Patents by Inventor Luís Francisco Moreira Gonçalves

Luís Francisco Moreira Gonçalves has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Process for glass sealing of dye-sensitized solar cells
    Patent number: 8567110
    Abstract: The presently disclosed subject matter describes a new sealing process of a specific type of photovoltaic cells named dye-sensitized solar cells. Currently, the sealing of these cells is made by means of a polymer, which connects the two electrode substrates made of glass, isolating the cell's inner content from the outside. The glass-based sealing method has the advantage of enhancing the cell's lifetime. However, glass sealing should not lead to the heating of the whole cell, which may cause its degradation. The process here unveiled employs a string of a glass precursor, a powder or a paste, that bounds the cell's entire external perimeter. The glass precursor string is then heated to its melting point with a laser beam, allowing the two substrates of the cell to stick together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Efacec Engenharia e Sistemas S.A.
    Inventors: Adélio Miguel Magalhães Mendes, Joaquim Gabriel Magalhães Mendes, Helena Isabel Pereira Da Costa Aguilar Ribeiro, Michael Gratzel, Luisa Manuela Madureira Andrade, Luís Francisco Moreira Gonçalves, Carlos Albino Veiga Da Costa
  • GLASS SEALING OF DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS
    Publication number: 20110306161
    Abstract: The presently disclosed subject matter describes a new sealing process of a specific type of photovoltaic cells named dye-sensitized solar cells. Currently, the sealing of these cells is made by means of a polymer, which connects the two electrode substrates made of glass, isolating the cell's inner content from the outside. The glass-based sealing method has the advantage of enhancing the cell's lifetime. However, glass sealing should not lead to the heating of the whole cell, which may cause its degradation. The process here unveiled employs a string of a glass precursor, a powder or a paste, that bounds the cell's entire external perimeter. The glass precursor string is then heated to its melting point with a laser beam, allowing the two substrates of the cell to stick together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2009
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Inventors: Adélio Miguel Magalhães Mendes, Joaquim Gabriel Magalhães Mendes, Helena Isabel Pereira Da Costa Aguilar Ribeiro, Michael Gratzel, Luísa Manuela Madureira Andrade, Luís Francisco Moreira Gonçalves, Carlos Albino Veiga Da Costa