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Author Goris, B.; De Beenhouwer, J.; de Backer, A.; Zanaga, D.; Batenburg, J.; Sanchez-Iglesias, A.; Liz-Marzan, L.; Van Aert, S.; Sijbers, J.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Bals, S. doi  openurl
  Title Investigating lattice strain in Au nanodecahedrons Type P1 Proceeding
  Year 2016 Publication Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume Issue Pages 11-12  
  Keywords P1 Proceeding; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab  
  Abstract  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2016-12-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 978-3-527-80846-5 ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:145813 Serial 5144  
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Author Crippa, F.; Rodriguez-Lorenzo, L.; Hua, X.; Goris, B.; Bals, S.; Garitaonandia, J.S.; Balog, S.; Burnand, D.; Hirt, A.M.; Haeni, L.; Lattuada, M.; Rothen-Rutishauser, B.; Petri-Fink, A. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Phase transformation of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles via thermal annealing : implications for hyperthermia applications Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication ACS applied nano materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 4462-4470  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Magnetic hyperthermia has the potential to play an important role in cancer therapy and its efficacy relies on the nanomaterials selected. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are excellent candidates due to the ability of producing enough heat to kill tumor cells by thermal ablation. However, their heating properties depend strongly on crystalline structure and size, which may not be controlled and tuned during the synthetic process; therefore, a postprocessing is needed. We show how thermal annealing can be simultaneously coupled with ligand exchange to stabilize the SPIONs in polar solvents and to modify their crystal structure, which improves hyperthermia behavior. Using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and lock-in thermography, we systematically investigate the impact of size and ligand exchange procedure on crystallinity, their magnetism, and heating ability. We describe a valid and simple approach to optimize SPIONs for hyperthermia by carefully controlling the size, colloidal stability, and crystallinity.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000477917700048 Publication Date 2019-06-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 18 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes ; This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation through the National Center of Competence in Research Bio-Inspired Materials, the Adolphe Merkle Foundation, the University of Fribourg, and the European Society for Molecular Imaging (Grant E141200643). ; Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:161927 Serial 5393  
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Author Mulder, J.T.; Kirkwood, N.; De Trizio, L.; Li, C.; Bals, S.; Manna, L.; Houtepen, A.J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Developing lattice matched ZnMgSe shells on InZnP quantum dots for phosphor applications Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication ACS applied nano materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 3 Issue 4 Pages 3859-3867  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Indium phosphide quantum dots (QDs) have drawn attention as alternatives to cadmium- and lead-based QDs that are currently used as phosphors in lamps and displays. The main drawbacks of InP QDs are, in general, a lower photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), a decreased color purity, and poor chemical stability. In this research, we attempted to increase the PLQY and stability of indium phosphide QDs by developing lattice matched InP/MgSe core-shell nanoheterostructures. The choice of MgSe comes from the fact that, in theory, it has a near-perfect lattice match with InP, provided MgSe is grown in the zinc blende crystal structure, which can be achieved by alloying with zinc. To retain lattice matching, we used Zn in both the core and shell and we fabricated InZnP/ZnxMg1-xSe core/shell QDs. To identify the most suitable conditions for the shell growth, we first developed a synthesis route to ZnxMg1-xSe nanocrystals (NCs) wherein Mg is effectively incorporated. Our optimized procedure was employed for the successful growth of ZnxMg1-xSe shells around In(Zn)P QDs. The corresponding core/ shell systems exhibit PLQYs higher than those of the starting In(Zn)P QDs and, more importantly, a higher color purity upon increasing the Mg content. The results are discussed in the context of a reduced density of interface states upon using better lattice matched ZnxMg1-xSe shells.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000529206200076 Publication Date 2020-03-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2574-0970 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.9 Times cited 22 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 766900 (testing the large-scale limit of quantum mechanics). A.J.H. acknowledges support from the European Research Council Horizon 2020 ERC Grant Agreement No. 678004 (Doping on Demand). This research is supported by the Dutch Technology Foundation TTW, which is part of The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and which is partly funded by Ministry of Economic Affairs. The authors thank Wiel Evers for performing the TEM imaging and the EDX analysis. The authors also thank Lea Pasquale and Mirko Prato for their help with performing and analyzing the XPS measurements and Filippo Drago for the ICP measurements. ; Approved Most recent IF: 5.9; 2020 IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:169563 Serial 6482  
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Author Reguera, J.; Flora, T.; Winckelmans, N.; Rodriguez-Cabello, J.C.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Self-assembly of Janus Au:Fe₃O₄ branched nanoparticles. From organized clusters to stimuli-responsive nanogel suprastructures Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Nanoscale Advances Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 2 Issue 6 Pages 2525-2530  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Janus nanoparticles offer enormous possibilities through a binary selective functionalization and dual properties. Their self-assembly has attracted strong interest due to their potential as building blocks to obtain molecular colloids, supracrystals and well-organized nanostructures that can lead to new functionalities. However, this self-assembly has been focused on relatively simple symmetrical morphologies, while for complex nanostructures this process has been unexplored. Here, we study the assembly of plasmonic-magnetic Janus nanoparticles with a branched (nanostar) – sphere morphology. The branched morphology enhances their plasmonic properties in the near-infrared region and therefore their applicability, but at the same time constrains their self-assembly capabilities to obtain more organized or functional suprastructures. We describe the self-assembly of these nanoparticles after amphiphilic functionalization. The role of the nanoparticle branching, as well as the size of the polymer-coating, is explored. We show how the use of large molecular weight stabilizing polymers can overcome the anisotropy of the nanoparticles producing a change in the morphology from small clusters to larger quasi-cylindrical nanostructures. Finally, the Janus nanoparticles are functionalized with a thermo-responsive elastin-like recombinamer. These nanoparticles undergo reversible self-assembly in the presence of free polymer giving rise to nanoparticle-stabilized nanogel-like structures with controlled size, providing the possibility to expand their applicability to multi-stimuli controlled self-assembly.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000543283200032 Publication Date 2020-04-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2516-0230 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.7 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; J. R. acknowledges the.nancial support of Basque Country Elkartek-KK-2019/ 00101. T. F. and J. C. R-C acknowledge the funding from the European Commission (NMP-2014-646075), the Spanish Government (PCIN-2015-010 (FunBioPlas), MAT2016-78903-R), Junta de Castilla y Leon (VA317P18) and Centro en Red de Medicina Regenerativa y Terapia Celular de Castilla y Leon. ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.7; 2020 IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:170773 Serial 6600  
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Author Skorikov, A.; Heyvaert, W.; Albrecht, W.; Pelt, D.M.; Bals, S. doi  openurl
  Title EMAT Simulated 3D Nanoparticle Structures Dataset Type Dataset
  Year 2021 Publication Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords Dataset; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract This dataset contains 1000 simulated nanoparticle-like 3D structures and noisy EDX-like elemental maps based on them. These data are intended to be used for quantitative analysis of data processing methods in (EDX) tomography of nanoparticles and training the data-driven approaches for these tasks. The dataset is structured as follows: voxel_data/clean 3D voxel grid representation of the simulated nanoparticles. Voxel intensities are adjusted so that the total intensity equals 103. All 3D structures have unique identifiers in 0..999 range. The data derived from a 3D structure preserves this unique identifier. sinograms/clean Tilt series of projection images obtained from the corresponding 3D structures over an angular range of -75..75 degrees with a tilt step of 10 degrees to simulate a typical tilt series used in EDX tomography. Total intensity in each projection image equals 103. sinograms/noisy Tilt series of projection images corrupted with Poisson noise and an additional spatially uniform background noise. projections/clean Projection images extracted from the clean tilt series at 0 degrees tilt angle. projections/noisy Projection images extracted from the noisy tilt series at 0 degrees tilt angle. images/clean Visualizations of the clean projections as PNG images with the intensity range adjusted to 0..255 images/noisy Visualizations of the noisy projections as PNG images with the intensity range adjusted to 0..255  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:180615 Serial 6838  
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Author Bae, J.; Cichocka, M.O.; Zhang, Y.; Bacsik, Z.; Bals, S.; Zou, X.; Willhammar, T.; Hong, S.B. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Phase transformation behavior of a two-dimensional zeolite Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Angewandte Chemie: international edition in English Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 58 Issue 30 Pages 10230-10235  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Understanding the molecular-level mechanisms of phase transformation in solids is of fundamental interest for functional materials such as zeolites. Two-dimensional (2D) zeolites, when used as shape-selective catalysts, can offer improved access to the catalytically active sites and a shortened diffusion length in comparison with their 3D analogues. However, few materials are known to maintain both their intralayer microporosity and structure during calcination for organic structure-directing agent (SDA) removal. Herein we report that PST-9, a new 2D zeolite which has been synthesized via the multiple inorganic cation approach and fulfills the requirements for true layered zeolites, can be transformed into the small-pore zeolite EU-12 under its crystallization conditions through the single-layer folding process, but not through the traditional dissolution/recrystallization route. We also show that zeolite crystal growth pathway can differ according to the type of organic SDAs employed.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000476452700030 Publication Date 2019-05-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1433-7851; 0570-0833 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We acknowledge financial support from National Creative Research Initiative Program (2012R1A3A-2048833) through the National Research Foundation of Korea, the National Research Council of Science & Technology (CRC-14-1-KRICT) grant by the Korea government (MSIP), the Swedish Research Council (2017-04321), and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW) through the project grant 3DEM-NATUR (2012.0112). T.W. acknowledges an international postdoc grant from the Swedish Research Council (2014-06948). Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:181233 Serial 6878  
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Author Ding, Y.; Maitra, S.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Bals, S.; Vrielinck, H.; Barakat, T.; Roy, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Liu, J.; Li, Y.; Vlad, A.; Su, B.-L. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Photochemical production of hydrogen peroxide by digging pro-superoxide radical carbon vacancies in carbon nitride Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Cell reports physical science Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 3 Issue 5 Pages 100874-17  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Artificial photosynthesis of H2O2, an environmentally friendly oxidant and a clean fuel, holds great promise. However, improving its efficiency and stability for industrial implementation remains highly challenging. Here, we report the visible-light H2O2 artificial photosynthesis by digging pro-superoxide radical carbon vacancies in three-dimensional hierarchical porous g-C3N4 through a simple hydrolysis-freeze-drying-thermal treatment. A significant electronic structure change is revealed upon the implantation of carbon vacancies, broadening visible-light absorption and facilitating the photogenerated charge separation. The strong electron affinity of the carbon vacancies promotes superoxide radical (O-center dot(2)-) formation, significantly boosting the H2O2 photocatalytic production. The developed photocatalyst shows an H2O2 evolution rate of 6287.5 mM g(-1) h(-1) under visible-light irradiation with a long cycling stability being the best-performing photocatalyst among all reported g-C3N4-based systems. Our work provides fundamental insight into highly active and stable photocatalysts with great potential for safe industrial H2O2 production.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000805830100006 Publication Date 2022-04-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 12 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Y.D. thanks the China Scholarship Council (201808310127) for financial support. This work is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1663225) , Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT_15R52) of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities-Plan 111 (grant no. B20002) from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education of China, and the National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFA0202602) . This research was also supported by the European Commission Interreg V France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen project “DepollutAir”. Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:189706 Serial 7090  
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Author Borah, R.; Smets, J.; Ninakanti, R.; Tietze, M.L.; Ameloot, R.; Chigrin, D.N.; Bals, S.; Lenaerts, S.; Verbruggen, S.W. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Self-assembled ligand-capped plasmonic Au nanoparticle films in the Kretschmann configuration for sensing of volatile organic compounds Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS applied nano materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 5 Issue 8 Pages acsanm.2c02524-12  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Films of close-packed Au nanoparticles are coupled electrodynamically through their collective plasmon resonances. This collective optical response results in enhanced light–matter interactions, which can be exploited in various applications. Here, we demonstrate their application in sensing volatile organic compounds, using methanol as a test case. Ordered films over several cm2 were obtained by interfacial self-assembly of colloidal Au nanoparticles (∼10 nm diameter) through controlled evaporation of the solvent. Even though isolated nanoparticles of this size are inherently nonscattering, when arranged in a close-packed film the plasmonic coupling results in a strong reflectance and absorbance. The in situ tracking of vapor phase methanol concentration through UV–vis transmission measurements of the nanoparticle film is first demonstrated. Next, in situ ellipsometry of the self-assembled films in the Kretschmann (also known as ATR) configuration is shown to yield enhanced sensitivity, especially with phase difference measurements, Δ. Our study shows the excellent agreement between theoretical models of the spectral response of self-assembled films with experimental in situ sensing experiments. At the same time, the theoretical framework provides the basis for the interpretation of the various observed experimental trends. Combining periodic nanoparticle films with ellipsometry in the Kretschmann configuration is a promising strategy toward highly sensitive and selective plasmonic thin-film devices based on colloidal fabrication methods for volatile organic compound (VOC) sensing applications.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000834348300001 Publication Date 2022-07-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2574-0970 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.9 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes R.B. acknowledges financial support from the University of Antwerp Special Research Fund (BOF) for a DOCPRO4 doctoral scholarship. J.S. acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) by a Ph.D. fellowship (11H8121N) . M.L.T. acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) by a senior postdoctoral fellowship (12ZK720N) . Approved Most recent IF: 5.9  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:189295 Serial 7095  
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Author Pacquets, L.; Van den Hoek, J.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; Cool, P.; Baert, K.; Hauffman, T.; Daems, N.; Bals, S.; Breugelmans, T. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Use of nanoscale carbon layers on Ag-based gas diffusion electrodes to promote CO production Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS applied nano materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 5 Issue 6 Pages 7723-7732  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract A promising strategy for the inhibition of the hydrogen evolution reaction along with the stabilization of the electrocatalyst in electrochemical CO2 reduction cells involves the application of a nanoscale amorphous carbon layer on top of the active catalyst layer in a gas diffusion electrode. Without modifying the chemical nature of the electrocatalyst itself, these amorphous carbon layers lead to the stabilization of the electrocatalyst, and a significant improvement with respect to the inhibition of the hydrogen evolution reaction was also obtained. The faradaic efficiencies of hydrogen could be reduced from 31.4 to 2.1% after 1 h of electrolysis with a 5 nm thick carbon layer. Furthermore, the impact of the carbon layer thickness (5–30 nm) on this inhibiting effect was investigated. We determined an optimal thickness of 15 nm where the hydrogen evolution reaction was inhibited and a decent stability was obtained. Next, a thickness of 15 nm was selected for durability measurements. Interestingly, these durability measurements revealed the beneficial impact of the carbon layer already after 6 h by suppressing the hydrogen evolution such that an increase of only 37.9% exists compared to 56.9% without the use of an additional carbon layer, which is an improvement of 150%. Since carbon is only applied afterward, it reveals its great potential in terms of electrocatalysis in general.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000818507900001 Publication Date 2022-05-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2574-0970 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.9 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes L.P. was supported through a Ph.D. fellowship strategic basic research (1S56920N) of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). S.B. acknowledges financial support from ERC Consolidator Grant Number 815128 REALNANO. This research was financed by the Research Council of the University of Antwerp (BOF-GOA 33928). P.C. and R.-G.C. acknowledge financial support by FWO Flanders (project no. G038215N). The authors recognize the contribution of S. Pourbabak and T. Derez for the assistance with the Ag and carbon coating, Indah Prihatiningtyas and Bart Van der Bruggen for the assistance with the contact angle measurements, Daniel Choukroun for the use of the in-house-made hybrid flow cell, and Stijn Van den Broeck for his assistance with the FIB measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 5.9  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:188887 Serial 7099  
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Author Arenas Esteban, D.; Pacquets, L.; Choukroun, D.; Hoekx, S.; Kadu, A.A.; Schalck, J.; Daems, N.; Breugelmans, T.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title 3D characterization of the structural transformation undergone by Cu@Ag core-shell nanoparticles following CO₂ reduction reaction Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 35 Issue 17 Pages 6682-6691  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract The increasing use of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) is significantly advancing the field of electrocatalysis. In particular, Cu/Ag bimetallic interfaces are widely used to enhance the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (eCO(2)RR) toward CO and, more recently, C-2 products. However, drastic changes in the product distribution and performance when Cu@Ag core-shell configurations are used can often be observed under electrochemical reaction conditions, especially during the first few minutes of the reaction. Possible structural changes that generate these observations remain underexplored; therefore, the structure-property relationship is hardly understood. In this study, we use electron tomography to investigate the structural transformation mechanism of Cu@Ag core-shells NPs during the critical first minutes of the eCO(2)RR. In this manner, we found that the crystallinity of the Cu seed determines whether the formation of a complete and homogeneous Ag shell is possible. Moreover, by tracking the particles' transformations, we conclude that modifications of the Cu-Ag interface and Cu2O enrichment at the surface of the NPs are key factors contributing to the product generation changes. These insights provide a better understanding of how bimetallic core-shell NPs transform under electrochemical conditions.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001061530700001 Publication Date 2023-08-31  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756; 1520-5002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.6 Times cited 1 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 29.02.2024  
  Notes L.P. was supported through a PhD fellowship for strategicbasic research (1S56920N) of the Research Foundation – Flanders(FWO). S.H. was supported through a PhD fellowship for strategic basicresearch (1S42623N) of the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO).S.B., D.A.E., and A.A.K. acknowledge financial support from ERC Consolidator Grant Number 815128 REALNANO. This research was financed by the researchcouncil of the University of Antwerp (BOF-GOA 33928). Approved Most recent IF: 8.6; 2023 IF: 9.466  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199187 Serial 8825  
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Author Ren, P.; Zhang, T.; Jain, N.; Ching, H.Y.V.; Jaworski, A.; Barcaro, G.; Monti, S.; Silvestre-Albero, J.; Celorrio, V.; Chouhan, L.; Rokicinska, A.; Debroye, E.; Kustrowski, P.; Van Doorslaer, S.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S.; Das, S. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title An atomically dispersed Mn-photocatalyst for generating hydrogen peroxide from seawater via the Water Oxidation Reaction (WOR) Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Journal of the American Chemical Society Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 145 Issue 30 Pages 16584-16596  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Organic synthesis (ORSY); Theory and Spectroscopy of Molecules and Materials (TSM²)  
  Abstract In this work, we have fabricatedan aryl amino-substitutedgraphiticcarbon nitride (g-C3N4) catalyst with atomicallydispersed Mn capable of generating hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) directly from seawater. This new catalyst exhibitedexcellent reactivity, obtaining up to 2230 & mu;M H2O2 in 7 h from alkaline water and up to 1800 & mu;Mfrom seawater under identical conditions. More importantly, the catalystwas quickly recovered for subsequent reuse without appreciable lossin performance. Interestingly, unlike the usual two-electron oxygenreduction reaction pathway, the generation of H2O2 was through a less common two-electron water oxidation reaction(WOR) process in which both the direct and indirect WOR processesoccurred; namely, photoinduced h(+) directly oxidized H2O to H2O2 via a one-step 2e(-) WOR, and photoinduced h(+) first oxidized a hydroxide (OH-) ion to generate a hydroxy radical ((OH)-O-& BULL;), and H2O2 was formed indirectly by thecombination of two (OH)-O-& BULL;. We have characterized thematerial, at the catalytic sites, at the atomic level using electronparamagnetic resonance, X-ray absorption near edge structure, extendedX-ray absorption fine structure, high-resolution transmission electronmicroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, magic-angle spinningsolid-state NMR spectroscopy, and multiscale molecular modeling, combiningclassical reactive molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemistrycalculations.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001034983300001 Publication Date 2023-07-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0002-7863 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 15 Times cited 21 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes S.D. thanks the IOF grant and Francqui start up grant from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, for the financial support. P.R. thanks CSC and T.Z. thanks FWO for their financial assistance to finish this work. E.D. would like to thank the KU Leuven Research Fund for financial support through STG/21/010. J.S.A. acknowledges financial support from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and EU NextGeneration/PRTR (Project PCI2020-111968/3D-Photocat) and Diamond Synchrotron (rapid access proposal SP32609). This work was supported by the European Research Council (grant 770887-PICOMETRICS to S.V.A. and Grant 815128-REALNANO to S.B.). S.B. and S.V.A. acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium, project G.0346.21 N). We also thank Mr. Jian Zhu and Mr. Shahid Ullah Khan from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, for helpful discussions. Approved Most recent IF: 15; 2023 IF: 13.858  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:198426 Serial 8831  
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Author Zhang, Y.; van Schayck, J.P.; Pedrazo-Tardajos, A.; Claes, N.; Noteborn, W.E.M.; Lu, P.-H.; Duimel, H.; Dunin-Borkowski, R.E.; Bals, S.; Peters, P.J.; Ravelli, R.B.G. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Charging of vitreous samples in cryogenic electron microscopy mitigated by graphene Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 17 Issue 16 Pages 15836-15846  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Cryogenic electronmicroscopy can provide high-resolution reconstructionsof macromolecules embedded in a thin layer of ice from which atomicmodels can be built de novo. However, the interactionbetween the ionizing electron beam and the sample results in beam-inducedmotion and image distortion, which limit the attainable resolutions.Sample charging is one contributing factor of beam-induced motionsand image distortions, which is normally alleviated by including partof the supporting conducting film within the beam-exposed region.However, routine data collection schemes avoid strategies wherebythe beam is not in contact with the supporting film, whose rationaleis not fully understood. Here we characterize electrostatic chargingof vitreous samples, both in imaging and in diffraction mode. We mitigatesample charging by depositing a single layer of conductive grapheneon top of regular EM grids. We obtained high-resolution single-particleanalysis (SPA) reconstructions at 2 & ANGS; when the electron beamonly irradiates the middle of the hole on graphene-coated grids, usingdata collection schemes that previously failed to produce sub 3 & ANGS;reconstructions without the graphene layer. We also observe that theSPA data obtained with the graphene-coated grids exhibit a higher b factor and reduced particle movement compared to dataobtained without the graphene layer. This mitigation of charging couldhave broad implications for various EM techniques, including SPA andcryotomography, and for the study of radiation damage and the developmentof future sample carriers. Furthermore, it may facilitate the explorationof more dose-efficient, scanning transmission EM based SPA techniques.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001041649900001 Publication Date 2023-08-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 17.1 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We thank H. Nguyen for editing the manuscript. We warmly thank the M4i Microscopy CORE Lab team of FHML Maastricht University (MU) for their support and collaboration and Eve Timlin and Ye Gao (MU) for providing protein samples. Members of the Amsterdam Scientific Instruments team are acknowledged for their Timepix detector support. This work benefited from access to The Netherlands Centre for Electron Nanoscopy (NeCEN) with assistance from Ludovic Renault and Meindert Lamers. The authors acknowledge financial support of the Netherlands Electron Microscopy Infrastructure (NEMI), project number 184.034.014 of the National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Infrastructure of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the PPP Allowance made available by Health-Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, to stimulate public-private partnerships, project 4DEM, number LSHM21029, and the LINK program from the Province of Limburg, The Netherlands, as well as financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme by grant no. 815128 (REALNANO). Approved Most recent IF: 17.1; 2023 IF: 13.942  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:198376 Serial 8840  
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Author Vega-Paredes, M.; Aymerich-Armengol, R.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Marti-Sanchez, S.; Bals, S.; Scheu, C.; Manjon, A.G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Electrochemical stability of rhodium-platinum core-shell nanoparticles : an identical location scanning transmission electron microscopy study Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 17 Issue 17 Pages 16943-16951  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Rhodium-platinum core-shell nanoparticleson a carbonsupport (Rh@Pt/C NPs) are promising candidates as anode catalystsfor polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. However, their electrochemicalstability needs to be further explored for successful applicationin commercial fuel cells. Here we employ identical location scanningtransmission electron microscopy to track the morphological and compositionalchanges of Rh@Pt/C NPs during potential cycling (10 000 cycles,0.06-0.8 V-RHE, 0.5 H2SO4)down to the atomic level, which are then used for understanding thecurrent evolution occurring during the potential cycles. Our resultsreveal a high stability of the Rh@Pt/C system and point toward particledetachment from the carbon support as the main degradation mechanism.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001051495900001 Publication Date 2023-08-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 17.1 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors would like to thank C. Bodirsky for providing the samples, N. Rivas Rivas for his corrections on the manuscript, and D. Chatain for providing her expertise on the equilibrium shape of nanoparticles. Special thanks to B. Breitbach for performing the XRD experiments. A.G.M. acknowledges the Grant RYC2021-033479- I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and, as appropriate, by European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. Approved Most recent IF: 17.1; 2023 IF: 13.942  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199253 Serial 8859  
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Author Beckwee, E.J.; Watson, G.; Houlleberghs, M.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Bals, S.; Van Der Voort, P.; Breynaert, E.; Martens, J.; Baron, G.V.; Denayer, J.F.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Enabling hydrate-based methane storage under mild operating conditions by periodic mesoporous organosilica nanotubes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Heliyon Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 9 Issue 7 Pages e17662-14  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Biomethane is a renewable natural gas substitute produced from biogas. Storage of this sustainable energy vector in confined clathrate hydrates, encapsulated in the pores of a host material, is a highly promising avenue to improve storage capacity and energy efficiency. Herein, a new type of periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) nanotubes, referred to as hollow ring PMO (HR-PMO), capable of promoting methane clathrate hydrate formation under mild working conditions (273 K, 3.5 MPa) and at high water loading (5.1 g water/g HR-PMO) is reported. Gravimetric uptake measurements reveal a steep single-stepped isotherm and a noticeably high methane storage capacity (0.55 g methane/g HR-PMO; 0.11 g methane/g water at 3.5 MPa). The large working capacity throughout consecutive pressure-induced clathrate hydrate formationdissociation cycles demonstrates the material's excellent recyclability (97% preservation of capacity). Supported by ex situ cryo-electron tomography and x-ray diffraction, HR-PMO nanotubes are hypothesized to promote clathrate hydrate nucleation and growth by distribution and confinement of water in the mesopores of their outer wall, along the central channels of the nanotubes and on the external nanotube surface. These findings showcase the potential for application of organosilica materials with hierarchical and interconnected pore systems for pressure-based storage of biomethane in confined clathrate hydrates.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001056264100001 Publication Date 2023-06-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2405-8440 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 4 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes E.J.B., G.W. and M.H. contributed equally to this work. M.H. acknowledges FWO for an FWO-SB fellowship. All authors acknowledge VLAIO for Moonshot funding (ARCLATH, n ? HBC.2019.0110, ARCLATH2, n ? HBC.2021.0254) . J.A.M. acknowledges the Flemish Government for long-term structural funding (Methusalem) and department EWI for infrastructure investment via the Hermes Fund (AH.2016.134) . NMRCoRe acknowledges the Flemish government, department EWI for financial support as International Research Infrastructure (I001321N: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Platform for Molecular Water Research) . J.A.M. acknowledges the European Research Council (ERC) for an Advanced Research Grant under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 834134 (WATUSO) . S.B acknowledges financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant G.0381.16N) . This project also received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 731019 (EUSMI) and No 815128 (REALNANO) . Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199249 Serial 8862  
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Author Chen, Q.; Skorikov, A.; van der Hoeven, J.E.S.; van Blaaderen, A.; Albrecht, W.; Perez-Garza, H.H.; Bals, S. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Estimation of temperature homogeneity in MEMS-based heating nanochips via quantitative HAADF-STEM tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Particle and particle systems characterization Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 41 Issue 2 Pages 1-8  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Sample holders for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) have recently become popular for investigating the behavior of nanomaterials under in situ or environmental conditions. The accuracy and reproducibility of these in situ holders are essential to ensure the reliability of experimental results. In addition, the uniformity of an applied temperature trigger across the MEMS chip is a crucial parameter. In this work, it is measured the temperature homogeneity of MEMS-based heating sample supports by locally analyzing the dynamics of heat-induced alloying of Au@Ag nanoparticles located in different regions of the support through quantitative fast high-angle annular dark-field scanning TEM tomography. These results demonstrate the superior temperature homogeneity of a microheater design based on a heating element shaped as a circular spiral with a width decreasing outwards compared to a double spiral-shaped designed microheater. The proposed approach to measure the local temperature homogeneity based on the thermal properties of bimetallic nanoparticles will support the future development of MEMS-based heating supports with improved thermal properties and in situ studies where high precision in the temperature at a certain position is required. This schematic delineates an approach to quantifying potential localized temperature deviation within a nanochip. Employing two comparable nanoparticles as thermal probes in discrete nanochip regions, the alloying kinetics of these nanoparticles are monitorable using in situ quantitative high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) tomography, thus enabling the precise estimation of local temperature deviations.image  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001060394600001 Publication Date 2023-09-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0934-0866 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 2.7 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This project was funded from the European Commission and The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network MUMMERING (Grant Agreement no. 765604) Approved Most recent IF: 2.7; 2023 IF: 4.474  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199219 Serial 8863  
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Author Yang, S.; An, H.; Arnouts, S.; Wang, H.; Yu, X.; de Ruiter, J.; Bals, S.; Altantzis, T.; Weckhuysen, B.M.; van der Stam, W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Halide-guided active site exposure in bismuth electrocatalysts for selective CO₂ conversion into formic acid Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Nature Catalysis Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 6 Issue 9 Pages 796-806  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract It remains a challenge to identify the active sites of bismuth catalysts in the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. Here we show through in situ characterization that the activation of bismuth oxyhalide electrocatalysts to metallic bismuth is guided by the halides. In situ X-ray diffraction results show that bromide promotes the selective exposure of planar bismuth surfaces, whereas chloride and iodide result in more disordered active sites. Furthermore, we find that bromide-activated bismuth catalysts outperform the chloride and iodide counterparts, achieving high current density (>100 mA cm(-2)) and formic acid selectivity (>90%), suggesting that planar bismuth surfaces are more active for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. In addition, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements reveal that the reconstruction proceeds rapidly in chloride-activated bismuth and gradually when bromide is present, facilitating the formation of ordered planar surfaces. These findings show the pivotal role of halogens on selective facet exposure in activated bismuth-based electrocatalysts during the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001050367400001 Publication Date 2023-08-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2520-1158 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 37.8 Times cited 13 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes B.M.W. acknowledges support from the Strategic UU-TU/e Alliance project 'Joint Centre for Chemergy Research' as well as from the Netherlands Center for Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversion (MCEC), an NWO gravitation programme funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the government of the Netherlands. S.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant #815128 REALNANO). S.A. and T.A. acknowledge funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). We also thank J. Wijten, J. Janssens and T. Prins (all from the Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group, Utrecht University) for helpful technical support. S. Deelen (Faculty of Science, Utrecht University) and L. Wu (Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group, Utrecht University) are acknowledged for the design of the in situ XRD cell. We also acknowledge B. Detlefs, P. Glatzel and V. Paidi (ESRF) for the support during the HERFD-XANES measurements on the ID26 beamline of the ESRF. Approved Most recent IF: 37.8; 2023 IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199190 Serial 8877  
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Author Panzic, I.; Mandic, V.; Mangalam, J.; Rath, T.; Radovanovic-Peric, F.; Gaboardi, M.; De Coen, B.; Bals, S.; Schrenker, N. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title In-situ structural degradation study of quadruple-cation perovskite solar cells with nanostructured charge transfer layer Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Ceramics international Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 49 Issue 14b Pages 24475-24486  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract We investigated the structural stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in n-i-p configuration comprising a rubidium-caesium-methylammonium-formamidinium (Rb-Cs-MA-FA) lead iodide/bromide perovskite absorber, interfaced with nanostructured ZnO-nanorod (NR) or mesostructured (MS) TiO2 electron transfer layers (ETL). An in-situ setup was established comprising synchrotron grazing incidence diffraction (GID) and Raman spectroscopy as a function of temperature under ambient and isothermal conditions; measurements of current-voltage (IV) characteristics and electron microscopic investigations were conducted discretely.The aging of the solar cells was performed at ambient conditions or at elevated temperatures directly in the in -situ measurement setup. The diffraction depth profiling results point to different degradation rates for different ETLs; moreover, electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, as well as energy dispersive spectroscopy clarified surface conditions in terms of the extent of the degradation. Scanning transmission electron microscopy of lamellas, derived by dual beam microscopy, revealed that the origin of the degradation lay in the ETL/ absorber interface. For the case of the nanostructured zincite, the perovskite absorber contained many voids, leading to the conclusion that the investigated quadruple perovskite absorber showed limited compatibility with ZnO NR ETL due to a higher number of defects. Morphological defects promoted the absorber degradation and nullified the advantages initially achieved by nanostructuring. The exchange of the ZnO NR ETL with MS TiO2 improved the stability parameters of the absorber layer.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001021057200001 Publication Date 2022-12-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0272-8842; 1873-3956 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 5.2 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work has been funded by the projects PZS-2019-02-1555 PV-WALL in Research Cooperability Program of the Croatian Science Foundation funded by the European Union from the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Efficient Human Resources 2014-2020 (perovskite solar cells) , UIP-2019-04-2367 SLIPPERY SLOPE of the Croatian Science Foundation (nanostructured titania and zincite constituents) , KK.01.2.1.02.0316 “ The development of the technical solution for energy saving using VIS -transparent or semi-transparent and IR-reflective thin-films” by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (characterisation of thin-films) , 20190571 and 20190516 at Elettra Synchrotron, ICM-2019-13220 in Ernst Mach program of the OeAD-GmbH, and E210900588 in the EUSMI program. The group of prof Gregor Trimmel of the ICTM, NAWI Graz, the beam- line scientists of the MCX beamline of the Elettra synchrotron, and FIB- STEM researchers of the Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, are gratefully acknowledged for collaboration and instrument access. The financial sustenance of the University of Zagreb is gratefully acknowledged. Approved Most recent IF: 5.2; 2023 IF: 2.986  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197806 Serial 8885  
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Author Mulder, J.T.T.; Jenkinson, K.; Toso, S.; Prato, M.; Evers, W.H.H.; Bals, S.; Manna, L.; Houtepen, A.J.J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Nucleation and growth of bipyramidal Yb:LiYF₄ nanocrystals : growing up in a hot environment Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 35 Issue 14 Pages 5311-5321  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Lanthanide-doped LiYF4 (Ln:YLF) is commonlyused fora broad variety of optical applications, such as lasing, photon upconversionand optical refrigeration. When synthesized as nanocrystals (NCs),this material is also of interest for biological applications andfundamental physical studies. Until now, it was unclear how Ln:YLFNCs grow from their ionic precursors into tetragonal NCs with a well-defined,bipyramidal shape and uniform dopant distribution. Here, we studythe nucleation and growth of ytterbium-doped LiYF4 (Yb:YLF),as a template for general Ln:YLF NC syntheses. We show that the formationof bipyramidal Yb:YLF NCs is a multistep process starting with theformation of amorphous Yb:YLF spheres. Over time, these spheres growvia Ostwald ripening and crystallize, resulting in bipyramidal Yb:YLFNCs. We further show that prolonged heating of the NCs results inthe degradation of the NCs, observed by the presence of large LiFcubes and small, irregular Yb:YLF NCs. Due to the similarity in chemicalnature of all lanthanide ions our work sheds light on the formationstages of Ln:YLF NCs in general.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language Wos 001021474500001 Publication Date 2023-07-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756; 1520-5002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 8.6 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 766900 (Testing the large-scale limit of quantum mechanics). The authors thank Niranjan Saikumar for proof reading the manuscript. Approved Most recent IF: 8.6; 2023 IF: 9.466  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197787 Serial 8907  
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Author Ramesha, B.M.; Pawlak, B.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Reekmans, G.; Bals, S.; Marchal, W.; Carleer, R.; Adriaensens, P.; Meynen, V. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Partial hydrolysis of diphosphonate ester during the formation of hybrid Tio₂ nanoparticles : role of acid concentration Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ChemPhysChem : a European journal of chemical physics and physical chemistry Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume Issue Pages e202300437-13  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)  
  Abstract In the present work, a method was utilized to control the in‐situ partial hydrolysis of a diphosphonate ester in presence of a titania precursor and in function of acid content and its impact on the hybrid nanoparticles was assessed. The hydrolysis degree of organodiphosphonate ester linkers during the formation of hybrid organic‐inorganic metal oxide nanoparticles, are relatively underexplored . Quantitative solution NMR spectroscopy revealed that during the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles, an increase in acid concentration introduces a higher degree of partial hydrolysis of the TEPD linker into diverse acid/ester derivatives of TEPD. Increasing the HCl/Ti ratio from 1 to 3, resulted in an increase in degree of partial hydrolysis of the TEPD linker in solution from 4% to 18.8% under the here applied conditions. As a result of the difference in partial hydrolysis, the linker‐TiO2 bonding was altered. Upon subsequent drying of the colloidal TiO2 solution, different textures, at nanoscale and macroscopic scale, were obtained dependent on the HCl/Ti ratio and thus the degree of hydrolysis of TEPD. Understanding such linker‐TiO2 nanoparticle surface dynamics is crucial for making hybrid organic‐inorganic materials (i.e. (porous) metal phosphonates) employed in applications such as electronic/photonic devices, separation technology and heterogeneous catalysts.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language Wos 001071673900001 Publication Date 2023-09-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1439-4235; 1439-7641 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 2.9 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 05.03.2024  
  Notes This work was supported by the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen) Project G.0121.17 N. The work was further supported by Hasselt University and the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen) via the Hercules project AUHL/15/2 – GOH3816 N. V. M. acknowledges the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) for project K801621 N. B. M. R. acknowledges, Prof. Dr. Christophe Detavernier and Dr. Davy Deduystche (COCOON, Ghent University) for PXRD and VT-XRD measurements, Prof. Dr. Christophe Van De Velde (iPRACS, University of Antwerp) and Dr. Radu Ciocarlan (LADCA, University of Antwerp) for helpful discussions on PXRD measurements and Dr. Nick Gys (University of Antwerp and VITO) for ICP-OES measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 2.9; 2023 IF: 3.075  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:198934 Serial 8911  
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Author Ndayirinde, C.; Gorbanev, Y.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; De Meyer, R.; Smets, A.; Vlasov, E.; Bals, S.; Cool, P.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis : packed catalysts act as plasma modifiers Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Catalysis today Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 419 Issue Pages 114156-12  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We studied the plasma-catalytic production of NH3 from H2 and N2 in a dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor using five different Co-based catalysts supported on Al2O3, namely Co/Al2O3, CoCe/Al2O3, CoLa/Al2O3, CoCeLa/Al2O3 and CoCeMg/Al2O3. The catalysts were characterized via several techniques, including SEM-EDX, and their performance was compared. The best performing catalyst was found to be CoLa/Al2O3, but the dif-ferences in NH3 concentration, energy consumption and production rate between the different catalysts were limited under the same conditions (i.e. feed gas, flow rate and ratio, and applied power). At the same time, the plasma properties, such as the plasma power and current profile, varied significantly depending on the catalyst. Taken together, these findings suggest that in the production of NH3 by plasma catalysis, our catalysts act as plasma modifiers, i.e., they change the discharge properties and hence the gas phase plasma chemistry. Importantly, this effect dominates over the direct catalytic effect (as e.g. in thermal catalysis) defined by the chemistry on the catalyst surface.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
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  Language Wos 000987221300001 Publication Date 2023-04-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0920-5861 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.3 Times cited 3 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project) and the Methusalem project of the University of Antwerp. We also gratefully acknowledge the NH3-TPD analysis performed by Sander Bossier. Approved Most recent IF: 5.3; 2023 IF: 4.636  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197268 Serial 8917  
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Author Monai, M.; Jenkinson, K.; Melcherts, A.E.M.; Louwen, J.N.; Irmak, E.A.; Van Aert, S.; Altantzis, T.; Vogt, C.; van der Stam, W.; Duchon, T.; Smid, B.; Groeneveld, E.; Berben, P.; Bals, S.; Weckhuysen, B.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Restructuring of titanium oxide overlayers over nickel nanoparticles during catalysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 380 Issue 6645 Pages 644-651  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Reducible supports can affect the performance of metal catalysts by the formation of suboxide overlayers upon reduction, a process referred to as the strong metal-support interaction (SMSI). A combination of operando electron microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy revealed that thin TiOx overlayers formed on nickel/titanium dioxide catalysts during 400 degrees C reduction were completely removed under carbon dioxide hydrogenation conditions. Conversely, after 600 degrees C reduction, exposure to carbon dioxide hydrogenation reaction conditions led to only partial reexposure of nickel, forming interfacial sites in contact with TiOx and favoring carbon-carbon coupling by providing a carbon species reservoir. Our findings challenge the conventional understanding of SMSIs and call for more-detailed operando investigations of nanocatalysts at the single-particle level to revisit static models of structure-activity relationships.  
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  Language Wos 000999020900010 Publication Date 2023-05-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0036-8075; 1095-9203 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 56.9 Times cited 29 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This work was supported by BASF and NWO CHIPP (research grant to B.M.W.); the MCEC NWO Gravitation Program (B.M.W.); the ARC-CBBC NWO Program (B.M.W.); the European Research Council (grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A.); and the European Research Council (grant 815128 REALNANO to S.B.). Approved Most recent IF: 56.9; 2023 IF: 37.205  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197432 Serial 8923  
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Author Filez, M.; Feng, J.-Y.; Minjauw, M.M.; Solano, E.; Poonkottil, N.; Van Daele, M.; Ramachandran, R.K.; Li, C.; Bals, S.; Poelman, H.; Detavernier, C.; Dendooven, J.; Filez, M.; Minjauw, M.; Solano, E.; Poonkottil, N.; Li, C.; Bals, S.; Dendooven, J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Shuffling atomic layer deposition gas sequences to modulate bimetallic thin films and nanoparticle properties Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Atomic layer deposition (ALD) typically employs metal precursors and co-reactant pulses to deposit thin films in a layer-by-layer fashion. While conventional ABAB-type ALD sequences implement only two functionalities, namely, a metal source and ligand exchange agent, additional functionalities have emerged, including etching and reduction agents. Herein, we construct gas-phase sequences-coined as ALD+-with complex-ities reaching beyond the classic ABAB-type ALD by freely combining multiple functionalities within irregular pulse schemes, e.g., ABCADC. The possibilities of such combinations are explored as a smart strategy to tailor bimetallic thin films and nanoparticle (NP) properties. By doing so, we demonstrate that bimetallic thin films can be tailored with target thickness and through the full compositional range, while the morphology can be flexibly modulated from thin films to NPs by shuI 1ing the pulse sequence. These complex pulse schemes are expected to be broadly applicable but are here explored for Pd-Ru bimetallic thin films and NPs.  
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  Language Wos 000823205700001 Publication Date 2022-06-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756; 1520-5002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was funded by the Research Foundation, Flanders (FWO) , and the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (GOA 01G01019) . M.F. and M.M.M. acknowledge the FWO for a postdoctoral research fellowship (1280621N) . N.P. acknowledges the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skiodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 765378. For the GISAXS measurements, the author s received funding from the European Community's Transnational Access Program CALIPSOplus. E.S. acknowledges the Spanish project RTI2018-093996-B-C32 MICINN/FEDER funds. Air Liquide is acknowledged for supporting this research. The authors acknowledge SOLEIL for the provision of synchrotron radiation facilities and would like to thank Dr. Alessandro Coati for assistance in using beamline SiXS. The GIWAXS experiments were performed at NCD-SWEET beamline at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff . Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:189541 Serial 8928  
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Author Mosquera, J.; Wang, D.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzan, L.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Surfactant layers on gold nanorods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Accounts of chemical research Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 56 Issue 10 Pages 1204-1212  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Gold nanorods (Au NRs) are an exceptionally promising tool in nanotechnology due to three key factors: (i) their strong interaction with electromagnetic radiation, stemming from their plasmonic nature, (ii) the ease with which the resonance frequency of their longitudinal plasmon mode can be tuned from the visible to the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spect r u m based on their aspect ratio, and (iii) their simple and cost-effective preparation through seed-mediated chemical growth. In this synthetic method, surfactants play a critical role in controlling the size, shape, and colloidal stabi l i t y of Au NRs. For example, surfactants can stabilize specific crystallographic facets during the formation of Au NRs, leading to t h e formation of NRs with specific morphologies. The process of surfactant adsorption onto the NR surface may result in various assemblies of surfactant molecules, such as spherical micelles, elongated micelles, or bilayers. Again, the assembly mode is critical toward determining the further availabi l i t y of the Au NR surface to the surrounding medium. Despite its importance and a great deal of research effort, the interaction between Au NPs and surfactants remains insufficiently understood, because the assembly process is influenced by numerous factors, including the chemical nature of the surfactant, the surface morphology of Au NPs, and solution parameters. Therefore, gaining a more comprehensive understanding of these interactions is essential to unlock the full potential of the seed-mediated growth method and the applications of plasmonic NPs. A plethora of characterization techniques have been applied to reach such an understanding , but many open questions remain. In this Account, we review the current knowledge on the interactions between surfactants and Au NRs. We briefly introduce the state-of-the-art methods for synthesizing Au NRs and highlight the crucial role of cationic surfactants during this process. The self-assembly and organization of surfactants on the Au NR surface is then discussed to better understand their role in seed-mediated growth. Subsequently, we provide examples and elucidate how chemical additives can be used to modulate micellar assemblies, in turn allowing for a finer control over the growth of Au NRs, including chiral NRs. Next, we review the main experimental characterization and computational modeling techniques that have been applied to shed light on the arrangement of surfactants on Au NRs and summarize the advantages and disadvantages for each technique. The Account ends with a “Conclusions and Outlook” section, outlining promising future research directions and developments that we consider are sti l l required, mostly related to the application of electron microscopy in liquid and in 3D. Finally, we remark on the potential of exploiting machine learning techniques to predict synthetic routes for NPs with predefined structures and properties.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000986447000001 Publication Date 2023-05-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0001-4842 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 18.3 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support by the European Research Council (ERC CoG No. 815128 REALNANO to S.B.; ERC AdG No. 787510, 4DbioSERS to L.M.L.-M.) , from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ESF Investing in your future” (Grant PID2020-117779RB-I00 to L.M.L.-M. and Grants RYC2019-027842-I , PID2020-117885GA-I00 to J.M.) , and by Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology (No. 2017B030301007) , National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectronics (No. 2016B01018) , MOE Interna-tional Laboratory for Optical Information Technologies, and the 111 projects. Approved Most recent IF: 18.3; 2023 IF: 20.268  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:196768 Serial 8940  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Moggia, G.; Hoekx, S.; Daems, N.; Bals, S.; Breugelmans, T. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Synthesis and characterization of a highly electroactive composite based on Au nanoparticles supported on nanoporous activated carbon for electrocatalysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ChemElectroChem Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-11  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract A facile, “one-pot”, chemical approach to synthesize gold-based nanoparticles finely dispersed on porous activated carbon (Norit) was demonstrated in this work. The pH of the synthesis bath played a critical role in determining the optimal gold-carbon interaction, which enabled a successful deposition of the gold nanoparticles onto the carbon matrix with a maximized metal utilization of 93 %. The obtained AuNP/C nanocomposite was characterized using SEM, HAADF-STEM electron tomography and electrochemical techniques. It was found that the Au nanoparticles, with diameters between 5 and 20 nm, were evenly distributed over the carbon matrix, both inside and outside the pores. Electrochemical characterization indicated that the composite had a very large electroactive surface area (EASA), as high as 282.4 m2 gAu-1. By exploiting its very high EASA, the catalyst was intended to boost the productivity of glucaric acid in the electrooxidation of its precursor, gluconic acid. However, cyclic voltammetry experiments revealed a very limited reactivity towards gluconic acid oxidation, due to the spacial hindrance of gluconic acid molecule which prevented diffusion inside the catalyst nanopores. On the other hand, the as-synthesized nanocomposite promises to be effective towards the ORR, and might thus find potential application as anode catalyst for fuel cells as well as for the scalability of all those electrochemical reactions involving small molecules with high diffusivity and catalysed by noble metals (i. e. CO2, CH4, N2, etc..). Electrocatalysis: Gold nanoparticles with diameter between 5 and 20 nm evenly distributed onto porous activated carbon (Norit) were obtained using a facile “one-pot” chemical synthesis technique with very high metal utilization. The AuNP/C nanocomposite was characterized using SEM, HAADF-STEM electron tomography and electrochemical techniques, revealing a very large electroactive surface area (EASA). The figure shows the HAADF-STEM image (a) and the respective EDX elemental distribution (b) for the AuNP/C composite with 9.3 % Au-loading developed in this work (Au is marked in red and C in green).image  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001060398900001 Publication Date 2023-09-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2196-0216 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The research described in this article has not been supported by the Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency of the European Commission. The views expressed in this article have not been adopted or in any way approved by the European Commission and do not constitute a statement of the European Commission & apos;s views.r S. Hoekx was supported by Research Foundation Flanders (FWO 1S42623N). The authors would like to thank Prof. Dr. Christophe Vande Velde, University of Antwerp, for the XRD analysis. Approved Most recent IF: 4; 2023 IF: 4.136  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199210 Serial 8941  
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Author Jenkinson, K.; Spadaro, M.C.; Golovanova, V.; Andreu, T.; Morante, J.R.; Arbiol, J.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Direct operando visualization of metal support interactions induced by hydrogen spillover during CO₂ hydrogenation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Advanced materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 35 Issue 51 Pages 2306447-10  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The understanding of catalyst active sites is a fundamental challenge for the future rational design of optimized and bespoke catalysts. For instance, the partial reduction of Ce4+ surface sites to Ce3+ and the formation of oxygen vacancies are critical for CO2 hydrogenation, CO oxidation, and the water gas shift reaction. Furthermore, metal nanoparticles, the reducible support, and metal support interactions are prone to evolve under reaction conditions; therefore a catalyst structure must be characterized under operando conditions to identify active states and deduce structure-activity relationships. In the present work, temperature-induced morphological and chemical changes in Ni nanoparticle-decorated mesoporous CeO2 by means of in situ quantitative multimode electron tomography and in situ heating electron energy loss spectroscopy, respectively, are investigated. Moreover, operando electron energy loss spectroscopy is employed using a windowed gas cell and reveals the role of Ni-induced hydrogen spillover on active Ce3+ site formation and enhancement of the overall catalytic performance.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001106139400001 Publication Date 2023-10-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0935-9648 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:201143 Serial 9022  
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Author Manzaneda-Gonzalez, V.; Jenkinson, K.; Pena-Rodriguez, O.; Borrell-Grueiro, O.; Trivino-Sanchez, S.; Banares, L.; Junquera, E.; Espinosa, A.; Gonzalez-Rubio, G.; Bals, S.; Guerrero-Martinez, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title From multi- to single-hollow trimetallic nanocrystals by ultrafast heating Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 35 Issue 22 Pages 9603-9612  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Metal nanocrystals (NCs) display unique physicochemical features that are highly dependent on nanoparticle dimensions, anisotropy, structure, and composition. The development of synthesis methodologies that allow us to tune such parameters finely emerges as crucial for the application of metal NCs in catalysis, optical materials, or biomedicine. Here, we describe a synthetic methodology to fabricate hollow multimetallic heterostructures using a combination of seed-mediated growth routes and femtosecond-pulsed laser irradiation. The envisaged methodology relies on the coreduction of Ag and Pd ions on gold nanorods (Au NRs) to form Au@PdAg core-shell nanostructures containing small cavities at the Au-PdAg interface. The excitation of Au@PdAg NRs with low fluence femtosecond pulses was employed to induce the coalescence and growth of large cavities, forming multihollow anisotropic Au@PdAg nanostructures. Moreover, single-hollow alloy AuPdAg could be achieved in high yield by increasing the irradiation energy. Advanced electron microscopy techniques, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) tomography, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, and finite differences in the time domain (FDTD) simulations allowed us to characterize the morphology, structure, and elemental distribution of the irradiated NCs in detail. The ability of the reported synthesis route to fabricate multimetallic NCs with unprecedented hollow nanostructures offers attractive prospects for the fabrication of tailored high-entropy alloy nanoparticles.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001110623500001 Publication Date 2023-11-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756; 1520-5002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:202144 Serial 9040  
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Author Van den Hoek, J.; Daems, N.; Arnouts, S.; Hoekx, S.; Bals, S.; Breugelmans, T. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Improving stability of CO₂ electroreduction by incorporating Ag NPs in N-doped ordered mesoporous carbon structures Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2024 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 16 Issue 6 Pages 6931-6947  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract The electroreduction of carbon dioxide (eCO2RR) to CO using Ag nanoparticles as an electrocatalyst is promising as an industrial carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technique to mitigate CO2 emissions. Nevertheless, the long-term stability of these Ag nanoparticles has been insufficient despite initial high Faradaic efficiencies and/or partial current densities. To improve the stability, we evaluated an up-scalable and easily tunable synthesis route to deposit low-weight percentages of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on and into the framework of a nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (NOMC) structure. By exploiting this so-called nanoparticle confinement strategy, the nanoparticle mobility under operation is strongly reduced. As a result, particle detachment and agglomeration, two of the most pronounced electrocatalytic degradation mechanisms, are (partially) blocked and catalyst durability is improved. Several synthesis parameters, such as the anchoring agent, the weight percentage of Ag NPs, and the type of carbonaceous support material, were modified in a controlled manner to evaluate their respective impact on the overall electrochemical performance, with a strong emphasis on operational stability. The resulting powders were evaluated through electrochemical and physicochemical characterization methods, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2-physisorption, Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), SEM-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), STEM-EDS, electron tomography, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optimized Ag/soft-NOMC catalysts showed both a promising selectivity (∼80%) and stability compared with commercial Ag NPs while decreasing the loading of the transition metal by more than 50%. The stability of both the 5 and 10 wt % Ag/soft-NOMC catalysts showed considerable improvements by anchoring the Ag NPs on and into a NOMC framework, resulting in a 267% improvement in CO selectivity after 72 h (despite initial losses) compared to commercial Ag NPs. These results demonstrate the promising strategy of anchoring Ag NPs to improve the CO selectivity during prolonged experiments due to the reduced mobility of the Ag NPs and thus enhanced stability.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2023-12-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:202309 Serial 9045  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Hugenschmidt, M.; Jannis, D.; Kadu, A.A.; Grünewald, L.; De Marchi, S.; Perez-Juste, J.; Verbeeck, J.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Low-dose 4D-STEM tomography for beam-sensitive nanocomposites Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS materials letters Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 6 Issue 1 Pages 165-173  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Electron tomography is essential for investigating the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nanomaterials. However, many of these materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are extremely sensitive to electron radiation, making it difficult to acquire a series of projection images for electron tomography without inducing electron-beam damage. Another significant challenge is the high contrast in high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy that can be expected for nanocomposites composed of a metal nanoparticle and an MOF. This strong contrast leads to so-called metal artifacts in the 3D reconstruction. To overcome these limitations, we here present low-dose electron tomography based on four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) data sets, collected using an ultrafast and highly sensitive direct electron detector. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate the applicability of the method for an Au nanostar embedded in a ZIF-8 MOF, which is of great interest for applications in various fields, including drug delivery.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001141178500001 Publication Date 2023-12-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2639-4979 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (Grant 815128 REALNANO to S.B., Grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A.). J.P.-J. and S.M. acknowledge financial support from the MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (Grants No. PID2019-108954RB-I00) and EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 883390 (SERSing). J.V., S.B., S.V.A., and L.G. acknowledge funding from the Flemish government (iBOF-21-085 PERsist). Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:202771 Serial 9053  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Johnson, G.; Yang, M.Y.; Liu, C.; Zhou, H.; Zuo, X.; Dickie, D.A.; Wang, S.; Gao, W.; Anaclet, B.; Perras, F.A.; Ma, F.; Zeng, C.; Wang, D.; Bals, S.; Dai, S.; Xu, Z.; Liu, G.; Goddard III, W.A.; Zhang, S. doi  openurl
  Title Nanocluster superstructures assembled via surface ligand switching at high temperature Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Nature synthesis Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 2 Issue 9 Pages 828-837  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Superstructures with nanoscale building blocks, when coupled with precise control of the constituent units, open opportunities in rationally designing and manufacturing desired functional materials. Yet, synthetic strategies for the large-scale production of superstructures are scarce. We report a scalable and generalized approach to synthesizing superstructures assembled from atomically precise Ce24O28(OH)8 and other rare-earth metal-oxide nanoclusters alongside a detailed description of the self-assembly mechanism. Combining operando small-angle X-ray scattering, ex situ molecular and structural characterizations, and molecular dynamics simulations indicates that a high-temperature ligand-switching mechanism, from oleate to benzoate, governs the formation of the nanocluster assembly. The chemical tuning of surface ligands controls superstructure disassembly and reassembly, and furthermore, enables the synthesis of multicomponent superstructures. This synthetic approach, and the accurate mechanistic understanding, are promising for the preparation of superstructures for use in electronics, plasmonics, magnetics and catalysis. Synthesizing superstructures with precisely controlled nanoscale building blocks is challenging. Here the assembly of superstructures is reported from atomically precise Ce24O28(OH)8 and other rare-earth metal-oxide nanoclusters and their multicomponent combinations. A high-temperature ligand-switching mechanism controls the self-assembly.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001124824000001 Publication Date 2023-05-01  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:202180 Serial 9060  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Grünewald, L.; Chezganov, D.; De Meyer, R.; Orekhov, A.; Van Aert, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Bals, S.; Verbeeck, J. doi  openurl
  Title Supplementary Information for “In-situ Plasma Studies using a Direct Current Microplasma in a Scanning Electron Microscope” Type Dataset
  Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords Dataset; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Supplementary information for the article “In-situ Plasma Studies using a Direct Current Microplasma in a Scanning Electron Microscope” containing the videos of in-situ SEM imaging (mp4 files), raw data/images, and Jupyter notebooks (ipynb files) for data treatment and plots. Link to the preprint: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2308.15123 Explanation of the data files can be found in the Information.pdf file. The Videos folder contains the in-situ SEM image series mentioned in the paper. If there are any questions/bugs, feel free to contact me at lukas.grunewaldatuantwerpen.be  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:203389 Serial 9100  
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