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Author  |
Van Alphen, S.; Hecimovic, A.; Kiefer, C.K.; Fantz, U.; Snyders, R.; Bogaerts, A. |
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Title |
Modelling post-plasma quenching nozzles for improving the performance of CO2 microwave plasmas |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
| |
Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Chemical engineering journal |
Abbreviated Journal |
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| |
Volume |
462 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
142217 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
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Abstract |
Given the ecological problems associated to the CO2 emissions of fossil fuels, plasma technology has gained
interest for conversion of CO2 into value-added products. Microwave plasmas operating at atmospheric pressure
have proven to be especially interesting, due to the high gas temperatures inside the reactor (i.e. up to 6000 K)
allowing for efficient thermal dissociation of CO2 into CO and O2. However, the performance of these high
temperature plasmas is limited by recombination of CO back into CO2 once the gas cools down in the afterglow.
In this work, we computationally investigated several quenching nozzles, developed and experimentally tested
by Hecimovic et al., [1] for their ability to quickly cool the gas after the plasma, thereby quenching the CO
recombination reactions. Using a 3D computational fluid dynamics model and a quasi-1D chemical kinetics
model, we reveal that a reactor without nozzle lacks gas mixing between hot gas in the center and cold gas near
the reactor walls. Especially at low flow rates, where there is an inherent lack of convective cooling due to the
low gas flow velocity, the temperature in the afterglow remains high (between 2000 and 3000 K) for a relatively
long time (in the 0.1 s range). As shown by our quasi-1D chemical kinetics model, this results in a important loss
of CO due to recombination reactions. Attaching a nozzle in the effluent of the reactor induces fast gas quenching
right after the plasma. Indeed, it introduces (i) more convective cooling by forcing cool gas near the walls to mix
with hot gas in the center of the reactor, as well as (ii) more conductive cooling through the water-cooled walls of
the nozzle. Our model shows that gas quenching and the suppression of recombination reactions have more
impact at low flow rates, where recombination is the most limiting factor in the conversion process. |
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Corporate Author |
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Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Wos |
000962382600001 |
Publication Date |
2023-03-03 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| |
ISSN |
1385-8947 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
15.1 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), 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 through long-term structural funding (Methusalem). The calculations were performed 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: 15.1; 2023 IF: 6.216 |
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Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:195889 |
Serial |
7250 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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|
Author |
Van Alphen, S.; Hecimovic, A.; Kiefer, C.K.; Fantz, U.; Snyders, R.; Bogaerts, A. |
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| |
Title |
Modelling post-plasma quenching nozzles for improving the performance of CO2 microwave plasmas |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
| |
Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Chemical engineering journal |
Abbreviated Journal |
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|
| |
Volume |
462 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
142217 |
|
| |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
|
| |
Abstract |
Given the ecological problems associated to the CO2 emissions of fossil fuels, plasma technology has gained
interest for conversion of CO2 into value-added products. Microwave plasmas operating at atmospheric pressure
have proven to be especially interesting, due to the high gas temperatures inside the reactor (i.e. up to 6000 K)
allowing for efficient thermal dissociation of CO2 into CO and O2. However, the performance of these high
temperature plasmas is limited by recombination of CO back into CO2 once the gas cools down in the afterglow.
In this work, we computationally investigated several quenching nozzles, developed and experimentally tested
by Hecimovic et al., [1] for their ability to quickly cool the gas after the plasma, thereby quenching the CO
recombination reactions. Using a 3D computational fluid dynamics model and a quasi-1D chemical kinetics
model, we reveal that a reactor without nozzle lacks gas mixing between hot gas in the center and cold gas near
the reactor walls. Especially at low flow rates, where there is an inherent lack of convective cooling due to the
low gas flow velocity, the temperature in the afterglow remains high (between 2000 and 3000 K) for a relatively
long time (in the 0.1 s range). As shown by our quasi-1D chemical kinetics model, this results in a important loss
of CO due to recombination reactions. Attaching a nozzle in the effluent of the reactor induces fast gas quenching
right after the plasma. Indeed, it introduces (i) more convective cooling by forcing cool gas near the walls to mix
with hot gas in the center of the reactor, as well as (ii) more conductive cooling through the water-cooled walls of
the nozzle. Our model shows that gas quenching and the suppression of recombination reactions have more
impact at low flow rates, where recombination is the most limiting factor in the conversion process. |
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Address |
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Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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Language |
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Wos |
000962382600001 |
Publication Date |
2023-03-03 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
1385-8947 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
15.1 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), 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 through long-term structural funding (Methusalem). The calculations were performed 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: 15.1; 2023 IF: 6.216 |
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Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:195889 |
Serial |
7259 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Van den Broek, W.; Jannis, D.; Verbeeck, J. |
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Title |
Convexity constraints on linear background models for electron energy-loss spectra |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
| |
Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Ultramicroscopy |
Abbreviated Journal |
Ultramicroscopy |
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Volume |
254 |
Issue |
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Pages |
113830 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ; |
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Abstract |
In this paper convexity constraints are derived for a background model of electron energy loss spectra (EELS) that is linear in the fitting parameters. The model outperforms a power-law both on experimental and simulated backgrounds, especially for wide energy ranges, and thus improves elemental quantification results. Owing to the model’s linearity, the constraints can be imposed through fitting by quadratic programming. This has important advantages over conventional nonlinear power-law fitting such as high speed and a guaranteed unique solution without need for initial parameters. As such, the need for user input is significantly reduced, which is essential for unsupervised treatment of large datasets. This is demonstrated on a demanding spectrum image of a semiconductor device sample with a high number of elements over a wide energy range. |
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Wos |
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Publication Date |
2023-08-15 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0304-3991 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record |
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Impact Factor |
2.2 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
Not_Open_Access |
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Notes |
ECSEL, 875999 ; Horizon 2020; Horizon 2020 Framework Programme; Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership; |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 2.2; 2023 IF: 2.843 |
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Call Number |
EMAT @ emat @c:irua:200588 |
Serial |
8961 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
van der Sluijs, M.M.; Salzmann, B.B.V.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Li, C.; Jannis, D.; Brafine, L.C.; Laning, T.D.; Reinders, J.W.C.; Hijmans, N.S.A.; Moes, J.R.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S.; Vanmaekelbergh, D. |
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Title |
Study of the Mechanism and Increasing Crystallinity in the Self-Templated Growth of Ultrathin PbS Nanosheets |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Chemistry of materials |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
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Abstract |
Colloidal 2D semiconductor nanocrystals, the analogue of solid-state quantum wells, have attracted strong interest in material science and physics. Molar quantities of suspended quantum objects with spectrally pure absorption and emission can be synthesized. For the visible region, CdSe nanoplatelets with atomically precise thickness and tailorable emission have been (almost) perfected. For the near-infrared region, PbS nanosheets (NSs) hold strong promise, but the photoluminescence quantum yield is low and many questions on the crystallinity, atomic structure, intriguing rectangular shape, and formation mechanism remain to be answered. Here, we report on a detailed investigation of the PbS NSs prepared with a lead thiocyanate single source precursor. Atomically resolved HAADF-STEM imaging reveals the presence of defects and small cubic domains in the deformed orthorhombic PbS crystal lattice. Moreover, variations in thickness are observed in the NSs, but only in steps of 2 PbS monolayers. To study the reaction mechanism, a synthesis at a lower temperature allowed for the study of reaction intermediates. Specifically, we studied the evolution of pseudo-crystalline templates towards mature, crystalline PbS NSs. We propose a self-induced templating mechanism based on an oleylamine-lead-thiocyanate (OLAM-Pb-SCN) complex with two Pb-SCN units as a building block; the interactions between the long-chain ligands regulate the crystal structure and possibly the lateral dimensions. |
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Wos |
000959572100001 |
Publication Date |
2023-03-25 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0897-4756 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
8.6 |
Times cited |
2 |
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
H2020 Research Infrastructures, 731019 ; H2020 European Research Council, 692691 815128 ; Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 715.016.002 ; |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 8.6; 2023 IF: 9.466 |
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Call Number |
EMAT @ emat @c:irua:195894 |
Serial |
7255 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Van Echelpoel, R. |
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Title |
Making an impact with voltammetric illicit drug sensors : bridging the gap between fundamental lab research and on-site application |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
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Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
xxviii, 194 p. |
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Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Pharmacology. Therapy; Engineering sciences. Technology; Antwerp Electrochemical and Analytical Sciences Lab (A-Sense Lab) |
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Abstract |
Illicit drugs are harmful substances, posing a threat to the health and safety of society. Policies, such as supply reduction and harm reduction, are in place to combat the illicit drug problem. Science can play a substantial role in this fight, by providing tools that enable these policies to be successfully enforced. One example are on-site detection tools, i.e. sensors that allow the on-site identification of an illicit drug in a sample of interest. Several technologies, such as color tests and portable spectroscopic techniques, are currently employed for this goal. Although these are valuable techniques, there is an opportunity for voltammetry, an electrochemical technique, to make an impactful addition to this repertoire of on-site detection tools. Despite its attractive features (low-cost, portable, short analysis time, indifference to color,...), voltammetric illicit drug sensor have failed to make an impact in real scenarios. The work outlined in this PhD thesis aims to change this by bringing the technology from the lab to the field. Strategic choices, fueled by feedback from end-users, were made to further develop those specific aspects of the technology that previously haltered the technology to fulfill its potential. A detection algorithm was introduced that converts the voltammetric output into a clear-cut interpretation thereof, opening up the technology to end-users without prior knowledge of the technology. A sensor that allows qualitative and quantitative detection of the psychoactive drug MDMA was introduced, and importantly, validated on a large set of 212 confiscated samples. A state-of-the art mobile application and adequate sampling methodology were developed, alongside other, often more practical studies and product developments, to evolve the technology into a product that truly creates value for end-users. Important steps towards multidrug detection were made with a festival sensor and a flowchart based on visual appearance that ties together a variety of voltammetric single sensors into a single multidrug sensing approach. Last but not least, multiple valorization aspects were researched, including a market study and an analysis to determine the optimal commercialization strategy. Overall, this PhD thesis has facilitated the transition of the voltammetric illicit drug sensing technology from lab to on-site application. The final application creates value for end-users, and is ready to make an impact in real on-site scenarios. |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
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ISBN |
987-90-5728-534-7 |
Additional Links |
UA library record |
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Impact Factor |
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Times cited |
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Open Access |
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Notes |
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Approved |
no |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:200601 |
Serial |
9055 |
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Author |
Van Echelpoel, R.; Parrilla, M.; Sleegers, N.; Thiruvottriyur Shanmugam, S.; van Nuijs, A.L.N.; Slosse, A.; Van Durme, F.; De Wael, K. |
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Title |
Validated portable device for the qualitative and quantitative electrochemical detection of MDMA ready for on-site use |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Microchemical journal |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
190 |
Issue |
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Pages |
108693-10 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Toxicological Centre; Antwerp Electrochemical and Analytical Sciences Lab (A-Sense Lab) |
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Abstract |
Identifying and quantifying 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on-site in suspected illicit drug samples, whether it be at recreational settings or manufacturing sites, is a major challenge for law enforcement agencies (LEAs). Various analytical techniques exist to fulfil this goal, e.g. colourimetry and portable spectroscopic techniques, each having its specific limitations (e.g. low accuracy, fluorescence, no quantification) and strengths (e.g. fast, easy to use). In this work, for the first time, an electrochemical MDMA sensor is presented to become a detection tool that can realistically be used on-site. More specifically, the use of a single buffer solution and an unmodified screen-printed electrode, along with the integration of a data analysis algorithm and mobile application permits the straightforward on-site identification and quantification of MDMA in suspicious samples. Multiple studies investigating different parameters, including pH, concentration, reproducibility, temperature and binary mixture analyses, were executed. To fully understand all the occurring redox processes, liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis of partially electrolyzed MDMA samples was performed unravelling oxidation of the methylenedioxy group. Validation of the methodology was executed on 15 MDMA street samples analysed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and compared with the performance of a commercial portable Raman and Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) device. The novel methodology outperformed the spectroscopic techniques, correctly identifying all 15 street samples. Additionally, the electrochemical sensor predicted the purity of the tablets with a mean absolute error of 2.3%. Overall, this new, electrochemical detection strategy provides LEAs the rapid, low-cost, on-site detection and quantification of MDMA in suspicious samples, without requiring specialized training. |
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Corporate Author |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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Language |
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Wos |
000977060400001 |
Publication Date |
2023-03-31 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0026-265x; 0026-265x |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
4.8 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
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Approved |
Most recent IF: 4.8; 2023 IF: 3.034 |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:195415 |
Serial |
8952 |
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Author |
Van Gordon, K.; Baúlde, S.; Mychinko, M.; Heyvaert, W.; Obelleiro-Liz, M.; Criado, A.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Mosquera, J. |
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Title |
Tuning the Growth of Chiral Gold Nanoparticles Through Rational Design of a Chiral Molecular Inducer |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Nano Letters |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nano Lett. |
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Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ; |
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Abstract |
The bottom-up production of chiral gold nanomaterials holds great potential for the advancement of biosensing and nano-optics, among other applications. Reproducible preparations of colloidal nanomaterials with chiral morphology have been reported, using cosurfactants or chiral inducers such as thiolated amino acids. However, the underlying growth mechanisms for these nanomaterials remain insufficiently understood. We introduce herein a purposely devised chiral inducer, a cysteine modified with a hydrophobic chain, as a versatile chiral inducer. The amphiphilic and chiral features of this molecule provide control over the chiral morphology and the chiroptical signature of the obtained nanoparticles by simply varying the concentration of chiral inducer. These results are supported by circular dichroism and electromagnetic modeling as well as electron tomography to analyze structural evolution at the facet scale. Our observations suggest complex roles for the factors involved in chiral synthesis: the chemical nature of the chiral inducers and the influence of cosurfactants. |
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Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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Language |
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Wos |
001092787000001 |
Publication Date |
2023-10-25 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
1530-6984 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record |
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Impact Factor |
10.8 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
J.M. Taboada and F. Obelleiro are thanked for support with electromagnetic simulations. The authors acknowledge financial support by the European Research Council (ERC CoG No. 815128 REALNANO to S. Bals; ERC AdG No. 787510, 4DbioSERS to L.M.L.-M.) and from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ESF Investing in your future” (Grant PID2020-117779RB-I00 to L.M.L.-M., Grant RYC2020-030183-I to A.C., and Grants RYC2019-027842-I, PID2020-117885GA-I00 to J.M.). |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 10.8; 2023 IF: 12.712 |
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Call Number |
EMAT @ emat @c:irua:200590 |
Serial |
8963 |
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Author |
Van Hoecke, L.; Kummamuru, N.B.; Pourfallah, H.; Verbruggen, S.W.; Perreault, P. |
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Title |
Intensified swirling reactor for the dehydrogenation of LOHC |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
| |
Year |
2023 |
Publication |
International journal of hydrogen energy |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
1-13 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL) |
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Abstract |
In the recent advances towards more sustainable global energy supply, H2 is a possible alternative for large scale energy storage. In this view, Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC) are a class of molecules that allow for easier long term energy storage compared to conventional H2 technologies. CFD simulations were used to showcase the hydrodynamics of the dehydrogenation of a LOHC in a new reactor unit, via a cold flow mock-up study. This reactor was designed to allow for a swirling motion of the liquid carrier material, favouring the removal of H2 gas from the flow and forcing the equilibrium of the reaction towards dehydrogenation, as well as to keep the catalyst particles in motion. The CFD simulations were validated qualitatively with experimental operation of the reactor, in a system with identical dimensionless numbers (Reynolds and Stokes), in order to use less costly products during the prototyping phase. |
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Place of Publication |
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Language |
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Wos |
001139598200001 |
Publication Date |
2023-08-30 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0360-3199 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record |
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Impact Factor |
7.2 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
Not_Open_Access: Available from 01.03.2024 |
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Notes |
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Approved |
Most recent IF: 7.2; 2023 IF: 3.582 |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:198534 |
Serial |
8889 |
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Author |
Van Putte, N. |
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Title |
Improving groundwater dynamics : a key factor for successful tidal marsh restoration |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
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Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
166 p. |
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Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Ecosphere |
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Abstract |
Tidal marshes take up and release certain elements from and to the river water. Hence, they act as a filter, improving the estuarine water quality. This filtering function depends on the interaction between the marsh soil and water that infiltrates into the marsh platform at high tide and seeps out of the creek banks at low tide. In the past centuries, many tidal marshes disappeared due to large scale land reclamations, together with their associated ecosystem services. Nowadays, tidal marshes are increasingly restored on formerly embanked agricultural areas to regain these ecosystem services. Here, we studied the effect of historical agricultural land use on the contribution of restored tidal marshes to water quality improvement, and we investigated several solutions to stimulate the water quality improving function in newly restored tidal marshes. In restored tidal marshes, the soil is often compacted due to the historical agricultural land use, leading to a reduced organic matter content and micro- and macroporosity. In this compacted soil, groundwater flow is hindered, leading to a more waterlogged soil and reduced groundwater dynamics in the restored marsh as compared to a natural marsh. The depth of groundwater drainage and the groundwater flow velocity have important implications for the processes that contribute to water quality improvement, e.g. removal of nitrogen, phosphorus retention and silica cycling. Where groundwater drains deeper, i.e. in the vicinity of tidal creeks and in a more porous soil, these processes are promoted. We suggest that, in newly restored tidal marshes, the soil porosity can be increased by amending the soil (e.g. with organic matter), and the distance to the nearest tidal creek can be reduced by creek excavation. Numerical modelling showed that the largest gain in groundwater dynamics and seepage was attained when both measures were applied together. The effect of organic soil amendments on groundwater dynamics and nutrient cycling was further explored in a large scale in situ mesocosm experiment. Where the soil was amended, groundwater drained deeper and nitrogen removal increased. For new tidal marsh restoration projects, we advise to conduct an explorative soil study. When the soil is heavily compacted, design measures, such as creek initiation and organic soil amendments can be applied to jumpstart the contribution to water quality improvement of newly restored tidal marshes. |
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UA library record |
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Impact Factor |
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Times cited |
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Open Access |
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Notes |
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Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:196965 |
Serial |
8884 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Van Schoubroeck, S.; Chacon, L.; Reynolds, A.M.; Lavoine, N.; Hakovirta, M.; Gonzalez, R.; Van Passel, S.; Venditti, R.A. |
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Title |
Environmental sustainability perception toward obvious recovered waste content in paper-based packaging : an online and in-person survey best-worst scaling experiment |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
| |
Year |
2023 |
Publication |
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
188 |
Issue |
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Pages |
106682-13 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering Management (ENM) |
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Abstract |
This study explores consumers' visual sustainability impressions of paper-based packaging that has incorporated obvious waste content. Two research questions were addressed concerning (i) the environmental sustainability perception of noticeable waste content in packaging and (ii) the impact of the presentation format (i.e., online versus in-person surveys) when studying these perceptions. Best-worst scaling experiments were conducted, which made respondents choose the 'most' and 'least' environmentally friendly package. Packages were designed using paperboard substrates blending either brown linerboard or white hardwood pulp with different recovered waste materials. The results showed that consumers perceive obvious waste-containing packaging as more environmentally friendly than classical packaging (with no visual waste). Samples with a brown base and agricultural waste were perceived as more sustainable compared to white packaging and the use of paper waste. In addition, the presentation format changed respondents' perception, and should therefore be carefully considered when designing surveys. |
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Wos |
000867675200002 |
Publication Date |
2022-09-30 |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0921-3449 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
13.2 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
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Approved |
Most recent IF: 13.2; 2023 IF: 3.313 |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:191509 |
Serial |
7357 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Vanraes, P.; Parayil Venugopalan, S.; Besemer, M.; Bogaerts, A. |
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Title |
Assessing neutral transport mechanisms in aspect ratio dependent etching by means of experiments and multiscale plasma modeling |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
| |
Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Plasma Sources Science and Technology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. |
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Volume |
32 |
Issue |
6 |
Pages |
064004 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ; |
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Abstract |
Since the onset of pattern transfer technologies for chip manufacturing, various strategies have been developed to circumvent or overcome aspect ratio dependent etching (ARDE). These methods have, however, their own limitations in terms of etch non-idealities, throughput or costs. Moreover, they have mainly been optimized for individual in-device features and die-scale patterns, while occasionally ending up with poor patterning of metrology marks, affecting the alignment and overlay in lithography. Obtaining a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ARDE and how to mitigate them therefore remains a relevant challenge to date, for both marks and advanced nodes. In this work, we accordingly assessed the neutral transport mechanisms in ARDE by means of experiments and multiscale modeling for SiO<sub>2</sub>etching with CHF<sub>3</sub>/Ar and CF<sub>4</sub>/Ar plasmas. The experiments revealed a local maximum in the etch rate for an aspect ratio around unity, i.e. the simultaneous occurrence of regular and inverse reactive ion etching lag for a given etch condition. We were able to reproduce this ARDE trend in the simulations without taking into account charging effects and the polymer layer thickness, suggesting shadowing and diffuse reflection of neutrals as the primary underlying mechanisms. Subsequently, we explored four methods with the simulations to regulate ARDE, by varying the incident plasma species fluxes, the amount of polymer deposition, the ion energy and angular distribution and the initial hardmask sidewall angle, for which the latter was found to be promising in particular. Although our study focusses on feature dimensions characteristic to metrology marks and back-end-of-the-line integration, the obtained insights have a broader relevance, e.g. to the patterning of advanced nodes. Additionally, this work supports the insight that physisorption may be more important in plasma etching at room temperature than originally thought, in line with other recent studies, a topic on which we recommend further research. |
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Wos |
001021250100001 |
Publication Date |
2023-06-01 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0963-0252 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
3.8 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
Not_Open_Access |
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Notes |
P Vanraes acknowledges funding by ASML for the project ‘Computational simulation of plasma etching of trench structures’. P Vanraes and A Bogaerts want to express their gratitude to Mark J Kushner (University of Michigan) for the sharing of the HPEM and MCFPM codes, and for the interesting exchange of views. P Vanraes wishes to thank Violeta Georgieva and Stefan Tinck for the fruitful discussions on the HPEM code, Yu-Ru Zhang for an example of the CCP reactor code and Karel Venken for his technical help with the server maintenance and use. S P Venugopalan and M Besemer wish to thank Luigi Scaccabarozzi, Sander Wuister, Coen Verschuren, Michael Kubis, Kuan-Ming Chen, Ruben Maas, Huaichen Zhang and Julien Mailfert (ASML) for the insightful discussions. |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 3.8; 2023 IF: 3.302 |
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Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:197760 |
Serial |
8811 |
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Author |
Vega-Paredes, M.; Aymerich-Armengol, R.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Marti-Sanchez, S.; Bals, S.; Scheu, C.; Manjon, A.G. |
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Title |
Electrochemical stability of rhodium-platinum core-shell nanoparticles : an identical location scanning transmission electron microscopy study |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
ACS nano |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
17 |
Issue |
17 |
Pages |
16943-16951 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
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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. |
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Wos |
001051495900001 |
Publication Date |
2023-08-21 |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
1936-0851 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
17.1 |
Times cited |
2 |
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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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 |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:199253 |
Serial |
8859 |
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Author |
Verbruggen, S.W.; Mul, G. |
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Title |
Editorial overview : photocatalysis 2022 shining light on a diversity of research opportunities |
Type |
Editorial |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Current opinion in green and sustainable chemistry |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
42 |
Issue |
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Pages |
100838-2 |
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Keywords |
Editorial; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL) |
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Wos |
001034184800001 |
Publication Date |
2023-06-03 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2452-2236 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record |
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Impact Factor |
9.3 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
Not_Open_Access |
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Notes |
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Approved |
Most recent IF: 9.3; 2023 IF: NA |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:197220 |
Serial |
8854 |
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Author |
Verdierre, G.; Gauquelin, N.; Jannis, D.; Birkhölzer, Y.A.; Mallik, S.; Verbeeck, J.; Bibes, M.; Koster, G. |
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Title |
Epitaxial growth of the candidate ferroelectric Rashba material SrBiO3by pulsed laser deposition |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
APL materials |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
11 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
031109 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
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Abstract |
Among oxides, bismuthates have been gaining much interest due to their unique features. In addition to their superconducting properties, they show potential for applications as topological insulators and as possible spin-to-charge converters. After being first investigated in their bulk form in the 1980s, bismuthates have been successfully grown as thin films. However, most efforts have focused on BaBiO<sub>3</sub>, with SrBiO<sub>3</sub>receiving only little attention. Here, we report the growth of epitaxial films of SrBiO<sub>3</sub>on both TiO<sub>2</sub>-terminated SrTiO<sub>3</sub>and NdO-terminated NdScO<sub>3</sub>substrates by pulsed laser deposition. SrBiO<sub>3</sub>has a pseudocubic lattice constant of ∼4.25 Å and grows relaxed on NdScO<sub>3</sub>. Counter-intuitively, it grows with a slight tensile strain on SrTiO<sub>3</sub>despite a large lattice mismatch, which should induce compressive strain. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that this occurs as a consequence of structural domain matching, with blocks of 10 SrBiO<sub>3</sub>unit planes matching blocks of 11 SrTiO<sub>3</sub>unit planes. This work provides a framework for the synthesis of high quality perovskite bismuthates films and for the understanding of their interface interactions with homostructural substrates. |
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Wos |
000953363800004 |
Publication Date |
2023-03-01 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2166-532X |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record |
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Impact Factor |
6.1 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
This work received support from the ERC Advanced grant (Grant No. 833973) “FRESCO” and funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under Grant Agreement No. 823717—ESTEEM3, Van Gogh travel grant, Nuffic, The Netherlands (CF No. 42582SB).; esteem3reported; esteem3TA |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 6.1; 2023 IF: 4.335 |
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Call Number |
EMAT @ emat @c:irua:196135 |
Serial |
7377 |
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Author |
Verheyen, C.; van ’t Veer, K.; Snyders, R.; Bogaerts, A. |
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Title |
Atomic oxygen assisted CO2 conversion: A theoretical analysis |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Journal of CO2 utilization |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
67 |
Issue |
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Pages |
102347 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
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Abstract |
With climate change still a pressing issue, there is a great need for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS)
methods. We propose a novel concept where CO2 conversion is accomplished by O2 splitting followed by the
addition of O atoms to CO2. The latter is studied here by means of kinetic modelling. In the first instance, we
study various CO2/O ratios, and we observe an optimal CO2 conversion of around 30–40% for 50% O addition.
Gas temperature also has a large influence, with a minimum temperature of around 1000 K to a maximum of
2000 K for optimal conversion. In the second instance, we study various CO2/O/O2 ratios, due to O2 being a
starting gas. Also here we define optimal regions for CO2 conversion, which reach maximum conversion for a
CO2 fraction of 50% and an O/O2 ratio bigger than 1. Those can be expanded by heating on one hand, for low
atomic oxygen availability, and by quenching after reaction on the other hand, for cases where the temperatures
are too high. Our model predictions can serve as a guideline for experimental research in this domain. |
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Wos |
000908384000005 |
Publication Date |
0000-00-00 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2212-9820 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
7.7 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
This research was supported by FWO – PhD fellowship-aspirant, Grant 1184820N. We also want to thank Bj¨orn Loenders and Joachim Slaets. |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 7.7; 2023 IF: 4.292 |
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Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:192321 |
Serial |
7231 |
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Author |
Verswyvel, H.; Deben, C.; Wouters, A.; Lardon, F.; Bogaerts, A.; Smits, E.; Lin, A. |
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Title |
Phototoxicity and cell passage affect intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and sensitivity towards non-thermal plasma treatment in fluorescently-labeled cancer cells |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Journal of physics: D: applied physics |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
56 |
Issue |
29 |
Pages |
294001 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Center for Oncological Research (CORE) |
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Abstract |
Live-cell imaging with fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool, especially in cancer research, widely-used for capturing dynamic cellular processes over time. However, light-induced toxicity (phototoxicity) can be incurred from this method, via disruption of intracellular redox balance and an overload of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This can introduce confounding effects in an experiment, especially in the context of evaluating and screening novel therapies. Here, we aimed to unravel whether phototoxicity can impact cellular homeostasis and response to non-thermal plasma (NTP), a therapeutic strategy which specifically targets the intracellular redox balance. We demonstrate that cells incorporated with a fluorescent reporter for live-cell imaging have increased sensitivity to NTP, when exposed to ambient light or fluorescence excitation, likely through altered proliferation rates and baseline intracellular ROS levels. These changes became even more pronounced the longer the cells stayed in culture. Therefore, our results have important implications for research implementing this analysis technique and are particularly important for designing experiments and evaluating redox-based therapies like NTP. |
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Wos |
000978180500001 |
Publication Date |
2023-07-20 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0022-3727 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
3.4 |
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
This work was partially funded by the Research Foundation— Flanders (FWO) and supported by the following Grants: 1S67621N (H V), 12S9221N (A L), and G044420N (A B and A L). We would also like to thank several patrons, as part of this research was funded by donations from different donors, including Dedert Schilde vzw, Mr Willy Floren, and the Vereycken family. |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 3.4; 2023 IF: 2.588 |
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Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:196441 |
Serial |
7381 |
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Author |
Vertongen, R.; Bogaerts, A. |
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Title |
How important is reactor design for CO2 conversion in warm plasmas? |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Journal of CO2 Utilization |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
72 |
Issue |
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Pages |
102510 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ; |
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Abstract |
In this work, we evaluated several new electrode configurations for CO2 conversion in a gliding arc plasmatron
(GAP) reactor. Although the reactor design influences the performance, the best results give only slightly higher
CO2 conversion than the basic GAP reactor design, which indicates that this reactor may have reached its performance
limits. Moreover, we compared our results to those of four completely different plasma reactors, also
operating at atmospheric pressure and with contact between the plasma and the electrodes. Surprisingly, the
performance of all these warm plasmas is very similar (CO2 conversion around 10 % for an energy efficiency
around 30 %). In view of these apparent performance limits regarding the reactor design, we believe further
improvements should focus on other aspects, such as the post-plasma-region where the implementation of
nozzles or a carbon bed are promising. We summarize the performance of our GAP reactor by comparing the
energy efficiency and CO2 conversion for all different plasma reactors reported in literature. We can conclude
that the GAP is not the best plasma reactor, but its operation at atmospheric pressure makes it appealing for
industrial application. We believe that future efforts should focus on process design, techno-economic assessments
and large-scale demonstrations: these will be crucial to assess the real industrial potential of this warm
plasma technology |
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Wos |
001024970900001 |
Publication Date |
2023-06-16 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2212-9820 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
7.7 |
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
Not_Open_Access |
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Notes |
We acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO) Flanders (Grant ID 110221N) and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreements No 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project and No. 101081162 — “PREPARE” ERC Proof of Concept project). We also thank I. Tsonev, P. Heirman, F. Girard-Sahun and G. Trenchev for the interesting discussions and practical help with the experiments, as well as J. Creel for his ideas on the inserted anode designs. |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 7.7; 2023 IF: 4.292 |
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Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:197044 |
Serial |
8799 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Vervloessem, E. |
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Title |
The role of pulsing and humidity in plasma-based nitrogen fixation : a combined experimental and modeling study |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
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Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
358 p. |
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Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
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Abstract |
Nitrogen (N) is an indispensable building block for all living organisms as well as for pharmaceutical and chemical industry. In a nutshell, N is needed for plants to grow and beings to live and nitrogen fixation (NF) is the process that makes N available for plants as food by converting N2 into a reactive form, such as ammonia (NH3) or nitrogen oxides (NOx), upon reacting with O2 and H2. The aim of this thesis is to elucidate (wet) plasma-based nitrogen fixation with a focus on (1) the role of pulsing in achieving low energy consumption, (2) the role of H2O as a hydrogen source in nitrogen fixation and (3) elucidation of nitrogen fixation pathways in humid air and humid N2 plasma in a combined experimental and computational study. Furthermore, this thesis aims to take into account the knowledge-gaps and challenges identified in the discussion of the state of the art. Specifically, (1) we put our focus on branching out to another way of introducing water into the plasma system, i.e. H2O vapor, (2) we de-couple the problem for pathway elucidation by starting with characterization of the chosen plasma, next a simpler gas mixture and building up from there, (3) we include modelling, though not under wet conditions and (4) we focus on also analyzing species and performance outside liquid H2O. Firstly, based on the reaction analysis of a validated quasi-1D model, we can conclude that pulsing is indeed the key factor for energy-efficient NOx- formation, due to the strong temperature drop it causes. Secondly, the thesis shows that added H2O vapor, and not liquid H2O, is the main source of H for NH3 generation. Related to this, we discuss how the selectivity of plasma-based NF in humid air and humid N2 can be controlled by changing the humidity in the feed gas. Interestingly, NH3 production can be achieved in both N2 and air plasmas using H2O as a H source. Lastly, we identified a significant loss mechanism for NH3 and HNO2 that occurs in systems where these species are synthesized simultaneously, i.e. downstream from the plasma, HNO2 reacts with NH3 to form NH4NO2, which decomposes into N2 and H2O. This reduces the effective NF when not properly addressed, and should therefore be considered in future works aimed at optimizing plasma-based NF. In conclusion, this thesis adds further to the current state of the art of plasma-based NF both in the presence of H2O and in dry systems. |
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UA library record |
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Open Access |
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Approved |
no |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:197038 |
Serial |
9088 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Vervloessem, E.; Gromov, M.; De Geyter, N.; Bogaerts, A.; Gorbanev, Y.; Nikiforov, A. |
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Title |
NH3and HNOxFormation and Loss in Nitrogen Fixation from Air with Water Vapor by Nonequilibrium Plasma |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
| |
Year |
2023 |
Publication |
ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
11 |
Issue |
10 |
Pages |
4289-4298 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
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Abstract |
The current global energy crisis indicated that increasing our
insight into nonfossil fuel nitrogen fixation pathways for synthetic fertilizer
production is more crucial than ever. Nonequilibrium plasma is a good candidate
because it can use N2 or air as a N source and water directly as a H source, instead
of H2 or fossil fuel (CH4). In this work, we investigate NH3 gas phase formation
pathways from humid N2 and especially humid air up to 2.4 mol % H2O (100%
relative humidity at 20 °C) by optical emission spectroscopy and Fouriertransform
infrared spectroscopy. We demonstrate that the nitrogen fixation
capacity is increased when water vapor is added, as this enables HNO2 and NH3
production in both N2 and air. However, we identified a significant loss
mechanism for NH3 and HNO2 that occurs in systems where these species are
synthesized simultaneously; i.e., downstream from the plasma, HNO2 reacts with NH3 to form NH4NO2, which rapidly decomposes
into N2 and H2O. We also discuss approaches to prevent this loss mechanism, as it reduces the effective nitrogen fixation when not
properly addressed and therefore should be considered in future works aimed at optimizing plasma-based N2 fixation. In-line removal
of HNO2 or direct solvation in liquid are two proposed strategies to suppress this loss mechanism. Indeed, using liquid H2O is
beneficial for accumulation of the N2 fixation products. Finally, in humid air, we also produce NH4NO3, from the reaction of HNO3
with NH3, which is of direct interest for fertilizer application. |
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Wos |
000953337700001 |
Publication Date |
2023-03-13 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2168-0485 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
8.4 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
This research is supported by the Excellence of Science FWOFNRS project (NITROPLASM, FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant No. 810182 − SCOPE ERC Synergy project), and the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO) Flanders Bioeconomy project (grant No. G0G2322N), funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU. |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 8.4; 2023 IF: 5.951 |
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Call Number |
PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:195878 |
Serial |
7254 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Vijayakumar, J.; Savchenko, T.M.; Bracher, D.M.; Lumbeeck, G.; Béché, A.; Verbeeck, J.; Vajda, Š.; Nolting, F.; Vaz, Ca.f.; Kleibert, A. |
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Title |
Absence of a pressure gap and atomistic mechanism of the oxidation of pure Co nanoparticles |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
| |
Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Nature communications |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nat Commun |
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Volume |
14 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
174 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
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Abstract |
Understanding chemical reactivity and magnetism of 3<italic>d</italic>transition metal nanoparticles is of fundamental interest for applications in fields ranging from spintronics to catalysis. Here, we present an atomistic picture of the early stage of the oxidation mechanism and its impact on the magnetism of Co nanoparticles. Our experiments reveal a two-step process characterized by (i) the initial formation of small CoO crystallites across the nanoparticle surface, until their coalescence leads to structural completion of the oxide shell passivating the metallic core; (ii) progressive conversion of the CoO shell to Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>and void formation due to the nanoscale Kirkendall effect. The Co nanoparticles remain highly reactive toward oxygen during phase (i), demonstrating the absence of a pressure gap whereby a low reactivity at low pressures is postulated. Our results provide an important benchmark for the development of theoretical models for the chemical reactivity in catalysis and magnetism during metal oxidation at the nanoscale. |
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Wos |
000955726400021 |
Publication Date |
2023-01-12 |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2041-1723 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
16.6 |
Times cited |
1 |
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, 200021160186 2002153540 ; EC | Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, 810310 823717 ; University of Basel | Swiss Nanoscience Institute, P1502 ; This work is funded by Swiss National Foundation (SNF) (Grants. No 200021160186 and 2002153540) and the Swiss Nanoscience Institut (SNI) (Grant No. SNI P1502). S.V. acknowledges support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 810310, which corresponds to the J. Heyrovsky Chair project (“ERA Chair at J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry AS CR – The institutional approach towards ERA”). The funders had no role in the preparation of the article. Part of this work was performed at the Surface/Interface: Microscopy (SIM) beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS), Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland. We kindly acknowledge Anja Weber and Elisabeth Müller from PSI for their help in fabricating the sample markers. A.B. and J. Verbeeck received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructure – Integrating Activities for Advanced Communities under grant agreement No. 823717 – ESTEEM3 reported |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 16.6; 2023 IF: 12.124 |
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Call Number |
EMAT @ emat @c:irua:196738 |
Serial |
8804 |
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Author |
Vingerhoets, R.; Brienza, C.; Sigurnjak, I.; Buysse, J.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Spiller, M.; Meers, E. |
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Title |
Ammonia stripping and scrubbing followed by nitrification and denitrification saves costs for manure treatment based on a calibrated model approach |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Chemical engineering journal |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
477 |
Issue |
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Pages |
146984-14 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL) |
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Abstract |
Resource-efficient nitrogen management is of high environmental and economic interest, and manure represents the major nutrient flow in livestock-intensive regions. Ammonia stripping/scrubbing (SS) is an appealing nitrogen recovery route from manure, yet its real-life implementation has been limited thus far. In nutrient surplus regions like Flanders, treatment of the liquid fraction (LF) of (co–)digested manure typically consists of nitrification/denitrification (NDN) removing most N as nitrogen gas. Integrating SS before NDN in existing plants would expand treatment capacity and recover N while maintaining low N effluent values, yet cost estimations of this novel approach after process optimisation are not yet available. A programming model was developed and calibrated to minimise the treatment costs of this approach and find the balance between N recovery versus N removal. Four crucial operational parameters (CO2 stripping time, NH3 stripping time, temperature and NaOH addition) were optimised for 18 scenarios which were different in terms of technical set-up, influent characteristics and scrubber acid. The model shows that SS before NDN can decrease the costs by 1 to 56% under optimal conditions compared to treatment with NDN only, with 1 to 8% reduction for the LF of manure (22–29% recovered of N treated), and 11 to 56% reduction for the LF of co-digested manure (42–67% recovered of N treated), primarily dependent on resource pricing. This study shows the power of modelling for minimum-cost design and operation of manure treatment yielding savings while producing useful N recovery products with SS followed by NDN. |
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Wos |
001108935900001 |
Publication Date |
2023-10-28 |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Issue |
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ISSN |
1385-8947; 1873-3212 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record |
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Impact Factor |
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Times cited |
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Open Access |
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Notes |
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Approved |
no |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:200649 |
Serial |
9003 |
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Author |
Vingerhoets, R.; Spiller, M.; De Backer, J.; Adriaens, A.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Meers, E. |
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Title |
Detailed nitrogen and phosphorus flow analysis, nutrient use efficiency and circularity in the agri-food system of a livestock-intensive region |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Journal of cleaner production |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
410 |
Issue |
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Pages |
137278-13 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL) |
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Abstract |
The agri-food value chain is a major cause of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) emissions and associated environmental and health impacts. The EU's farm-to-fork strategy (F2F) demands an agri-food value chain approach to reduce nutrient emissions by 50% and fertilizer use by 20%. Substance flow analysis (SFA) is a method that can be applied to study complex systems such as the agri-food chain. A review of 60 SFA studies shows that they often lack detail by not sufficiently distinguishing between nodes, products and types of emissions. The present study aims to assess the added value of detail in SFAs and to illustrate that valuable indicators can be derived from detailed assessments. This aim will be attained by presenting a highly-detailed SFA for the livestock-intensive region of Flanders, Belgium. The SFA distinguishes 40 nodes and 1827 flows that are classified into eight different categories (e.g. by-products, point source emissions) following life cycle methods. Eight novel indicators were calculated, including indicators that assess the N and P recovery potential. Flanders has a low overall nutrient use efficiency (11% N, 18% P). About 55% of the N and 56% of the P embedded in recoverable streams are reused providing 35% and 37% of the total N and P input. Optimized nutrient recycling could replace 45% of N and 48% of P of the external nutrient input, exceeding the target set by the F2F strategy. Detailed accounting for N and P flows and nodes leads to the identification of more recoverable streams and larger N and P flows. More detailed flow accounting is a prerequisite for the quantification of technological intervention options. Future research should focus on including concentration and quality as a parameter in SFAs. |
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Place of Publication |
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Wos |
000991013600001 |
Publication Date |
2023-04-21 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
0959-6526 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
11.1 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
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Approved |
Most recent IF: 11.1; 2023 IF: 5.715 |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:196227 |
Serial |
7770 |
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Author |
Vizarim, N.P. |
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Title |
Dynamic behavior of Skyrmions under the influence of periodic pinning in chiral magnetic infinite thin films |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
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Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
212 p. |
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Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
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Abstract |
The miniaturization of transistors for application in new processors and logic devices poses a significant challenge in the field of materials. Spintronics, which relies on controlled movement of magnetic nanostructures, offers a promising solution. Among the candidates, magnetic skyrmions are considered one of the most promising. These chiral spin structures, characterized by topological protection and enhanced stability compared to vortices or magnetic bubbles, have been extensively studied. To advance in the control of skyrmion motion, essential for practical applications, we investigated their dynamic behavior in a two-dimensional chiral magnet at zero temperature. Our study focused on the influence of periodic arrays of pinning centers. The simulations considered skyrmions as point-like particles considering the following interactions: skyrmion-skyrmion interactions, interactions with pinning center arrays, a current of polarized spins, and the Magnus force. We conducted calculations for scenarios involving a single skyrmion as well as different skyrmion density values in the material. The aim was to explore possibilities for controlled skyrmion motion, investigate different dynamic regimes, and examine collective effects. The results demonstrate that by adjusting the size, strength, and density of the pinning centers, we can effectively control the motion of individual skyrmions and manage the flow of multiple skyrmions. Furthermore, we discovered that periodic arrays of pinning centers can facilitate topological selection when different species of skyrmions with distinct Magnus components are present. Employing alternating currents, we observed the significant role of the ratchet effect in the skyrmion dynamics. By fine-tuning the amplitudes of the alternating currents, we achieved direct and controlled motion of skyrmions in specific directions. These findings hold potential for advancing our understanding of skyrmion dynamics and can inspire future technological applications involving these quasi-particles. Overall, we anticipate that our results will be valuable to the scientific community, contributing to a deeper comprehension of skyrmion dynamics and paving the way for future technological applications. |
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ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record |
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Impact Factor |
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Times cited |
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Open Access |
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Notes |
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Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:198101 |
Serial |
8852 |
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Author |
Vladimirova, N.V.; Frolov, A.S.; Sanchez-Barriga, J.; Clark, O.J.; Matsui, F.; Usachov, D.Y.; Muntwiler, M.; Callaert, C.; Hadermann, J.; Neudachina, V.S.; Tamm, M.E.; Yashina, L.V. |
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Title |
Occupancy of lattice positions probed by X-ray photoelectron diffraction : a case study of tetradymite topological insulators |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Surfaces and interfaces |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
36 |
Issue |
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Pages |
102516-10 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
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Abstract |
Occupancy of different structural positions in a crystal lattice often seems to play a key role in material prop-erties. Several experimental techniques have been developed to uncover this issue, all of them being mostly bulk sensitive. However, many materials including topological insulators (TIs), which are among the most intriguing modern materials, are intended to be used in devices as thin films, for which the sublattice occupancy may differ from the bulk. One of the possible approaches to occupancy analysis is X-ray Photoelectron Diffraction (XPD), a structural method in surface science with chemical sensitivity. We applied this method in a case study of Sb2(Te1-xSex)3 mixed crystals, which belong to prototypical TIs. We used high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) as a reference method to verify our analysis. We revealed that the XPD data for vacuum cleaved bulk crystals are in excellent agreement with the reference ones. Also, we demonstrate that the anion occupancy near a naturally formed surface can be rather different from that of the bulk. The present results are relevant for a wide range of compositions where the system remains a topological phase, as we ultimately show by probing the transiently occupied topological surface state above the Fermi level by ultrafast photoemission. |
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Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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Language |
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Wos |
000901694900001 |
Publication Date |
2022-11-28 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2468-0230 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record |
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Impact Factor |
6.2 |
Times cited |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
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Approved |
Most recent IF: 6.2; 2023 IF: NA |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:193502 |
Serial |
7327 |
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Author |
Vlasov, E.; Denisov, N.; Verbeeck, J. |
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Title |
Low-cost electron detector for scanning electron microscope |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
HardwareX |
Abbreviated Journal |
HardwareX |
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Volume |
14 |
Issue |
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Pages |
e00413 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
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Abstract |
Electron microscopy is an indispensable tool for the characterization of (nano) materials. Electron microscopes are typically very expensive and their internal operation is often shielded from the user. This situation can provide fast and high quality results for researchers focusing on e.g. materials science if they have access to the relevant instruments. For researchers focusing on technique development, wishing to test novel setups, however, the high entry price can lead to risk aversion and deter researchers from innovating electron microscopy technology further. The closed attitude of commercial entities about how exactly the different parts of electron microscopes work, makes it even harder for newcomers in this field. Here we propose an affordable, easy-to-build electron detector for use in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The aim of this project is to shed light on the functioning of such detectors as well as show that even a very modest design can lead to acceptable performance while providing high flexibility for experimentation and customization. |
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Corporate Author |
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Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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Language |
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Wos |
001042486000001 |
Publication Date |
2023-03-10 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2468-0672 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
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Times cited |
1 |
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) project SBO [Grant No. S000121N]. JV acknowledges funding from the HORIZON-INFRA-2022-TECH-01-01 project IMPRESS [Grant No. 101094299]. |
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
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Call Number |
EMAT @ emat @c:irua:195886 |
Serial |
7252 |
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| Permanent link to this record |
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Author |
Vlasov, E.; Skorikov, A.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S. |
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Title |
Secondary electron induced current in scanning transmission electron microscopy: an alternative way to visualize the morphology of nanoparticles |
Type |
A1 Journal Article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
ACS materials letters |
Abbreviated Journal |
ACS Materials Lett. |
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Volume |
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Issue |
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Pages |
1916-1921 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
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Abstract |
Electron tomography (ET) is a powerful tool to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nanomaterials in a transmission electron microscope. However, the acquisition of a conventional tilt series for ET is a time-consuming process and can therefore not provide 3D structural information in a time-efficient manner. Here, we propose surface-sensitive secondary electron (SE) imaging as an alternative to ET for the investigation of the morphology of nanomaterials. We use the SE electron beam induced current (SEEBIC) technique that maps the electrical current arising from holes generated by the emission of SEs from the sample. SEEBIC imaging can provide valuable information on the sample morphology with high spatial resolution and significantly shorter throughput times compared with ET. In addition, we discuss the contrast formation mechanisms that aid in the interpretation of SEEBIC data. |
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Corporate Author |
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Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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Language |
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Wos |
001006191600001 |
Publication Date |
2023-06-12 |
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Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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ISSN |
2639-4979 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
1 |
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Notes |
The funding for this project was provided by European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128, REALNANO). J.V. acknowledges the eBEAM project, which is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 101017720 (FET-Proactive EBEAM). L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (grant # PID2020-117779RB-I00). |
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
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Call Number |
EMAT @ emat @c:irua:197004 |
Serial |
8795 |
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Author |
Voordeckers, D. |
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Title |
Design to breathe : understanding and altering wind patterns in street canyons to reduce human exposure to air pollution |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
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Year |
2023 |
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Abbreviated Journal |
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Pages |
xxii, 303 p. |
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Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Research Group for Urban Development; Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS) |
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Abstract |
Air pollution is proclaimed by the World Health Organiaation (WHO) as the biggest environmental threat to human health. Street canyons, or urban roads flanked by a continuous row of high buildings on both sides, are perceived as typical bottleneck areas for air quality due to their lack of natural ventilation. This doctoral thesis aims to integrate expert knowledge on in-canyon flow fields and pollution dispersion in street canyons from the specialized field of (bio)engineering into the field of urban planning and vice versa. In Chapter 1, a Geospatial Information System (GIS) method was developed to detect exposure zones and hotspot street canyons. A critical combination between aspect ratio (AR > 0.65) and traffic volume (TVmax > 300) was detected and subsequently used to detect hotspot street canyons in three major European cities (Antwerp, London and Paris). Chapter 2 focusses on acquiring in-depth knowledge on flow and concentration fields in street canyons by conducting an extensive literature review on over 200 studies and translates this knowledge into nineteen guidelines and eleven spatial tools, comprised in a toolbox for urban planning. Subsequently, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used into a research trough design process (Chapter 4) to illustrate how the design tools can be applied to a specific case study (Belgiëlei, Antwerp). Alternations to traffic lanes (traffic lane reduction and lateral displacement) combined with low boundary walls (LBWs), were found to reduce NO2 levels in the entire pedestrian area up to – 3.6 % and peak pollutions were reduced by -8 %. A maximum NO2 reduction was reached by combining a traffic lane displacement with hedges, adjustments to the tree planting pattern and an increased ground-level permeability, leading to reductions up to – 4.5 % in the pedestrian areas. In conclusion, urban design was found to be a valuable tool to enhance the effect of emission reduction strategies and draw in-canyon concentrations closer to the value of the background concentration. However, the background concentration seemed to dominate the efficiency of the urban design interventions and therefore, additional measures should be taken to reduce background pollution levels. This dissertation aims to contribute to the awareness of air pollution in street canyons, as well as support local governments in taking action by delivering spatial tools and guidelines applicable for urban planning and represents a framework for the dissemination of expert information on air quality in street canyons to the field of urban planning. |
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Additional Links |
UA library record |
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Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:196399 |
Serial |
7767 |
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Author |
Voordeckers, D.; Lauriks, T.; Baetens, D.; Ysebaert, T.; Denys, S.; Billen, P.; Tytgat, T.; Van Acker, M. |
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Title |
Numerical study on the impact of traffic lane adjustments and low boundary walls on pedestrian exposure to NO2 in street canyons |
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A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Landscape and urban planning |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
243 |
Issue |
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Pages |
104974-13 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Economics; Law; Engineering sciences. Technology; Art; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Research Group for Urban Development; Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS); Research Group for Urban Development; Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS) |
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Abstract |
Mitigating the adverse effects of air pollution, especially on human health, is one of the greater contemporary challenges for cities. Street canyons have herein been identified as bottleneck areas in urbanized environments. Focusing on the necessity of fast-response interventions, strategies to control source-receptor pathways (e.g. implementing low boundary walls (LBWs)) are gaining interest. A potential strategy which is greatly overlooked is the adjustment (reduction or displacement) of traffic lanes in order to increase the distance between source (traffic) and recipient (pedestrians). Within our study, computation fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to simulate the impact of alternations to traffic lanes (whether or not combined with LBWs) on the pedestrian exposure to NO2 for a specific case-study (Belgie center dot lei, Antwerp) under two prevailing wind directions. The average differences in NO2 concentrations for the entire pedestrian area ranged between +1.0 % to-3.6 %. On specific locations, reduction up to-8.0 % were reached. In case of perpendicular winds, a lateral displacement of all traffic lanes towards the windward facade including LBWs was found most beneficial to reduce pedestrian exposure. LBWs also showed to be efficient in reducing potential adverse effects of lane displacement under less frequent wind directions. |
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Wos |
001134403700001 |
Publication Date |
2023-12-06 |
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ISSN |
0169-2046 |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record |
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no |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:201400 |
Serial |
9065 |
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Author |
Wahab, O.J.; Daviddi, E.; Xin, B.; Sun, P.Z.; Griffin, E.; Colburn, A.W.; Barry, D.; Yagmurcukardes, M.; Peeters, F.M.; Geim, A.K.; Lozada-Hidalgo, M.; Unwin, P.R. |
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Title |
Proton transport through nanoscale corrugations in two-dimensional crystals |
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A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Nature |
Abbreviated Journal |
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Volume |
620 |
Issue |
7975 |
Pages |
1-17 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
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Defect-free graphene is impermeable to all atoms(1-5) and ions(6,7) under ambient conditions. Experiments that can resolve gas flows of a few atoms per hour through micrometre-sized membranes found that monocrystalline graphene is completely impermeable to helium, the smallest atom(2,5). Such membranes were also shown to be impermeable to all ions, including the smallest one, lithium(6,7). By contrast, graphene was reported to be highly permeable to protons, nuclei of hydrogen atoms(8,9). There is no consensus, however, either on the mechanism behind the unexpectedly high proton permeability(10-14) or even on whether it requires defects in graphene's crystal lattice(6,8,15-17). Here, using high-resolution scanning electrochemical cell microscopy, we show that, although proton permeation through mechanically exfoliated monolayers of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride cannot be attributed to any structural defects, nanoscale non-flatness of two-dimensional membranes greatly facilitates proton transport. The spatial distribution of proton currents visualized by scanning electrochemical cell microscopy reveals marked inhomogeneities that are strongly correlated with nanoscale wrinkles and other features where strain is accumulated. Our results highlight nanoscale morphology as an important parameter enabling proton transport through two-dimensional crystals, mostly considered and modelled as flat, and indicate that strain and curvature can be used as additional degrees of freedom to control the proton permeability of two-dimensional materials. A study using high-resolution scanning electrochemical cell microscopy attributes proton permeation through defect-free graphene and hexagonal boron nitride to transport across areas of the structure that are under strain. |
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Wos |
001153630400007 |
Publication Date |
2023-08-23 |
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ISSN |
0028-0836; 1476-4687 |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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no |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:203827 |
Serial |
9078 |
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Author |
Wang, J.; Zhang, K.; Bogaerts, A.; Meynen, V. |
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3D porous catalysts for plasma-catalytic dry reforming of methane : how does the pore size affect the plasma-catalytic performance? |
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A1 Journal article |
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Year |
2023 |
Publication |
Chemical engineering journal |
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464 |
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142574-12 |
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Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
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Abstract |
The effect of pore size on plasma catalysis is crucial but still unclear. Studies have shown plasma cannot enter micropores and mesopores, so catalysts for traditional thermocatalysis may not fit plasma catalysis. Here, 3D porous Cu and CuO with different pore sizes were prepared using uniform silica particles (10–2000 nm) as templates, and compared in plasma-catalytic dry reforming. In most cases, the smaller the pore size, the higher the conversion of CH4 and CO2. Large pores reachable by more electrons did not improve the reaction efficiency. We attribute this to the small surface area and large crystallite size, as indicated by N2-sorption, mercury intrusion and XRD. While the smaller pores might not be reachable by electrons, due to the sheath formed in front of them, as predicted by modeling, they can still be reached by radicals formed in the plasma, and ions can even be attracted into these pores. An exception are the samples synthesized from 1 μm silica, which show better performance. We believe this is due to the electric field enhancement for pore sizes close to the Debye length. The performances of CuO and Cu with different pore sizes can provide references for future research on oxide supports and metal components of plasma catalysts. |
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000966076400001 |
Publication Date |
2023-03-21 |
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ISSN |
1385-8947; 1873-3212 |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
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Impact Factor |
15.1 |
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Open Access |
OpenAccess |
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Most recent IF: 15.1; 2023 IF: 6.216 |
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Call Number |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:194862 |
Serial |
7262 |
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