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	Author	Faraji, F.; Neek-Amal, M.; Neyts, E.C.; Peeters, F.M.
	Title	Indentation of graphene nano-bubbles			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2022	Publication	Nanoscale	Abbreviated Journal	Nanoscale
	Volume	14	Issue	15	Pages	5876-5883
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the effect of an AFM tip when indenting graphene nano bubbles filled by a noble gas (i.e. He, Ne and Ar) up to the breaking point. The failure points resemble those of viral shells as described by the Foppl-von Karman (FvK) dimensionless number defined in the context of elasticity theory of thin shells. At room temperature, He gas inside the bubbles is found to be in the liquid state while Ne and Ar atoms are in the solid state although the pressure inside the nano bubble is below the melting pressure of the bulk. The trapped gases are under higher hydrostatic pressure at low temperatures than at room temperature.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000776763000001	Publication Date	2022-03-30
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2040-3364; 2040-3372	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	6.7	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 6.7
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:187924			Serial	7171
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Cui, Z.; Meng, S.; Yi, Y.; Jafarzadeh, A.; Li, S.; Neyts, E.C.; Hao, Y.; Li, L.; Zhang, X.; Wang, X.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	Plasma-catalytic methanol synthesis from CO₂ hydrogenation over a supported Cu cluster catalyst : insights into the reaction mechanism			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2022	Publication	Acs Catalysis	Abbreviated Journal	Acs Catal
	Volume	12	Issue	2	Pages	1326-1337
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Plasma-catalytic CO, hydrogenation for methanol production is gaining increasing interest, but our understanding of its reaction mechanism remains primitive. We present a combined experimental/computational study on plasma-catalytic CO, hydrogenation to CH3OH over a size-selected Cu/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst. Our experiments demonstrate a synergistic effect between the Cu/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst and the CO2/H-2 plasma, achieving a CO2 conversion of 10% at 4 wt % Cu loading and a CH3OH selectivity near 50% further rising to 65% with H2O addition (for a H2O/CO2 ratio of 1). Furthermore, the energy consumption for CH3OH production was more than 20 times lower than with plasma only. We carried out density functional theory calculations over a Cu-13/gamma-Al2O3 model, which reveal that the interfacial sites of the Cu-13 cluster and gamma-Al2O3 support show a bifunctional effect: they not only activate the CO2 molecules but also strongly adsorb key intermediates to promote their hydrogenation further. Reactive plasma species can regulate the catalyst surface reactions via the Eley-Rideal (E-R) mechanism, which accelerates the hydrogenation process and promotes the generation of the key intermediates. H2O can promote the CH3OH desorption by competitive adsorption over the Cu-13/gamma-Al2O3 surface. This study provides new insights into CO2 hydrogenation through plasma catalysis, and it provides inspiration for the conversion of some other small molecules (CH4, N-2, CO, etc.) by plasma catalysis using supported-metal clusters.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000742735600001	Publication Date	2022-01-07
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2155-5435	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	12.9	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 12.9
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:186416			Serial	7192
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Kovács, A.; Yusupov, M.; Cornet, I.; Billen, P.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Effect of natural deep eutectic solvents of non-eutectic compositions on enzyme stability			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2022	Publication	Journal Of Molecular Liquids	Abbreviated Journal	J Mol Liq
	Volume	366	Issue		Pages	120180-17
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering (BioWaVE); Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS)
	Abstract	Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) represent a green alternative to common organic solvents in the biochemical industry due to their benign behavior and tailorable properties, in particular as media for enzymatic reactions. However, to fully exploit their potential in enzymatic reactions, there is a need for a more fundamental understanding of how these neoteric solvents influence the course of these reac-tions. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the influence of NADES with various molar composi-tions on the stability and structure of enzymes, applying molecular dynamics simulations. This can help to better understand the effect of individual compounds of NADES, in addition to eutectic mixtures. More specifically, we simulate the behavior of Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) enzyme in NADES com-posed of choline chloride with either urea, ethylene glycol or glycerol. Hereto, we monitor the NADES microstructure, the general stability of the enzyme and changes in the structure of its active sites and sur-face residues. Our simulations show that none of the studied NADES systems significantly disrupt the microstructure of the solvent or the stability of the CALB enzyme within the time scales of the simula-tions. The enzyme preserves its initial structure, size and intra-chain hydrogen bonds in all investigated compositions and, for the first time reported, also in NADES with increased hydrogen bond donating com-pound ratios. As the main novelty, our results indicate that, in addition to the composition, the molar ratio can be an additional variable to fine-tune the physicochemical properties of NADES without altering the enzyme characteristics. These findings could facilitate the development and application of task -tailored NADES media for biocatalytic processes. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000865431800010	Publication Date	2022-08-25
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0167-7322	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor	6	Times cited		Open Access	Not_Open_Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 6
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:191538			Serial	7265
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Extending and validating bubble nucleation rate predictions in a Lennard-Jones fluid with enhanced sampling methods and transition state theory			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2022	Publication	Journal Of Chemical Physics	Abbreviated Journal	J Chem Phys
	Volume	157	Issue	18	Pages	184113-10
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	We calculate bubble nucleation rates in a Lennard-Jones fluid through explicit molecular dynamics simulations. Our approach-based on a recent free energy method (dubbed reweighted Jarzynski sampling), transition state theory, and a simple recrossing correction-allows us to probe a fairly wide range of rates in several superheated and cavitation regimes in a consistent manner. Rate predictions from this approach bridge disparate independent literature studies on the same model system. As such, we find that rate predictions based on classical nucleation theory, direct brute force molecular dynamics simulations, and seeding are consistent with our approach and one another. Published rates derived from forward flux sampling simulations are, however, found to be outliers. This study serves two purposes: First, we validate the reliability of common modeling techniques and extrapolation approaches on a paradigmatic problem in materials science and chemical physics. Second, we further test our highly generic recipe for rate calculations, and establish its applicability to nucleation processes.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000885260600002	Publication Date	2022-11-14
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0021-9606	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	4.4	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 4.4
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:192076			Serial	7266
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Nematollahi, P.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Identification of a unique pyridinic FeN₄C_x electrocatalyst for N₂ reduction : tailoring the coordination and carbon topologies			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2022	Publication	Journal Of Physical Chemistry C	Abbreviated Journal	J Phys Chem C
	Volume	126	Issue	34	Pages	14460-14469
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Although the heterogeneity of pyrolyzed Fe???N???C materials is known and has been reported previously, the atomic structure of the active sites and their detailed reaction mechanisms are still unknown. Here, we identified two pyridinic Fe???N4-like centers with different local C coordinates, i.e., FeN4C8 and FeN4C10, and studied their electrocatalytic activity for the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We also discovered the influence of the adsorption of NH2 as a functional ligand on catalyst performance on the NRR. We confirmed that the NRR selectivity of the studied catalysts is essentially governed either by the local C coordination or by the dynamic structure associated with the FeII/FeIII. Our investigations indicate that the proposed traditional pyridinic FeN4C10 has higher catalytic activity and selectivity for the NRR than the robust FeN4C8 catalyst, while it may have outstanding activity for promoting other (electro)catalytic reactions. <comment>Superscript/Subscript Available</comment
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000859545200001	Publication Date	2022-08-17
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1932-7447; 1932-7455	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor	3.7	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 3.7
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:191469			Serial	7268
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Surmenev, R.A.; Grubova, I.Y.; Neyts, E.; Teresov, A.D.; Koval, N.N.; Epple, M.; Tyurin, A.I.; Pichugin, V.F.; Chaikina, M.V.; Surmeneva, M.A.
	Title	Ab initio calculations and a scratch test study of RF-magnetron sputter deposited hydroxyapatite and silicon-containing hydroxyapatite coatings			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2020	Publication	Surfaces and interfaces	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	21	Issue		Pages
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	A crucial property for implants is their biocompatibility. To ensure biocompatibility, thin coatings of hydroxyapatite (HA) are deposited on the actual implant. In this study, we investigate the effects of the addition of silicate anions to the structure of hydroxyapatite coatings on their adhesion strength via a scratch test and ab initio calculations. We find that both the grain size and adhesion strength decrease with the increase in the silicon content in the HA coating (SiHA). The increase in the silicon content to 1.2 % in the HA coating leads to a decrease in the average crystallite size from 28 to 21 nm, and in the case of 4.6 %, it leads to the formation of an amorphous or nanocrystalline film. The decreases in the grain and crystallite sizes lead to peeling and destruction of the coating from the titanium substrate at lower loads. Further, our ab initio simulations demonstrate an increased number of molecular bonds at the amorphous SiHA-TiO2 interface. However, the experimental results revealed that the structure and grain size have more pronounced effects on the adhesion strength of the coatings. In conclusion, based on the results of the ab initio simulations and the experimental results, we suggest that the presence of Si in the form of silicate ions in the HA coating has a significant impact on the structure, grain size, and number of molecular bonds at the interface and on the adhesion strength of the SiHA coating to the titanium substrate.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000697616300009	Publication Date	2020-10-02
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2468-0230	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	6.2	Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 6.2; 2020 IF: NA
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:181685			Serial	7400
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Faraji, F.; Neek-Amal, M.; Neyts, E.C.; Peeters, F.M.
	Title	Cation-controlled permeation of charged polymers through nanocapillaries			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Physical review E	Abbreviated Journal	Phys Rev E
	Volume	107	Issue	3	Pages	034501-34510
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the effects of different cations on the permeation of charged polymers through flat capillaries with heights below 2 nm. Interestingly, we found that, despite being monovalent, Li+ , Na+ , and K+ cations have different effects on polymer permeation, which consequently affects their transmission speed throughout those capillaries. We attribute this phenomenon to the interplay of the cations' hydration free energies and the hydrodynamic drag in front of the polymer when it enters the capillary. Different alkali cations exhibit different surface versus bulk preferences in small clusters of water under the influence of an external electric field. This paper presents a tool to control the speed of charged polymers in confined spaces using cations.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000955986000006	Publication Date	2023-03-17
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2470-0053	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	2.4	Times cited		Open Access	Not_Open_Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 2.4; 2023 IF: 2.366
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:196089			Serial	7586
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Van de Sompel, P.; Khalilov, U.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Contrasting H-etching to OH-etching in plasma-assisted nucleation of carbon nanotubes			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2021	Publication	Journal Of Physical Chemistry C	Abbreviated Journal	J Phys Chem C
	Volume	125	Issue	14	Pages	7849-7855
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	To gain full control over the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a thorough understanding of the underlying plasma-catalyst mechanisms is required. Oxygen-containing species are often used as or added to the growth precursor gas, but these species also yield various radicals and ions, which may simultaneously etch the CNT during the growth. At present, the effect of these reactive species on the growth onset has not yet been thoroughly investigated. We here report on the etching mechanism of incipient CNT structures from OH and O radicals as derived from combined (reactive) molecular dynamics (MD) and force-bias Monte Carlo (tfMC) simulations. Our results indicate that the oxygen-containing radicals initiate a dissociation process. In particular, we show how the oxygen species weaken the interaction between the CNT and the nanocluster. As a result of this weakened interaction, the CNT closes off and dissociates from the cluster in the form of a fullerene. Beyond the specific systems studied in this work, these results are generically important in the context of PECVD-based growth of CNTs using oxygen-containing precursors.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000641307100032	Publication Date	2021-04-06
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1932-7447; 1932-7455	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor	4.536	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 4.536
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:178393			Serial	7729
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Nematollahi, P.; Ma, H.; Schneider, W.F.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	DFT and microkinetic comparison of ru-doped porphyrin-like graphene and nanotubes toward catalytic formic acid decomposition and formation			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2021	Publication	Journal Of Physical Chemistry C	Abbreviated Journal	J Phys Chem C
	Volume	125	Issue	34	Pages	18673-18683
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Immobilization of single metal atoms on a solid host opens numerous possibilities for catalyst designs. If that host is a two-dimensional sheet, sheet curvature becomes a design parameter potentially complementary to host and metal composition. Here, we use a combination of density functional theory calculations and microkinetic modeling to compare the mechanisms and kinetics of formic acid decomposition and formation, chosen for their relevance as a potential hydrogen storage medium, over single Ru atoms anchored to pyridinic nitrogen in a planar graphene flake (RuN4-G) and curved carbon nanotube (RuN4-CNT). Activation barriers are lowered and the predicted turnover frequencies are increased over RuN4-CNT relative to RuN4-CNT. The results highlight the potential of curvature control as a means to achieve high performance and robust catalysts.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000693413400013	Publication Date	2021-08-22
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1932-7447; 1932-7455	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	4.536	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 4.536
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:181538			Serial	7805
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Chernozem, R., V; Romanyuk, K.N.; Grubova, I.; Chernozem, P., V.; Surmeneva, M.A.; Mukhortova, Y.R.; Wilhelm, M.; Ludwig, T.; Mathur, S.; Kholkin, A.L.; Neyts, E.; Parakhonskiy, B.; Skirtach, A.G.; Surmenev, R.A.
	Title	Enhanced piezoresponse and surface electric potential of hybrid biodegradable polyhydroxybutyrate scaffolds functionalized with reduced graphene oxide for tissue engineering			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2021	Publication	Nano Energy	Abbreviated Journal	Nano Energy
	Volume	89	Issue	B	Pages	106473
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Piezoelectricity is considered to be one of the key functionalities in biomaterials to boost bone tissue regeneration, however, integrating biocompatibility, biodegradability and 3D structure with pronounced piezoresponse remains a material challenge. Herein, novel hybrid biocompatible 3D scaffolds based on biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) flakes have been developed. Nanoscale insights revealed a more homogenous distribution and superior surface potential values of PHB fibers (33 +/- 29 mV) with increasing rGO content up to 1.0 wt% (314 +/- 31 mV). The maximum effective piezoresponse was detected at 0.7 wt% rGO content, demonstrating 2.5 and 1.7 times higher out-of-plane and in-plane values, respectively, than that for pure PHB fibers. The rGO addition led to enhanced zigzag chain formation between paired lamellae in PHB fibers. In contrast, a further increase in rGO content reduced the alpha-crystal size and prevented zigzag chain conformation. A corresponding model explaining structural and molecular changes caused by rGO addition in electrospun PHB fibers is proposed. In addition, finite element analysis revealed a negligible vertical piezoresponse compared to lateral piezoresponse in uniaxially oriented PHB fibers based on alpha-phase (P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group). Thus, the present study demonstrates promising results for the development of biodegradable hybrid 3D scaffolds with an enhanced piezoresponse for various tissue engineering applications.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000703592700002	Publication Date	2021-08-31
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2211-2855	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	12.343	Times cited		Open Access	Not_Open_Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 12.343
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:182579			Serial	7914
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Nematollahi, P.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Linking bi-metal distribution patterns in porous carbon nitride fullerene to its catalytic activity toward gas adsorption			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2021	Publication	Nanomaterials	Abbreviated Journal	Nanomaterials-Basel
	Volume	11	Issue	7	Pages	1794
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Immobilization of two single transition metal (TM) atoms on a substrate host opens numerous possibilities for catalyst design. If the substrate contains more than one vacancy site, the combination of TMs along with their distribution patterns becomes a design parameter potentially complementary to the substrate itself and the bi-metal composition. By means of DFT calculations, we modeled three dissimilar bi-metal atoms (Ti, Mn, and Cu) doped into the six porphyrin-like cavities of porous C24N24 fullerene, considering different bi-metal distribution patterns for each binary complex, viz. TixCuz@C24N24, TixMny@C24N24, and MnyCuz@C24N24 (with x, y, z = 0-6). We elucidate whether controlling the distribution of bi-metal atoms into the C24N24 cavities can alter their catalytic activity toward CO2, NO2, H-2, and N-2 gas capture. Interestingly, Ti2Mn4@C24N24 and Ti2Cu4@C24N24 complexes showed the highest activity and selectively toward gas capture. Our findings provide useful information for further design of novel few-atom carbon-nitride-based catalysts.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000676140500001	Publication Date	2021-07-09
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2079-4991	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	3.553	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 3.553
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:180372			Serial	8174
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	Author	Kovács, A.; Janssens, N.; Mielants, M.; Cornet, I.; Neyts, E.C.; Billen, P.
	Title	Biocatalyzed vinyl laurate transesterification in natural deep eutectic solvents			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Waste and biomass valorization	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume		Issue		Pages	1-12
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering (BioWaVE); Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS)
	Abstract	Purpose Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) represent a green alternative to conventional organic solvents as reaction medium, offering more benign properties. To efficiently design NADES for biocatalysis, a better understanding of their effect on these reactions is needed. We hypothesize that this effect can be described by separately considering (1) the solvent interactions with the substrates, (2) the solvent viscosities and (3) the enzyme stability in NADES. Methods We investigated the effect of substrate solvation and viscosity on the reaction rate; and the stability of the enzyme in NADES. To this end, we monitored the conversion over time of the transesterification of vinyl laurate with 1- butanol by the lipase enzyme Candida antarctica B in NADES of different compounds and molar ratios. Results The initial reaction rate is higher in most NADES ( varying between 1.14 and 15.07 mu mol min(-1) mg(-1)) than in the reference n-hexane (4.0 mu mol min(-1) mg(-1))), but no clear relationship between viscosity and initial reaction rate was found. The increased reaction rate is most likely related to the solvation of the substrate due to a change in the activation energy of the reaction or a change in the conformation of the substrate. The enzyme retained part of its activity after the first 2 h of reaction (on average 20 % of the substrate reacted in the 2-24 h period). Enzyme incubation in ethylene glycol-based NADES resulted in a reduced reaction rate ( 15.07 vs. 3.34 mu mol min(-1) mg(-1)), but this may also be due to slow dissolution of the substrate. Conclusions The effect of viscosity seems to be marginal next to the effect of solvation and possible enzyme-NADES interaction. The enzyme retains some of its activity during the 24-hour measurements, but the enzyme incubation experiments did not yield accurate, comparable values. [GRAPHICS] .
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001117290800003	Publication Date	2023-12-07
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1877-2641; 1877-265x	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor		Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:202709			Serial	9005
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Khalilov, U.; Uljayev, U.; Mehmonov, K.; Nematollahi, P.; Yusupov, M.; Neyts, E.C.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Can endohedral transition metals enhance hydrogen storage in carbon nanotubes?			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2024	Publication	International journal of hydrogen energy	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	55	Issue		Pages	640-610
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Modelling and Simulation in Chemistry (MOSAIC); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	The safe and efficient use of hydrogen energy, which is in high demand worldwide today, requires efficient hydrogen storage. Despite significant advances in hydrogen storage using carbon-based nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), efforts to substantially increase the storage capacity remain less effective. In this work, we demonstrate the effect of endohedral transition metal atoms on the hydrogen storage capacity of CNTs using reactive molecular dynamics simulations. We find that an increase in the volume fraction of endohedral nickel atoms leads to an increase in the concentration of physisorbed hydrogen molecules around single-walled CNTs (SWNTs) by approximately 1.6 times compared to pure SWNTs. The obtained results provide insight into the underlying mechanisms of how endohedral transition metal atoms enhance the hydrogen storage ability of SWNTs under nearly ambient conditions.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001142427400001	Publication Date	2023-11-24
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0360-3199	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor		Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:202315			Serial	9006
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Grubova, I.Y.; Surmenev, R.A.; Neyts, E.C.; Koptyug, A.V.; Volkova, A.P.; Surmeneva, M.A.
	Title	Combined first-principles and experimental study on the microstructure and mechanical characteristics of the multicomponent additive-manufactured Ti-35Nb-7Zr-5Ta alloy			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	ACS Omega	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	8	Issue	30	Pages	27519-27533
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	New & beta;-stabilizedTi-based alloys are highly promising forbone implants, thanks in part to their low elasticity. The natureof this elasticity, however, is as yet unknown. We here present combinedfirst-principles DFT calculations and experiments on the microstructure,structural stability, mechanical characteristics, and electronic structureto elucidate this origin. Our results suggest that the studied & beta;Ti-35Nb-7Zr-5Ta wt % (TNZT) alloy manufacturedby the electron-beam powder bed fusion (E-PBF) method has homogeneousmechanical properties (H = 2.01 & PLUSMN; 0.22 GPa and E = 69.48 & PLUSMN; 0.03 GPa) along the building direction,which is dictated by the crystallographic texture and microstructuremorphologies. The analysis of the structural and electronic properties,as the main factors dominating the chemical bonding mechanism, indicatesthat TNZT has a mixture of strong metallic and weak covalent bonding.Our calculations demonstrate that the softening in the Cauchy pressure(C & PRIME; = 98.00 GPa) and elastic constant C ̅ ( 44 ) = 23.84 GPa is the originof the low elasticity of TNZT. Moreover, the nature of this softeningphenomenon can be related to the weakness of the second and thirdneighbor bonds in comparison with the first neighbor bonds in theTNZT. Thus, the obtained results indicate that a carefully designedTNZT alloy can be an excellent candidate for the manufacturing oforthopedic internal fixation devices. In addition, the current findingscan be used as guidance not only for predicting the mechanical propertiesbut also the nature of elastic characteristics of the newly developedalloys with yet unknown properties.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001031269000001	Publication Date	2023-07-18
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2470-1343	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor		Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:198313			Serial	9011
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Cassimon, J.; Kovács, A.; Neyts, E.; Cornet, I.; Billen, P.
	Title	Deacetylation of mannosylerythritol lipids in hydrophobic natural deep eutectic solvents			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	European journal of organic chemistry	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	27	Issue	5	Pages	e202300934-10
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Biochemical Wastewater Valorization & Engineering (BioWaVE); Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS)
	Abstract	Mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) are a promising group of biosurfactants due to their high fermentation yield, selfassembly and biological activity. During fermentation by Pseudozyma aphidis, a mixture of MELs with different levels of acylation is formed, of which the fully deacetylated form is the most valuable. In order to reduce the environmental impact of deacetylation, an enzymatic process using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) has been developed. We tested the deacetylation of a purified MELs mixture with immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B enzyme and 2-ethylhexanol as co-substrate in 140 h reactions with different NADES. We identified hydrophobic NADES systems with similar yields and kinetics as in pure 2-ethylhexanol solvent. Our results indicate that deacetylation of MELs mixtures in NADES as a solvent is possible with yields comparable to pure co-substrate and that hydrophobic NADES without carboxylic acid compounds facilitate the reaction to the greatest extent.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos		Publication Date	2023-12-12
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1434-193x; 1099-0690	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record
	Impact Factor		Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:201382			Serial	9017
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	Author	Mortet, V.; Zhang, L.; Eckert, M.; D'Haen, J.; Soltani, A.; Moreau, M.; Troadec, D.; Neyts, E.; De Jaeger, J.C.; Verbeeck, J.; Bogaerts, A.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Haenen, K.; Wagner, P.
	Title	Grain size tuning of nanocrystalline chemical vapor deposited diamond by continuous electrical bias growth : experimental and theoretical study			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2012	Publication	Physica status solidi : A : applications and materials science	Abbreviated Journal	Phys Status Solidi A
	Volume	209	Issue	9	Pages	1675-1682
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	In this work, a detailed structural and spectroscopic study of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin films grown by a continuous bias assisted CVD growth technique is reported. This technique allows the tuning of grain size and phase purity in the deposited material. The crystalline properties of the films are characterized by SEM, TEM, EELS, and Raman spectroscopy. A clear improvement of the crystalline structure of the nanograined diamond film is observed for low negative bias voltages, while high bias voltages lead to thin films consisting of diamond grains of only ∼10 nm nanometer in size, showing remarkable similarities with so-called ultrananocrystalline diamond. These layers arecharacterized by an increasing amount of sp2-bonded carbon content of the matrix in which the diamond grains are embedded. Classical molecular dynamics simulations support the observed experimental data, giving insight in the underlying mechanism for the observed increase in deposition rate with bias voltage. Furthermore, a high atomic concentration of hydrogen has been determined in these films. Finally, Raman scattering analyses confirm that the Raman line observed at ∼1150 cm−1 cannot be attributed to trans-poly-acetylene, which continues to be reported in literature, reassigning it to a deformation mode of CHx bonds in NCD.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000308942100009	Publication Date	2012-09-04
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1862-6300;	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	1.775	Times cited	31	Open Access
	Notes	M.E. and E.N. acknowledge financial support from, respectively, the Institute for Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT), and the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). J.V. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the GOA project “XANES meets ELNES” of the research fund of the University of Antwerp. Calculation support was provided by the University of Antwerp through the core facility CALCUA. G.V.T. acknowledges the ERC grant COUNTATOMS. The work was also financially supported by the joint UAUHasseltMethusalem “NANO” network, the Research Programs G.0068.07 and G.0555.10N of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO), the IAP-P6/42 project “Quantum Effects in Clusters and Nanowires”, and by the EU FP7 through the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative “ESMI” (No. 262348), the Marie Curie ITN “MATCON” (PITN-GA-2009-238201), and the Collaborative Project “DINAMO” (No. 245122).			Approved	Most recent IF: 1.775; 2012 IF: 1.469
	Call Number	UA @ lucian @ c:irua:101516UA @ admin @ c:irua:101516			Serial	1364
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	Author	Verlackt, C.C.W.; Neyts, E.C.; Jacob, T.; Fantauzzi, D.; Golkaram, M.; Shin, Y.-K.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	Atomic-scale insight into the interactions between hydroxyl radicals and DNA in solution using the ReaxFF reactive force field			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2015	Publication	New journal of physics	Abbreviated Journal	New J Phys
	Volume	17	Issue	17	Pages	103005
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Cold atmospheric pressure plasmas have proven to provide an alternative treatment of cancer by targeting tumorous cells while leaving their healthy counterparts unharmed. However, the underlying mechanisms of the plasma–cell interactions are not yet fully understood. Reactive oxygen species, and in particular hydroxyl radicals (OH), are known to play a crucial role in plasma driven apoptosis of malignant cells. In this paper we investigate the interaction of OH radicals, as well as H2O2 molecules and HO2 radicals, with DNA by means of reactive molecular dynamics simulations using the ReaxFF force field. Our results provide atomic-scale insight into the dynamics of oxidative stress on DNA caused by the OH radicals, while H2O2 molecules appear not reactive within the considered timescale. Among the observed processes are the formation of 8-OH-adduct radicals, forming the first stages towards the formation of 8-oxoGua and 8-oxoAde, H-abstraction reactions of the amines, and the partial opening of loose DNA ends in aqueous solution.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000367328100001	Publication Date	2015-10-02
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1367-2630;	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	3.786	Times cited	18	Open Access
	Notes	CCWV,ECN and AB acknowledge the contribution of J Van Beeck who is investigating the interaction between H2O2 andDNAusingrMDsimulations. Furthermore, they acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research—Flanders (project number G012413N). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPCinfrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the Universiteit Antwerpen. TJ and DF gratefully acknowledge support from the European Research Council through the ERC-Starting GrantTHEOFUN(Grant Agreement No. 259608).			Approved	Most recent IF: 3.786; 2015 IF: 3.558
	Call Number	c:irua:129178			Serial	3955
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	Author	Engelmann, Y.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Thermodynamics at the nanoscale : phase diagrams of nickel-carbon nanoclusters and equilibrium constants for face transitions			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2014	Publication	Nanoscale	Abbreviated Journal	Nanoscale
	Volume	6	Issue		Pages	11981-11987
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; PLASMANT
	Abstract	Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations, the melting behavior of nickelcarbon nanoclusters is examined. The phase diagrams of icosahedral and Wulff polyhedron clusters are determined using both the Lindemann index and the potential energy. Formulae are derived for calculating the equilibrium constants and the solid and liquid fractions during a phase transition, allowing more rational determination of the melting temperature with respect to the arbitrary Lindemann value. These results give more insight into the properties of nickelcarbon nanoclusters in general and can specifically be very useful for a better understanding of the synthesis of carbon nanotubes using the catalytic chemical vapor deposition method.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication	Cambridge	Editor
	Language		Wos	000343000800049	Publication Date	2014-07-24
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2040-3364;2040-3372;	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	7.367	Times cited	20	Open Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 7.367; 2014 IF: 7.394
	Call Number	UA @ lucian @ c:irua:119408			Serial	3636
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	Author	Zhang, Y.-R.; Van Laer, K.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	Can plasma be formed in catalyst pores? A modeling investigation			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2016	Publication	Applied catalysis : B : environmental	Abbreviated Journal	Appl Catal B-Environ
	Volume	185	Issue	185	Pages	56-67
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	tWe investigate microdischarge formation inside catalyst pores by a two-dimensional fluid model forvarious pore sizes in the m-range and for various applied voltages. Indeed, this is a poorly understoodphenomenon in plasma catalysis. The calculations are performed for a dielectric barrier discharge inhelium, at atmospheric pressure. The electron and ion densities, electron temperature, electric field andpotential, as well as the electron impact ionization and excitation rate and the densities of excited plasmaspecies, are examined for a better understanding of the characteristics of the plasma inside a pore. Theresults indicate that the pore size and the applied voltage are critical parameters for the formation of amicrodischarge inside a pore. At an applied voltage of 20 kV, our calculations reveal that the ionizationmainly takes place inside the pore, and the electron density shows a significant increase near and inthe pore for pore sizes larger than 200m, whereas the effect of the pore on the total ion density isevident even for 10m pores. When the pore size is fixed at 30m, the presence of the pore has nosignificant influence on the plasma properties at an applied voltage of 2 kV. Upon increasing the voltage,the ionization process is enhanced due to the strong electric field and high electron temperature, andthe ion density shows a remarkable increase near and in the pore for voltages above 10 kV. These resultsindicate that the plasma species can be formed inside pores of structured catalysts (in the m range),and they may interact with the catalyst surface, and affect the plasma catalytic process.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000369452000006	Publication Date	2015-12-11
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0926-3373	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	9.446	Times cited	75	Open Access
	Notes	This work was supported by the Fund for Scientific ResearchFlanders (FWO) (Grant no. G.0217.14N), the National Natural Sci-ence Foundation of China (Grant no. 11405019), and the ChinaPostdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant no. 2015T80244). Theauthors are very grateful to V. Meynen for the useful discussions oncatalysts. This work was carried out in part using the Turing HPCinfrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwer-pen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, fundedby the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (departmentEWI) and the University of Antwerp.			Approved	Most recent IF: 9.446
	Call Number	c:irua:129808			Serial	3984
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	Author	Bogaerts, A.; Khosravian, N.; Van der Paal, J.; Verlackt, C.C.W.; Yusupov, M.; Kamaraj, B.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Multi-level molecular modelling for plasma medicine			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2016	Publication	Journal of physics: D: applied physics	Abbreviated Journal	J Phys D Appl Phys
	Volume	49	Issue	49	Pages	054002
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Modelling at the molecular or atomic scale can be very useful for obtaining a better insight in plasma medicine. This paper gives an overview of different atomic/molecular scale modelling approaches that can be used to study the direct interaction of plasma species with biomolecules or the consequences of these interactions for the biomolecules on a somewhat longer time-scale. These approaches include density functional theory (DFT), density functional based tight binding (DFTB), classical reactive and non-reactive molecular dynamics (MD) and united-atom or coarse-grained MD, as well as hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods. Specific examples will be given for three important types of biomolecules, present in human cells, i.e. proteins, DNA and phospholipids found in the cell membrane. The results show that each of these modelling approaches has its specific strengths and limitations, and is particularly useful for certain applications. A multi-level approach is therefore most suitable for obtaining a global picture of the plasma–biomolecule interactions.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000368944100003	Publication Date	2015-12-16
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0022-3727	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	2.588	Times cited	11	Open Access
	Notes	This work is financially supported by the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO) and the Francqui Foundation. The calculations were carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure of the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the Universiteit Antwerpen.			Approved	Most recent IF: 2.588
	Call Number	c:irua:131571			Serial	3985
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	Author	Van der Paal, J.; Neyts, E.C.; Verlackt, C.C.W.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	Effect of lipid peroxidation on membrane permeability of cancer and normal cells subjected to oxidative stress			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2016	Publication	Chemical science	Abbreviated Journal	Chem Sci
	Volume	7	Issue	7	Pages	489-498
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	We performed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the effect of lipid peroxidation products on the structural and dynamic properties of the cell membrane. Our simulations predict that the lipid order in a phospholipid bilayer, as a model system for the cell membrane, decreases upon addition of lipid peroxidation products. Eventually, when all phospholipids are oxidized, pore formation can occur. This will allow reactive species, such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), to enter the cell and cause oxidative damage to intracellular macromolecules, such as DNA or proteins. On the other hand, upon increasing the cholesterol fraction of lipid bilayers, the cell membrane order increases, eventually reaching a certain threshold, from which cholesterol is able to protect the membrane against pore formation. This finding is crucial for cancer treatment by plasma technology, producing a large number of RONS, as well as for other cancer treatment methods that cause an increase in the concentration of extracellular RONS. Indeed, cancer cells contain less cholesterol than their healthy counterparts. Thus, they will be more vulnerable to the consequences of lipid peroxidation, eventually enabling the penetration of RONS into the interior of the cell, giving rise to oxidative stress, inducing pro-apoptotic factors. This provides, for the first time, molecular level insight why plasma can selectively treat cancer cells, while leaving their healthy counterparts undamaged, as is indeed experimentally demonstrated.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000366826900058	Publication Date	2015-10-16
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2041-6520	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	8.668	Times cited	106	Open Access
	Notes	The authors acknowledge nancial support from the Fund for Scientic Research (FWO) Flanders, grant number G012413N. The calculations were performed in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure of the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the Universiteit Antwerpen.			Approved	Most recent IF: 8.668
	Call Number	c:irua:131058			Serial	3986
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	Author	Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Merging Metadynamics into Hyperdynamics: Accelerated Molecular Simulations Reaching Time Scales from Microseconds to Seconds			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2015	Publication	Journal of chemical theory and computation	Abbreviated Journal	J Chem Theory Comput
	Volume	11	Issue	11	Pages	4545-4554
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	The hyperdynamics method is a powerful tool to simulate slow processes at the atomic level. However, the construction of an optimal hyperdynamics potential is a task that is far from trivial. Here, we propose a generally applicable implementation of the hyperdynamics algorithm, borrowing two concepts from metadynamics. First, the use of a collective variable (CV) to represent the accelerated dynamics gives the method a very large flexibility and simplicity. Second, a metadynamics procedure can be used to construct a suitable history-dependent bias potential on-the-fly, effectively turning the algorithm into a self-learning accelerated molecular dynamics method. This collective variable-driven hyperdynamics (CVHD) method has a modular design: both the local system properties on which the bias is based, as well as the characteristics of the biasing method itself, can be chosen to match the needs of the considered system. As a result, system-specific details are abstracted from the biasing algorithm itself, making it extremely versatile and transparent. The method is tested on three model systems: diffusion on the Cu(001) surface and nickel-catalyzed methane decomposition, as examples of reactive processes with a bond-length-based CV, and the folding of a long polymer-like chain, using a set of dihedral angles as a CV. Boost factors up to 109, corresponding to a time scale of seconds, could be obtained while still accurately reproducing correct dynamics.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000362921700004	Publication Date	2015-09-02
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1549-9618	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	5.245	Times cited	41	Open Access
	Notes	K.M.B. is funded as Ph.D. fellow (aspirant) of the FWOFlanders (Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders), Grant No. 11 V8915N. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center) and the HPC infrastructure of the University of Antwerp (CalcUA), funded by the Hercules Foundation and the Flemish Government−Department EWI.			Approved	Most recent IF: 5.245; 2015 IF: 5.498
	Call Number	c:irua:128183			Serial	3991
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	Author	Khalilov, U.; Yusupov, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Selective Plasma Oxidation of Ultrasmall Si Nanowires			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2016	Publication	The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces	Abbreviated Journal	J Phys Chem C
	Volume	120	Issue	120	Pages	472-477
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Device performance of Si\|SiOx core-shell based nanowires critically depends on the exact control over the oxide thickness. Low-temperature plasma oxidation is a highly promising alternative to thermal oxidation allowing for improved control over the oxidation process, in particular for ultrasmall Si nanowires. We here elucidate the room temperature plasma oxidation mechanisms of ultrasmall Si nanowires using hybrid molecular dynamics / force-bias Monte Carlo simulations. We demonstrate how the oxidation and concurrent water formation mechanisms are a function of the oxidizing plasma species and we demonstrate how the resulting core-shell oxide thickness can be controlled through these species. A new mechanism of water formation is discussed in detail. The results provide a detailed atomic level explanation of the oxidation process of highly curved Si surfaces. These results point out a route toward plasma-based formation of ultrathin core-shell Si\|SiOx nanowires at room temperature.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000368562200057	Publication Date	2015-12-21
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1932-7447	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	4.536	Times cited	3	Open Access
	Notes	U.K. and M.Y. gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), Grants 12M1315N and 1200216N. This work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UA), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UA. We thank Prof. A. C. T. van Duin for sharing the ReaxFF code.			Approved	Most recent IF: 4.536
	Call Number	c:irua:130677			Serial	4002
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	Author	Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Plasma-Surface Interactions in Plasma Catalysis			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2016	Publication	Plasma chemistry and plasma processing	Abbreviated Journal	Plasma Chem Plasma P
	Volume	36	Issue	36	Pages	185-212
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	In this paper the various elementary plasma—surface interaction processes occurring in plasma catalysis are critically evaluated. Specifically, plasma catalysis at atmospheric pressure is considered. The importance of the various processes is analyzed for the most common plasma catalysis sources, viz. the dielectric barrier discharge and the gliding arc. The role and importance of surface chemical reactions (including adsorption, surface-mediated association and dissociation reactions, and desorption), plasma-induced surface modification, photocatalyst activation, heating, charging, surface discharge formation and electric field enhancement are discussed in the context of plasma catalysis. Numerous examples are provided to demonstrate the importance of the various processes.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000370720800011	Publication Date	2015-10-16
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0272-4324	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	2.355	Times cited	66	Open Access
	Notes	The author is indebted to many colleagues for fruitful discussions. In particular discussions with A. Bogaerts (University of Antwerp, Belgium), H.-H. Kim (AIST, Japan), J. C. Whitehead (University of Manchester, UK) and T. Nozaki (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan) are greatfully acknowledged and appreciated.			Approved	Most recent IF: 2.355
	Call Number	c:irua:130742			Serial	4004
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	Author	Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	Direct observation of realistic-temperature fuel combustion mechanisms in atomistic simulations			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2016	Publication	Chemical science	Abbreviated Journal	Chem Sci
	Volume	7	Issue	7	Pages	5280-5286
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Atomistic simulations can in principle provide an unbiased description of all mechanisms, intermediates, and products of complex chemical processes. However, due to the severe time scale limitation of conventional simulation techniques, unrealistically high simulation temperatures are usually applied, which are a poor approximation of most practically relevant low-temperature applications. In this work, we demonstrate the direct observation at the atomic scale of the pyrolysis and oxidation of n-dodecane at temperatures as low as 700 K through the use of a novel simulation technique, collective variable-driven hyperdynamics (CVHD). A simulated timescale of up to 39 seconds is reached. Product compositions and dominant mechanisms are found to be strongly temperature-dependent, and are consistent with experiments and kinetic models. These simulations provide a first atomic-level look at the full dynamics of the complicated fuel combustion process at industrially relevant temperatures and time scales, unattainable by conventional molecular dynamics simulations.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000380893900059	Publication Date	2016-05-05
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2041-6520	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	8.668	Times cited	22	Open Access
	Notes	K. M. B. is funded as PhD fellow (aspirant) of the FWO-Flanders (Fund for Scientic Research-Flanders), Grant 11V8915N. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center) and the HPC infrastructure of the University of Antwerp (CalcUA), funded by the Hercules Foundation and the Flemish Government – department EWI. The authors would also like to thank S. Banerjee for assisting with the interpretation of the experimental results.			Approved	Most recent IF: 8.668
	Call Number	c:irua:134577 c:irua:135670			Serial	4105
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	Author	Tinck, S.; Tillocher, T.; Dussart, R.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	Elucidating the effects of gas flow rate on an SF₆inductively coupled plasma and on the silicon etch rate, by a combined experimental and theoretical investigation			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2016	Publication	Journal of physics: D: applied physics	Abbreviated Journal	J Phys D Appl Phys
	Volume	49	Issue	49	Pages	385201
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Experiments show that the etch rate of Si with SF6 inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is significantly influenced by the absolute gas flow rate in the range of 50–600 sccm, with a maximum at around 200 sccm. Therefore, we numerically investigate the effects of the gas flow rate on the bulk plasma properties and on the etch rate, to obtain more insight in the underlying reasons of this effect. A hybrid Monte Carlo—fluid model is applied to simulate an SF6 ICP. It is found that the etch rate is influenced by two simultaneous effects: (i) the residence time of the gas and (ii) the temperature profile of the plasma in the ICP volume, resulting indeed in a maximum etch rate at 200 sccm.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000384095900011	Publication Date	2016-08-24
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0022-3727	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	2.588	Times cited	1	Open Access
	Notes	We are very grateful to Mark Kushner for providing the computational model. The Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO; grant no. 0880.212.840) is acknowledged for financial support of this work. The work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the University of Antwerp.			Approved	Most recent IF: 2.588
	Call Number	c:irua:134867			Serial	4108
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	Author	Huygh, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C.
	Title	How Oxygen Vacancies Activate CO₂ Dissociation on TiO₂ Anatase (001)			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2016	Publication	The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces	Abbreviated Journal	J Phys Chem C
	Volume	120	Issue	120	Pages	21659-21669
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	The adsorption, dissociation, and diffusion of CO2 on the anatase (001) surface was studied using DFT by means of the generalized gradient approximation using the Perdew−Burcke−Ernzerhof (PBE)-functional and applying corrections for long-range dispersion interactions. Different stable adsorption configurations were identified for the fully oxidized surface. The most stable adsorption configuration is the monodentated carbonate-like structure. Small energy barriers were identified for the conversion of a physisorbed to a chemisorbed configuration. CO2 dissociation is found to be unfeasible on the stoichiometric surface. The introduction of oxygen vacancy defects gives rise to new highly stable adsorption configurations with a stronger activation of the C−O bonds. This leads to the possibility of exothermic dissociation of CO2 with barriers up to 22.2 kcal/mol, corresponding to chemical lifetimes of less than 4 s at 300 K. These reactions cause a CO molecule to be formed, which will easily desorb, and the reduced surface to become oxidized. It is clear that oxygen vacancy defects play a key role in the catalytic activity of an anatase (001) surface. Oxygen vacancies play an important role in the dissociation of CO2 on the anatase (001) surface, and will play a significant role in complex problems, such as the catalytic conversion of CO2 to value-added chemicals.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000384626800055	Publication Date	2016-09-02
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1932-7447	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	4.536	Times cited	49	Open Access
	Notes	Stijn Huygh is funded as an aspirant of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, project number 11C0115N). This work was carried out using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI), and the UAntwerpen.			Approved	Most recent IF: 4.536
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:136164			Serial	4291
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	Author	Van der Paal, J.; Verheyen, C.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	Hampering Effect of Cholesterol on the Permeation of Reactive Oxygen Species through Phospholipids Bilayer: Possible Explanation for Plasma Cancer Selectivity			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2017	Publication	Scientific reports	Abbreviated Journal	Sci Rep-Uk
	Volume	7	Issue	7	Pages	39526
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	In recent years, the ability of cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (CAPS) to selectively induce cell death in cancer cells has been widely established. This selectivity has been assigned to the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) created in CAPs. To provide new insights in the search for an explanation for the observed selectivity, we calculate the transfer free energy of multiple ROS across membranes containing a varying amount of cholesterol. The cholesterol fraction is investigated as a selectivity parameter because membranes of cancer cells are known to contain lower fractions of cholesterol compared to healthy cells. We find that cholesterol has a significant effect on the permeation of reactive species across a membrane. Indeed, depending on the specific reactive species, an increasing cholesterol fraction can lead to (i) an increase of the transfer free energy barrier height and width, (ii) the formation of a local free energy minimum in the center of the membrane and (iii) the creation of extra free energy barriers due to the bulky sterol rings. In the context of plasma oncology, these observations suggest that the increased ingress of RONS in cancer cells can be explained by the decreased cholesterol fraction of their cell membrane.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000391306900001	Publication Date	2017-01-06
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2045-2322	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	4.259	Times cited	27	Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes	The authors acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO) Flanders, grant number 11U5416N. The calculations were performed in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure of the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the Universiteit Antwerpen.			Approved	Most recent IF: 4.259
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:139512			Serial	4340
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	Author	Zhang, Y.-R.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	Influence of the Material Dielectric Constant on Plasma Generation inside Catalyst Pores			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2016	Publication	The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces	Abbreviated Journal	J Phys Chem C
	Volume	120	Issue	120	Pages	25923-25934
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Plasma catalysis is gaining increasing interest for various environmental applications, but the crucial question is whether plasma can be created inside catalyst pores and under which conditions. In practice, various catalytic support materials are used, with various dielectric constants. We investigate here the influence of the dielectric constant on the plasma properties inside catalyst pores and in the sheath in front of the pores, for various pore sizes. The calculations are performed by a two-dimensional fluid model for an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in helium. The electron impact ionization rate, electron temperature, electron and ion density, as well as the potential distribution and surface charge density, are analyzed for a better understanding of the discharge behavior inside catalyst pores. The results indicate that, in a 100 μm pore, the electron impact ionization in the pore, which is characteristic for the plasma generation inside the pore, is greatly enhanced for dielectric constants below 300. Smaller pore sizes only yield enhanced ionization for smaller dielectric constants, i.e., up to εr = 200, 150, and 50 for pore sizes of 50, 30, and 10 μm. Thus, the most common catalyst supports, i.e., Al2O3 and SiO2, which have dielectric constants around εr = 8−11 and 4.2, respectively, should allow more easily that microdischarges can be formed inside catalyst pores, even for smaller pore sizes. On the other hand, ferroelectric materials with dielectric constants above 300 never seem to yield plasma enhancement inside catalyst pores, not even for 100 μm pore sizes. Furthermore, it is clear that the dielectric constant of the material has a large effect on the extent of plasma enhancement inside the catalyst pores, especially in the range between εr = 4 and εr = 200. The obtained results are explained in detail based on the surface charge density at the pore walls, and the potential distribution and electron temperature inside and above the pores. The results obtained with this model are important for plasma catalysis, as the production plasma species in catalyst pores might affect the catalyst properties, and thus improve the applications of plasma catalysis.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000388429100029	Publication Date	2016-11-17
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1932-7447	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	4.536	Times cited	34	Open Access
	Notes	This work was supported by the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO) (Grant G.0217.14N), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 11405019), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant 2015T80244). This work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI), and the University of Antwerp.			Approved	Most recent IF: 4.536
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:138602			Serial	4319
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	Author	Shirazi, M.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	DFT study of Ni-catalyzed plasma dry reforming of methane			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2017	Publication	Applied catalysis : B : environmental	Abbreviated Journal	Appl Catal B-Environ
	Volume	205	Issue	205	Pages	605-614
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	tWe investigated the plasma-assisted catalytic reactions for the production of value-added chemicalsfrom Ni-catalyzed plasma dry reforming of methane by means of density functional theory (DFT). Weinspected many activation barriers, from the early stage of adsorption of the major chemical fragmentsderived fromCH4andCO2molecules up to the formation of value-added chemicals at the surface, focusingon the formation of methanol, as well as the hydrogenation of C1and C2hydrocarbon fragments. Theactivation barrier calculations show that the presence of surface-bound H atoms and in some cases alsoremaining chemical fragments at the surface facilitates the formation of products. This implies that thehydrogenation of a chemical fragment on the hydrogenated crystalline surface is energetically favouredcompared to the simple hydrogenation of the chemical fragment at the bare Ni(111) surface. Indeed, thepresence of hydrogen modifies the electronic structure of the surface and the course of the reactions.We therefore conclude that surface-bound H atoms, and to some extent also the remaining chemicalfragments at the crystalline surface, induce the following effects: they facilitate associative desorption ofmethanol and ethane by increasing the rate of H-transfer to the adsorbed fragments while they impedehydrogenation of ethylene to ethane, thus promoting again the desorption of ethylene. Overall, they thusfacilitate the catalytic conversion of the formed fragments from CH4and CO2, into value-added chemicals.Finally, we believe that the retention of methane fragments, especially CH3, in the presence of surface-boundHatoms (as observed here for Ni) can be regarded as an identifier for the proper choice of a catalystfor the production of value-added chemicals.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000393931000063	Publication Date	2017-01-05
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0926-3373	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	9.446	Times cited	26	Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes	Financial support from the Reactive Atmospheric Plasmaprocessing –eDucation network (RAPID), through the EU 7thFramework Programme (grant agreement no. 606889) is grate-fully acknowledged. The calculations were performed using theTuring HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Univer-siteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer CenterVSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish			Approved	Most recent IF: 9.446
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:139514			Serial	4343
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