
• Assembly of Dye Sensitised Solar Cells based on liquid electrolytes which incorporate
photonic crystals in the structure.
• Fabrication, characterization and simulation of 3D and 1D photonic crystals based on
colloids.
• Synthesis of colloidal oxides such as: monodisperse silica, nanometric titania and
nanostructured zinc oxide.
• Coating Techniques: Chemical Vapor Deposition (Silica, Titania and silicon), spin coating, etc.
• Electrochemical deposition of copper (I) oxide and zinc oxide with photovoltaic and
photonic applications.
• Electrical and Optical Characterization of Solar Cells: - I-V and spectral response.
• Optical Characterization of coatings, photonic crystals and solar cells by UV-Vis-NIR Microspectroscopy.
• Structural Characterization by different microscopies: SEM and TEM.
• Simulation of the Optical Properties of thin films, photonic crystals and solar cells with :
Mathematica and MatLab, MEEP (FDTD formalism MIT package)
EDUCATION
• Doctorate degree from the University of Seville, Spain. 2008. Research performed at the
Institute of Materials Science of Seville.
• Course “Application of Sincrotron Radiation to the Spectroscopic Study of Solids” held by the
Institute of Materials Science of Seville.2006.
• Course “Physical Methods for the Analysis of Thin Films and Solid Surfaces” held by the
Institute of Materials Science of Seville. 2005.
• M. S. “Photonics: Fundaments and Devices” held by the Departments of Applied Physics and
Optics at the University of Valencia. 2003-2004.
• Graduate Degree in Physics from the University of Valencia. 1998-2002.
HONORS
2008 Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
(http://www.beckman.illinois.edu/fellows/postdoc.aspx). End of appointment : September 2011.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
• Postdoctoral researcher at the Beckman Institute of the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign, Department of Materials Science and Engeneering, Prof. Paul V. Braun Research
Group. Project: “New Optical Architectures to Enhance Light Harvesting Efficiency in Solar
Cells”. Description: Develop photonic architectures that can be easily implemented in current
solar devices providing enhanced light trapping in the cell at low cost. 2008- present .
• Graduate Student at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville. Prof. H. Miguez’s Group.
Project: “Preparation, Characterization and Modelization of Photonic Colloidal Crystals for Solar
Cell Applications”. Description: Investigation of the fundaments of the enhancement in
efficiency observed in solar cells coupled to photonic crystals. 2002-2004.
• Undergraduate research at the Johannes Gutemberg-Universität. Mainz (Germany). Project:
“Assembly of a Ultra High Vacuum Chamber for Superconductor Material Fabrication”. 2002.
IMPACT OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH
My research has clarified the optimum use of photonic bandgap materials within dye
sensitized solar cells, and addressed some of the difficulties with integrating these periodic
architectures within actual solar cell devices. I conducted detailed theoretical analysis of recent
experimental findings on the application of photonic crystals integrated into DSSCs existing in the
literature that remained unclear. A full description of the phenomena involved was given and
optimum and new configurations were proposed (Mihi, A. J. Phys. Chem. B 2005, 109, 15968, Times
cited: 50 according to WOK). After this, a new colloidal crystallization technique was developed in
order to implement the colloidal crystals in the optimum position within the DSSC (Mihi, A.
Adv.Matter. 2006, 18, 2244, Times cited: 54 WOK). Such development allowed me to implement
photonic colloidal crystals within solar cells in various configurations using the new crystallization
technique (Mihi, A. J. Phys. Chem. C 2008, 112, 13. Times cited: 23WOK), allowing me to confirm
experimentally the theoretical concepts proposed. Currently, I am working on a technique that
allows the implementation of photonic crystals with Full Photonic bandgaps, for the first time, in
different optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices (Mihi, A. In preparation). Also, I am part of the
SCALES project (Scalable Construction by Assembly for Large, Extended Systems) directed by Prof.
John A. Rogers, Prof. P.V. Braun and H.T. Johnson from the University of Illinois, where a
manufacturing capability for tiled photonic structures inspired by the scales found in butterfly
wings is being developed. A photonic structure made of tiled scales, each consisting of photonic or
plasmonic crystal structures, will enable high-performance functionality for many DoD and
commercial applications.
VISIBILITY
- Organizer of the 2010 Beckman Institute Graduate Student Seminar Series.
- Active participation in the organization of the “3D Fabrication Approaches for Enhancing Light
Material Interactions” workshop, held at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of
Materials Science and Engineering. March 24-25, 2010.
- Participant of the EFRC “Light Matter Interactions in Solar Energy Conversion” Directed by Prof.
Harry Atwater from Caltech.
- Member of the editorial board of the EFRC newsletter (2011).

PUBLICATIONS
1. D. Chanda, T. Trong, K. Shigeta, M. Schulmerich, A. Mihi, E. Lui,P. V. Braun, R. Bhargava, J. A.
Rogers . Cavity Coupled Plasmonic Crystals as Enhanced Plasmonic Sensors and Tunable Filters.
Submitted 2011.
2. D. Chanda, K. Shigeta, S. Gupta, T. Cain, A. Carlson, A. Mihi, A. Baca, G. R. Bogart,P. V. Braun, J.
A. Rogers. Large-Area, Low-Loss, Flexible 3-Dimensional Negative Index Metamaterials Formed by
Nanotransfer Printing. Nature Nanotech. In Press 2011.
3. Mihi, C. Zhang and P.V. Braun. Transfer of Preformed Photonic Crystals into Dye Sensitized
Solar Cells. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. In Press 2011.
4. Arpin, K.A., A. Mihi, H.T. Johnson, A.J. Baca, J.A. Rogers, J.A. Lewis, and P.V. Braun,
Multidimensional Architectures for Functional Optical Devices. Advanced Materials, 2010. 22(10):
p. 1084-1101.
5. Colodrero, S., A. Mihi, L. Haggman, M. Ocana, G. Boschloo, A. Hagfeldt, and H. Miguez, Porous
One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals Improve the Power-Conversion Efficiency of Dye-Sensitized Solar
Cells. Advanced Materials, 2009. 21(7): p. 764-+.
6. S. Colodrero, A. Mihi, J.A. Anta, M. Ocana, and H. Miguez, Experimental Demonstration of the
Mechanism of Light Harvesting Enhancement in Photonic-Crystal-Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.
Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2009. 113(4): p. 1150-1154.
7. Botey, M., M. Maymo, A. Molinos-Gomez, L. Dorado, R.A. Depine, G. Lozano, A. Mihi, H.
Miguez, and J. Martorell, Light generation at the anomalous dispersion high energy range of a
nonlinear opal film. Optics Express, 2009. 17(15): p. 12210-12216.
8. Mihi, A., M.E. Calvo, J.A. Anta, and H. Miguez, Spectral response of opal-based dye-sensitized
solar cells. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2008. 112(1): p. 13-17.
9. O'Brien, P.G., N.P. Kherani, S. Zukotynski, G.A. Ozin, E. Vekris, N. Tetreault, A. Chutinan, S.
John, A. Mihi, and H. Miguez, Enhanced photoconductivity in thin-film semiconductors optically
coupled to photonic crystals. Advanced Materials, 2007. 19(23): p. 4177-+.
10. Galisteo-Lopez, J.F., M. Galli, L.C. Andreani, A. Mihi, R. Pozas, M. Ocana, and H. Miguez, Phase
delay and group velocity determination at a planar defect state in three dimensional photonic
crystals. Applied Physics Letters, 2007. 90(10): p. 3.
11. Pozas, R., A. Mihi, M. Ocana, and H. Miguez, Building nanocrystalline planar defects within
self-assembled photonic crystals by spin-coating. Advanced Materials, 2006. 18(9): p. 1183-+.
12. Mihi, A., M. Ocana, and H. Miguez, Oriented colloidal-crystal thin films by spin-coating
microspheres dispersed in volatile media. Advanced Materials, 2006. 18(17): p. 2244-+.
13. Mihi, A., F.J. Lopez-Alcaraz, and H. Miguez, Full spectrum enhancement of the light harvesting
efficiency of dye sensitized solar cells by including colloidal photonic crystal multilayers. Applied
Physics Letters, 2006. 88(19): p. 3.
14. Arsenault, A., F. Fleischhaker, G. von Freymann, V. Kitaev, H. Miguez, A. Mihi, N. Tetreault, E.
Vekris, I. Manners, S. Aitchison, D. Perovic, and G.A. Ozin, Perfecting imperfection - Designer defects
in colloidal photonic crystal. Advanced Materials, 2006. 18(20): p. 2779-2785.
15. Villaescusa, L.A., A. Mihi, I. Rodriguez, A.E. Garcia-Bennett, and H. Miguez, Growth of
mesoporous materials within colloidal crystal films by spin-coating. Journal of Physical Chemistry B,
2005. 109(42): p. 19643-19649.

16. Tetreault, N., A.C. Arsenault, A. Mihi, S. Wong, V. Kitaev, I. Manners, H. Miguez, and G.A. Ozin,
Building tunable planar defects into photonic crystals using polyelectrolyte multilayers. Advanced
Materials, 2005. 17(15): p. 1912-+.
17. Mihi, A., H. Miguez, I. Rodriguez, S. Rubio, and F. Meseguer, Surface resonant modes in
colloidal photonic crystals. Physical Review B, 2005. 71(12): p. 7.
18. Mihi, A. and H. Miguez, Origin of light-harvesting enhancement in colloidal-photonic-crystalbased
dye-sensitized solar cells. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2005. 109(33): p. 15968-15976.
19. Arsenault, A.C., V. Kitaev, I. Manners, G.A. Ozin, A. Mihi, and H. Miguez, Vapor swellable
colloidal photonic crystals with pressure tunability. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2005. 15(1): p.
133-138.
20. Arsenault, A.C., J. Halfyard, Z. Wang, V. Kitaev, G.A. Ozin, I. Manners, A. Mihi, and H. Miguez,
Tailoring photonic crystals with nanometer-scale precision using polyelectrolyte multilayers.
Langmuir, 2005. 21(2): p. 499-503.
21. Tetreault, N., A. Mihi, H. Miguez, I. Rodriguez, G.A. Ozin, F. Meseguer, and V. Kitaev, Dielectric
planar defects in colloidal photonic crystal films. Advanced Materials, 2004. 16(4): p. 346-+.
CONFERENCES
• Oral contributions at the MRS 2011 Spring Meeting, San Francisco, CA (United States), April 25-
29, (2011). Results presented by A. Mihi. “Tranfering Preformed Photonic Crystals onto Porous
Dye Sensitized Solar Cell Electrodes.”
• Invited oral contribution at SPIE West 2010, San Diego, CA (United States), August 5-9, (2010).
Results presented by A. Mihi. “Holographic patterning of optoelectronically active 3D photonic
crystals”
• Poster contribution at MRS Fall meeting 2009, Boston, MA (United States), November 30-Dec 4,
(2007). Results presented by A. Mihi. “Enhancing the Light Harvesting Efficiency in Dye
Sensitized Solar Cells coupled to Photonic Crystals.”
• Invited oral contribution at the SPIE West 2007, San Diego, CA (United States), August 26-30,
(2007). Results presented by A. Mihi. “Enhanced Power Conversion Efficiency in Solar Cells
Coupled to Photonic Crystals ”.
• Oral contributions at the MRS 2007 Spring Meeting, San Francisco, CA (United States), April 9-
13, (2007). Results presented by H. Míguez. “Enhancing the Light Harvesting Efficiency in Dye
Sensitized Solar Cells coupled to Photonic Crystals.”
• Oral and poster contributions at the PECS VII (International Symposium on Photonic and
Electromagnetic Crystal Structures VII), Monterey, CA (United States), April 8-11, (2007).
Results presented by H. Míguez and A. Mihi. “Spin coating Colloidal Crystal Films Using Volatile
Solvents”
• Poster contribution at the Nanospain 2007. (event by the Spanish Nanotechnology Network).
Seville (Spain) March 11-15-2007 Results presented by A. Mihi. “Enhancing the Light
Harvesting Efficiency in Dye Sensitized Solar Cells coupled to Photonic Crystals.”
• Oral contribution at the Photonics Europe 2006 (an event by Spie). Strassbourg (France), April
7-11-2006. Results presented by H. Míguez.
• Poster contribution at the PECS VI (International Symposium on Photonic and Electromagnetic

Crystal Structures VI), Crete (Greece), June 19-24, (2005). Results presented by H. Míguez.
“Surface Resonant modes in Dielectric Planar Defects coupled to Photonic Colloidal Crystals”
• Oral contribution at the ICTON (International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks),
Barcelona (Spain), July 3-7, (2005). Results presented by: H. Míguez. “Applications of Photonic
Colloidal Crystals”
• Oral contribution at the PECS V (International Symposium on Photonic and Electromagnetic
Crystal Structures V), Kyoto (Japan), March 7-11, (2004). Results presented by A. Mihi.
“Dielectric Planar Defects in Photonic Colloidal Crystals”
REFERENCES
Paul V. Braun
Full Professor at the University of Illinois.
1304 W. Green St. 61820. Urbana. IL. USA
Telephone: 217-244-7293 ,Fax : 217-333-2736 Email: pbraun@illinois.edu
Hernán Ruy Míguez García
Scientific Researcher at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville.
Avda. Americo Vespucio 49. Sevilla. Spain
Telephone: [+34] 954 48 95 81 Email: hernan@icmse.csic.es
Geoffrey A. Ozin
Full Professor at the Department of Chemistry. University of Toronto.
80, St George Street. Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6
Telephone: 1-416-978-2082 Email: gozin@chem.utoronto.ca
John A. Rogers
Full Professor at the University of Illinois.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
1304 W. Green St. 61820. Urbana. IL. USA
Telephone: 217 244-4979 Email: jrogers@illinois.edu
OTHER INFORMATION
Date of Birth: 06-04-1979
Place of Birth: Torrent (Valencia). Spain.
Languages: Spanish (native), English (Fluent).