Research Interests

Study of optoelectronic and mechanical properties of semiconductors and their metastable light-induced changes for solar applications. Development of near-field scanning probe microscopy/spectroscopy tools for materials surface characterization/modification at the nanoscale. Structuring of surfaces through optical and chemical routes for vacuum electronics and environmental applications (wettability, electrochromicity, thermochromicity).

Short Curriculum Vitae

Manolis Spanakis received his BSc in Physics in 1995, his MSc in Physics of Condensed Matter in 1997 and his PhD in Physics in 2001, all from the Physics Department of the University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece. After completing military service in 2002, he joined the Laser and Applications Division of IESL-FORTH as a visiting researcher and the Department of Materials Science and Technology of the University of Crete, Greece as a visiting professor. From 2005 he works also as a visiting lecturer in the Technical Educational Institute of Crete, Greece. He served as an invited researcher for one month at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He has received three scholarships from the Greek State Scholarship Foundation for ranking first during undergraduate studies and an award from the Municipality of Heraklion, Crete Greece for ranking first at the preliminary examinations for entering the MsC courses. His written work involves 42 publications in refereed journals (2017), 2 lab manuals and several chapters in undergraduate textbooks for experiments in applied physics and materials science.   Extended CV

Selected Recent Publications

  • Silicon electron emitters fabricated by UV laser pulses, V. Zorba, P. Tzanetakis, C. Fotakis, E. Spanakis, E. Stratakis, D. G. Papazoglou and I. Zergioti, Applied Physics Letters 88 (2006) pp. 081103/1-081103/3.
  • Atomic Force Microscopy based, multi-photon, photoelectron emission imaging, E. Spanakis, A. Chimmalgi, E. Stratakis, C.P. Grigoropoulos, C. Fotakis, and P. Tzanetakis, Applied Physics Letters 89 (2006) pp. 013110/1-013110/3
  • Imaging dielectric properties of Si nanowire oxide with conductive atomic force microscopy complemented with femtosecond laser illumination, E. Stratakis, N. Misra, E. Spanakis, D. J. Hwang, C. P. Grigoropoulos, C. Fotakis, and P. Tzanetakis, Nano Letters 8 (2008) pp. 1949 – 1953.
  • Biomimetic artificial surfaces quantitatively reproduce the water repellency of a Lotus leaf, V. Zorba, E. Stratakis, M. Barberoglou, E. Spanakis, P. Tzanetakis, H. Anastasiadis, and C. Fotakis, Advanced Materials 20 (2008) pp. 4049 – 4054
  • Influence of solution chemistry on the properties of hydrothermally grown TiO2 for advanced applications, D. Vernardou, E. Spanakis, E. Stratakis, N. Katsarakis, E. Kymakis, E. Koudoumas, Catalysis Today 144 (2009) pp. 172 – 176.
  • Metal-coated silicon spike cold-electron emitters show improvement of performance with operation, E. Spanakis, M. Barberoglou, V. Zorba, P. Tzanetakis and C. Fotakis, Applied Physics Letters 96 (2010) pp. 033501-033503.
  • Aspects on the relief of living surfaces using atomic force microscopy allow 'art' to imitate nature, R. Polymeni, E. Spanakis, A. Argiropoulos, and S. Rhizopoulou, Integrative Zoology 5 (2010) pp. 218-225.
  • Electrochemical and photocatalytic properties of WO3 coatings grown at low temperatures, D. Vernardou, H. Drossos E. Spanakis, E. Koudoumas, C. Savvakis and N. Katsarakis, Journal of Materials Chemistry, 21 (2011) pp. 513-517