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Author González-Rubio, G.; de Oliveira, T.M.; Altantzis, T.; La Porta, A.; Guerrero-Martínez, A.; Bals, S.; Scarabelli, L.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Disentangling the effect of seed size and crystal habit on gold nanoparticle seeded growth Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemical communications Abbreviated Journal Chem Commun  
  Volume 53 Issue 53 Pages 11360-11363  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Oxidative etching was used to produce gold seeds of different sizes and crystal habits. Following detailed characterization, the seeds were grown under different conditions. Our results bring new insights toward understanding the effect of size and crystallinity on the growth of anisotropic particles, whilst identifying guidelines for the optimisation of new synthetic protocols of predesigned seeds.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000412814900019 Publication Date 2017-09-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1359-7345 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.319 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was funded by the Spanish MINECO (grant # MAT2013-46101-R, Ramon y Cajal fellowship to A. G.-M. and FPI fellowship to G. G.-R.). Financial support is acknowledged from the European Commission (EUSMI, 731019). S. B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant # 335078-COLOURATOMS). T. A. acknowledges a postdoctoral grant from Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). ECAS_Sara (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 6.319  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:146101UA @ admin @ c:irua:146101 Serial 4734  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Barreca, D.; Carraro, G.; Gasparotto, A.; Maccato, C.; Altantzis, T.; Sada, C.; Kaunisto, K.; Ruoko, T.-P.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Vapor Phase Fabrication of Nanoheterostructures Based on ZnO for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Advanced Materials Interfaces Abbreviated Journal Adv Mater Interfaces  
  Volume 4 Issue 4 Pages 1700161  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Nanoheterostructures based on metal oxide semiconductors have emerged

as promising materials for the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy.

In the present study, ZnO-based nanocomposites have been developed by

a hybrid vapor phase route, consisting in the chemical vapor deposition

of ZnO systems on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates, followed by the

functionalization with Fe2O3 or WO3 via radio frequency-sputtering. The

target systems are subjected to thermal treatment in air both prior and after

sputtering, and their properties, including structure, chemical composition,

morphology, and optical absorption, are investigated by a variety of characterization

methods. The obtained results evidence the formation of highly

porous ZnO nanocrystal arrays, conformally covered by an ultrathin Fe2O3

or WO3 overlayer. Photocurrent density measurements for solar-triggered

water splitting reveal in both cases a performance improvement with respect

to bare zinc oxide, that is mainly traced back to an enhanced separation of

photogenerated charge carriers thanks to the intimate contact between the

two oxides. This achievement can be regarded as a valuable result in view of

future optimization of similar nanoheterostructured photoanodes.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000411525700007 Publication Date 2017-05-15  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2196-7350 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.279 Times cited 30 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors kindly acknowledge the financial support under Padova University ex-60% 2013–2016, P-DiSC #SENSATIONAL BIRD2016- UNIPD projects and the post-doc fellowship ACTION. S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. COLOURATOM 335078) and T.A. acknowledges funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through a postdoctoral grant. Many thanks are also due to Dr. Rosa Calabrese (Department of Chemistry, Padova University, Italy) for experimental assistance. (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 4.279  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:146104UA @ admin @ c:irua:146104 Serial 4731  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kus, M.; Altantzis, T.; Vercauteren, S.; Caretti, I.; Leenaerts, O.; Batenburg, K.J.; Mertens, M.; Meynen, V.; Partoens, B.; Van Doorslaer, S.; Bals, S.; Cool, P. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Mechanistic Insight into the Photocatalytic Working of Fluorinated Anatase {001} Nanosheets Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 121 Issue 121 Pages 26275-26286  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)  
  Abstract Anatase nanosheets with exposed {001} facets

have gained increasing interest for photocatalytic applications. To

fully understand the structure-to-activity relation, combined

experimental and computational methods have been exploited.

Anatase nanosheets were prepared under hydrothermal conditions

in the presence of fluorine ions. High resolution scanning

transmission electron microscopy was used to fully characterize

the synthesized material, confirming the TiO2 nanosheet

morphology. Moreover, the surface structure and composition

of a single nanosheet could be determined by annular bright-field

scanning transmission electron microscopy (ABF-STEM) and

STEM electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS). The photocatalytic activity was tested for the decomposition of organic

dyes rhodamine 6G and methyl orange and compared to a reference TiO2 anatase sample. The anatase nanosheets with exposed

{001} facets revealed a significantly lower photocatalytic activity compared to the reference. In order to understand the

mechanism for the catalytic performance, and to investigate the role of the presence of F−, light-induced electron paramagnetic

resonance (EPR) experiments were performed. The EPR results are in agreement with TEM, proving the presence of Ti3+

species close to the surface of the sample and allowing the analysis of the photoinduced formation of paramagnetic species.

Further, ab initio calculations of the anisotropic effective mass of electrons and electron holes in anatase show a very high effective

mass of electrons in the [001] direction, having a negative impact on the mobility of electrons toward the {001} surface and thus

the photocatalysis. Finally, motivated by the experimental results that indicate the presence of fluorine atoms at the surface, we

performed ab initio calculations to determine the position of the band edges in anatase slabs with different terminations of the

{001} surface. The presence of fluorine atoms near the surface is shown to strongly shift down the band edges, which indicates

another reason why it can be expected that the prepared samples with a large amount of {001} surface, but with fluorine atoms

near the surface, show only a low photocatalytic activity.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000417228500017 Publication Date 2017-11-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 20 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge the University of Antwerp for financial support in the frame of a GOA project. S.B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the Seventh Framework Program (FP7), ERC Grant No. 335078 COLOURATOM. S.V.D. and V.M. acknowledge funding from the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (G.0687.13). T.A. acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through a postdoctoral grant. (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147240UA @ admin @ c:irua:147240 Serial 4771  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Udayabhaskararao, T.; Altantzis, T.; Houben, L.; Coronado-Puchau, M.; Langer, J.; Popovitz-Biro, R.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Vuković, L.; Král, P.; Bals, S.; Klajn, R. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Tunable porous nanoallotropes prepared by post-assembly etching of binary nanoparticle superlattices Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 358 Issue 358 Pages 514-518  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Self-assembly of inorganic nanoparticles has been used to prepare hundreds of different colloidal crystals, but almost invariably with the restriction that the particles must be densely packed. Here,we show that non–close-packed nanoparticle arrays can be fabricated through the selective removal of one of two components comprising binary nanoparticle superlattices. First, a variety of binary nanoparticle superlattices were prepared at the liquid-air interface, including several arrangements that were previously unknown. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the particular role of the liquid in templating the formation of superlattices not achievable through self-assembly in bulk solution. Second, upon stabilization, all of these binary superlattices could be transformed into distinct “nanoallotropes”—nanoporous materials having the same chemical composition but differing in their nanoscale architectures.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000413757500043 Publication Date 2017-10-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0036-8075 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 37.205 Times cited 113 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (grants 336080 CONFINEDCHEM to R.K. and 335078 COLOURATOM to S.B.), the Rothschild Caesarea Foundation (R.K.), the NSF (Division of Materials Research, grant 1506886) (P.K.), the European Commission (grant EUSMI 731019 to L.M.L.-M. and S.B.), and the startup funding from the University of Texas at El Paso (L.V.). L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (grant MAT2013- 46101-R). T.A. acknowledges funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through a postdoctoral grant. The computer support was provided by the Texas Advanced Computing Center. All data are reported in the main text and supplementary materials. ECAS_Sara (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 37.205  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147242UA @ admin @ c:irua:147242 Serial 4770  
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Author Asapu, R.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; Claes, N.; Blommaerts, N.; Minjauw, M.; Ahmad, T.; Dendooven, J.; Cool, P.; Bals, S.; Denys, S.; Detavernier, C.; Lenaerts, S.; Verbruggen, S.W. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasmonic Near-Field Localization of Silver Core–Shell Nanoparticle Assemblies via Wet Chemistry Nanogap Engineering Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 41577-41585  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Silver nanoparticles are widely used in the field of plasmonics because of their unique optical properties. The wavelength-dependent surface plasmon resonance gives rise to a strongly enhanced electromagnetic field, especially at so-called hot spots located in the nanogap in-between metal nanoparticle assemblies. Therefore, the interparticle distance is a decisive factor in plasmonic applications, such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). In this study, the aim is to engineer this interparticle distance for silver nanospheres using a convenient wet-chemical approach and to predict and quantify the corresponding enhancement factor using both theoretical and experimental tools. This was done by building a tunable ultrathin polymer shell around the nanoparticles using the layer-by-layer method, in which the polymer shell acts as the separating interparticle spacer layer. Comparison of different theoretical approaches and corroborating the results with SERS analytical experiments using silver and silver−polymer core−shell nanoparticle clusters as SERS substrates was also done. Herewith, an approach is provided to estimate the extent of plasmonic near-field enhancement both theoretically as well as experimentally.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000417005900057 Publication Date 2017-11-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.504 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes financial support through a research fellowship. C.D. wishes to thank the Hercules foundation for the financial support (SPINAL). P.C. and R.-G.C. acknowledge financial support by FWO Vlaanderen (project no. G038215N). N.C. and S.B. acknowledge the financial support from the European Research Council (ERC starting grant #335078-COLOURATOM). (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 7.504  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147243 Serial 4804  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Sentosun, K.; Lobato, I.; Bladt, E.; Zhang, Y.; Palenstijn, W.J.; Batenburg, K.J.; Van Dyck, D.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Artifact Reduction Based on Sinogram Interpolation for the 3D Reconstruction of Nanoparticles Using Electron Tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Particle and particle systems characterization Abbreviated Journal Part. Part. Syst. Charact.  
  Volume 34 Issue 34 Pages 1700287  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab  
  Abstract Electron tomography is a well-known technique providing a 3D characterization of the morphology and chemical composition of nanoparticles. However, several reasons hamper the acquisition of tilt series with a large number of projection images, which deteriorate the quality of the 3D reconstruction. Here, an inpainting method that is based on sinogram interpolation is proposed, which enables one to reduce artifacts in the reconstruction related to a limited tilt series of projection images. The advantages of the approach will be demonstrated for the 3D characterization of nanoparticles using phantoms and several case studies.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000418416100005 Publication Date 2017-10-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1521-4117 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes K.S. and S.B. acknowledge support from the Fund for Scientific ResearchFlanders (FWO) (G019014N and G021814N). S.B. acknowledges financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOM). Y.Z. acknowledges financial support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 665501 through a FWO [PEGASUS]2 Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship (12U4917N). The authors would like to thank Prof. Luis Liz-Marzán for provision of the samples. (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147857UA @ admin @ c:irua:147857 Serial 4798  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Cavaliere, E.; Benetti, G.; Van Bael, M.; Winckelmans, N.; Bals, S.; Gavioli, L. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Exploring the Optical and Morphological Properties of Ag and Ag/TiO2 Nanocomposites Grown by Supersonic Cluster Beam Deposition Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Nanomaterials Abbreviated Journal Nanomaterials-Basel  
  Volume 7 Issue 7 Pages 442  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Nanocomposite systems and nanoparticle (NP) films are crucial for many applications and research fields. The structure-properties correlation raises complex questions due to the collective structure of these systems, often granular and porous, a crucial factor impacting their effectiveness and performance. In this framework, we investigate the optical and morphological properties of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) films and of Ag NPs/TiO₂ porous matrix films, one-step grown by supersonic cluster beam deposition. Morphology and structure of the Ag NPs film and of the Ag/TiO₂ (Ag/Ti 50-50) nanocomposite are related to the optical properties of the film employing spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). We employ a simple Bruggeman effective medium approximation model, corrected by finite size effects of the nano-objects in the film structure to gather information on the structure and morphology of the nanocomposites, in particular porosity and average NPs size for the Ag/TiO₂ NP film. Our results suggest that SE is a simple, quick and effective method to measure porosity of nanoscale films and systems, where standard methods for measuring pore sizes might not be applicable.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000419186800037 Publication Date 2017-12-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2079-4991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.553 Times cited 19 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors thank Gabriele Ferrini for fruitful discussions on the spectroscopic ellipsometry model and Francesco Rossella from NEST for the optical profilometry data. The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union through the 7th Framework Program (FP7) under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (Reference No. 312483 ESTEEM2). Luca Gavioli, Emanuele Cavaliere and Giulio Benetti acknowledge support from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore through D.1.1 and D.3.1 grants. Approved Most recent IF: 3.553  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147862UA @ admin @ c:irua:147862 Serial 4802  
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Author Liao, T.-W.; Verbruggen, S.; Claes, N.; Yadav, A.; Grandjean, D.; Bals, S.; Lievens, P. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title TiO2 Films Modified with Au Nanoclusters as Self-Cleaning Surfaces under Visible Light Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Nanomaterials Abbreviated Journal Nanomaterials-Basel  
  Volume 8 Issue 8 Pages 30  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract In this study, we applied cluster beam deposition (CBD) as a new approach for fabricating efficient plasmon-based photocatalytic materials. Au nanoclusters (AuNCs) produced in the gas phase were deposited on TiO2 P25-coated silicon wafers with coverage ranging from 2 to 8 atomic monolayer (ML) equivalents. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of the AuNCs modified TiO2 P25 films show that the surface is uniformly covered by the AuNCs that remain isolated at low coverage (2 ML, 4 ML) and aggregate at higher coverage (8 ML). A clear relationship between AuNCs coverage and photocatalytic activity towards stearic acid photo-oxidation was measured, both under ultraviolet and green light illumination. TiO2 P25 covered with 4 ML AuNCs showed the best stearic acid photo-oxidation performance under green light illumination (Formal Quantum Efficiency 1.6 x 10-6 over a period of 93 h). These results demonstrate the large potential of gas-phase AuNCs beam deposition technology for the fabrication of visible light active plasmonic photocatalysts.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000424131600030 Publication Date 2018-01-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2079-4991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.553 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n 607417 (Catsense). We also thank the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO, Belgium), the Flemish Concerted Action (BOF KU Leuven, Project No. GOA/14/007) research program, and the microscope was partly funded by the Hercules Fund from the Flemish Government for the support. N.C. and S.B. acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOM). ECAS_Sara (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); Approved Most recent IF: 3.553  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147898UA @ admin @ c:irua:147898 Serial 4805  
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Author Winckelmans, N.; Altantzis, T.; Grzelczak, M.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Multimode Electron Tomography as a Tool to Characterize the Internal Structure and Morphology of Gold Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 122 Issue 122 Pages 13522-13528  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Three dimensional (3D) characterization of structural defects in nanoparticles by transmission electron microscopy is far from straightforward. We propose the use of a dose-efficient approach, so-called multimode tomography, during which tilt series of low and high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy projection images are acquired simultaneously. In this manner, not only reliable information can be obtained concerning the shape of the nanoparticles, but also the twin planes can be clearly visualized in 3D. As an example, we demonstrate the application of this approach to identify the position of the seeds with respect to the twinning planes in anisotropic gold nanoparticles synthesized using a seed mediated growth approach.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000437811500036 Publication Date 2018-01-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 23 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes S.B. and N.W. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the Seventh Framework Program (FP7), ERC Grant No. 335078 COLOURATOM. S.B. and T.A. acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project fundings (G.0369.15N and G.0218.14N) and a postdoctoral research grant to T.A. L.M.L.-M. and M.G. acknowledge funding from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (grant MAT2013-46101-R). L.M.L.-M. and S.B. acknowledge funding from the European Commission (grant EUSMI 731019). (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:148164UA @ admin @ c:irua:148164 Serial 4807  
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Author Yang, Z.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; Tendeloo, G.V.; Pileni, M.-P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Do Binary Supracrystals Enhance the Crystal Stability? Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 122 Issue 122 Pages 13515-13521  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract We study the oxygen thermal stability of two binary

systems. The larger particles are magnetic amorphous Co (7.2 nm) or

Fe3O4 (7.5 nm) nanocrystals, whereas the smaller ones (3.7 nm) are

Au nanocrystals. The nanocrystal ordering as well as the choice of the

magnetic nanoparticles very much influence the stability of the binary

system. A perfect crystalline structure is obtained with the Fe3O4/Au

binary supracrystals. For the Co/Au binary system, oxidation of Co

results in the chemical transformation from Co to CoO, where the size

of the amorphous Co nanoparticles increases from 7.2 to 9.8 nm in

diameter. During the volume expansion of the Co nanoparticles, Au

nanoparticles within the binary assemblies coalesce and are at the

origin of the instability of the binary nanoparticle supracrystals. On the

other hand, for the Fe3O4/Au binary system, the oxidation of Fe3O4 to

γ-Fe2O3 does not lead to a size change of the nanoparticles, which

maintains the stability of the binary nanoparticle supracrystals. A similar behavior is observed for an AlB2-type Co−Ag binary

system: The crystalline structure is maintained, whereas in disordered assemblies, coalescence of Ag nanocrystals is observed.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000437811500035 Publication Date 2018-01-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The research leading to these results has been supported by an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council under Grant 267129. The authors appreciate financial support by the European Union under the Framework 7 program under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (Reference No. 262348 ESMI). S.B. acknowledges funding from ERC Starting Grant COLOURATOMS (335078). T.A. acknowledges a postdoctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:149388UA @ admin @ c:irua:149388 Serial 4812  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Claes, N.; Solís, D.M.; Taboada, J.M.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Grzelczak, M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Reversible Clustering of Gold Nanoparticles under Confinement Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Angewandte Chemie: international edition in English Abbreviated Journal Angew Chem Int Edit  
  Volume 57 Issue 57 Pages 3183-3186  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A limiting factor of solvent-induced nanoparticle self-assembly is the need for constant sample dilution in assembly/disassembly cycles. Changes in the nanoparticle concentration alter the kinetics of the subsequent assembly process, limiting optical signal recovery. Herein, we show that upon confining hydrophobic nanoparticles in permeable silica nanocapsules, the number of nanoparticles participating in cyclic aggregation remains constant despite bulk changes in solution, leading to highly reproducible plasmon band shifts at different solvent compositions.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000426759900031 Publication Date 2018-02-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1433-7851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 11.994 Times cited 53 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes L.M.L.-M. and M.G. acknowledge funding from the Spanish MINECO (Grant #MAT2013-46101R). N.C. and S.B. acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOM). D.M.S., and J.M.T, acknowledge funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Spanish MINECO (Projects TEC2017-85376-C2-1-R, TEC2017-85376-C2-2-R), and from the ERDF and the Galician Regional Government under agreement for funding the Atlantic Research Center for Information and Communication Technologies (AtlantTIC). (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); ECAS_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 11.994  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:149558UA @ admin @ c:irua:149558 Serial 4911  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kumar, J.; Eraña, H.; López-Martínez, E.; Claes, N.; Martín, V.F.; Solís, D.M.; Bals, S.; Cortajarena, A.L.; Castilla, J.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Detection of amyloid fibrils in Parkinson’s disease using plasmonic chirality Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Abbreviated Journal P Natl Acad Sci Usa  
  Volume 115 Issue 115 Pages 3225-3230  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Amyloid fibrils, which are closely associated with various neurodegenerative

diseases, are the final products in many protein aggregation pathways. The identification of fibrils at low concentration is, therefore, pivotal in disease diagnosis and development of therapeutic strategies. We report a methodology for the specific identification of amyloid fibrils using chiroptical effects in plasmonic nanoparticles. The formation of amyloid fibrils based on α-synuclein was probed using gold nanorods, which showed no

apparent interaction with monomeric proteins but effective adsorption onto fibril structures via noncovalent interactions. The amyloid structure drives a helical nanorod arrangement, resulting in intense optical activity at the surface plasmon resonance wavelengths. This sensing technique was successfully applied to human brain homogenates of patients affected by Parkinson’s disease,

wherein protein fibrils related to the disease were identified through chiral signals from Au nanorods in the visible and near IR, whereas healthy brain samples did not exhibit any meaningful optical activity. The technique was additionally extended to the specific detection of infectious amyloids formed by prion proteins, thereby confirming the wide potential of the technique. The intense chiral response driven by strong dipolar coupling in helical Au nanorod arrangements allowed us to detect amyloid fibrils down to nanomolar concentrations.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000428382400032 Publication Date 2018-03-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0027-8424 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.661 Times cited 187 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We thank Prof. Dr. J.-P. Timmermans and the Antwerp Centre of Advanced Microscopy for providing access to the Tecnai G2 Spirit BioTWIN TEM. We also thank the Basque Biobank (Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research, BIOEF) for providing us with Parkinson’s disease-affected brain samples. J.K. acknowledges financial support from the European Commission under Marie Sklodowska-Curie Program H2020- MSCA-IF-2015708321. S.B. and A.L.C. acknowledge European Research Council Grants 335078 COLOURATOM and 648071 ProNANO. S.B. and L.M.L.-M. acknowledge funding from European Commission Grant EUSMI 731019. A.L.C., J.C., and L.M.L.-M. acknowledge funding from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) Grants MAT2013-46101- R, AGL2015-65046-C2-1-R, and BIO2016-77367-C2-1-R. (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:restricted); saraecas; ECASSara; Approved Most recent IF: 9.661  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:150355UA @ admin @ c:irua:150355 Serial 4918  
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Author Xia, C.; Winckelmans, N.; Prins, P.T.; Bals, S.; Gerritsen, H.C.; de Mello Donegá, C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Near-Infrared-Emitting CuInS2/ZnS Dot-in-Rod Colloidal Heteronanorods by Seeded Growth Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal of the American Chemical Society Abbreviated Journal J Am Chem Soc  
  Volume 140 Issue 140 Pages 5755-5763  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Synthesis protocols for anisotropic CuInX2 (X = S, Se, Te)-based heteronanocrystals (HNCs) are scarce due to the difficulty in balancing the reactivities of multiple precursors and the high solid-state diffusion rates of the cations involved in the CuInX2 lattice. In this work, we report a multistep seeded growth synthesis protocol that yields colloidal wurtzite CuInS2/ZnS dot core/rod shell HNCs with photoluminescence in the NIR (∼800 nm). The wurtzite CuInS2 NCs used as seeds are obtained by topotactic partial Cu+ for In3+ cation exchange in template Cu2–xS NCs. The seed NCs are injected in a hot solution of zinc oleate and hexadecylamine in octadecene, 20 s after the injection of sulfur in octadecene. This results in heteroepitaxial growth of wurtzite ZnS primarily on the Sulfur-terminated polar facet of the CuInS2 seed NCs, the other facets being overcoated only by a thin (∼1 monolayer) shell. The fast (∼21 nm/min) asymmetric axial growth of the nanorod proceeds by addition of [ZnS] monomer units, so that the polarity of the terminal (002) facet is preserved throughout the growth. The delayed injection of the CuInS2 seed NCs is crucial to allow the concentration of [ZnS] monomers to build up, thereby maximizing the anisotropic heteroepitaxial growth rates while minimizing the rates of competing processes (etching, cation exchange, alloying). Nevertheless, a mild etching still occurred, likely prior to the onset of heteroepitaxial overgrowth, shrinking the core size from 5.5 to ∼4 nm. The insights provided by this work open up new possibilities in designing multifunctional Cu-chalcogenide based colloidal heteronanocrystals.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000431600000016 Publication Date 2018-03-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0002-7863 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.858 Times cited 43 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Chenghui Xia acknowledges China Scholarship Council (CSC) for financial support (NO. 201406330055). S.B and N.W. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. COLOURATOMS 335078). C.d.M.D. acknowledge financial support from the division of Chemical Sciences (CW) of The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) under Grant Number ECHO.712.014.001. The authors thank Xiaobin Xie and Da Wang for some TEM measurements, Donglong Fu for XRD measurements, Christina H. M. van Oversteeg for ICP-OES measurements, and Chun-Che Lin for suggestions regarding the synthesis. ECAS_Sara (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 13.858  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:150362UA @ admin @ c:irua:150362 Serial 4917  
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Author Claes, N.; Asapu, R.; Blommaerts, N.; Verbruggen, S.W.; Lenaerts, S.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Characterization of silver-polymer core–shell nanoparticles using electron microscopy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 9186-9191  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Silver-polymer core–shell nanoparticles show interesting optical properties, making them widely applicable in the field of plasmonics. The uniformity, thickness and homogeneity of the polymer shell will affect the properties of the system which makes a thorough structural characterization of these core–shell silver-polymer nanoparticles of great importance. However, visualizing the shell and the particle simultaneously is far from straightforward due to the sensitivity of the polymer shell towards the electron beam. In this study, we use different 2D and 3D electron microscopy techniques to investigate different structural aspects of the polymer coating.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000437007700028 Publication Date 2018-04-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes N. C. and S. B. acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS) and from the FWO through project funding (G038116N). R. A. and S. L. acknowledge the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) for financial support. (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); ECAS_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:151290UA @ admin @ c:irua:151290 Serial 4959  
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Author Cremers, V.; Rampelberg, G.; Barhoum, A.; Walters, P.; Claes, N.; Oliveira, T.M. de; Assche, G.V.; Bals, S.; Dendooven, J.; Detavernier, C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Oxidation barrier of Cu and Fe powder by Atomic Layer Deposition Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Surface and coatings technology Abbreviated Journal Surf Coat Tech  
  Volume 349 Issue 349 Pages 1032-1041  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a vapor based technique which allows to deposit uniform, conformal films with a thickness control at the atomic scale. In this research, Al 2 O 3 coatings were deposited on micrometer-sized Fe and Cu powder (particles) using the thermal trimethylaluminum (TMA)/ water (H 2 O) process in a rotary pump-type ALD reactor. Rotation of the powder during deposition was required to obtain a pinhole-free ALD coating. The protective nature of the coating was evaluated by quantifying its effectiveness in protecting the metal particles during oxidative annealing treatments. The Al 2 O 3 coated powders were annealed in ambient air while in-situ thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and in-situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) data were acquired. The thermal stability of a series of Cu and Fe powder with different Al 2 O 3 thicknesses were determined with TGA. In both samples a clear shift in oxidation temperature is visible. For Cu and Fe powder coated with 25 nm Al 2 O 3 , we observed an increase of the oxidation temperature with 300-400°C. For the Cu powder a thin film of only 8 nm is required to obtain an initial increase in oxidation temperature of 200°C. In contrast, for Fe powder a thicker coating of 25 nm is required. In both cases, the oxidation temperature increases with increasing thickness of the Al 2 O 3 coating. These results illustrate that the Al 2 O 3 thin film, deposited by the thermal ALD process (TMA/H 2 O) can be an efficient and pinhole-free barrier layer for micrometer-sized powder particles, provided that the powder is properly agitated during the process to ensure sufficient vapour-solid interaction.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000441492600108 Publication Date 2018-06-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0257-8972 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.589 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support from the Strategic Initiative Materials in Flanders (SIM, SBO-FUNC project) and the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (GOA 01G01513). J. D. acknowledges the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen) for a postdoctoral fellowship. N.C. and S.B. acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant 335078-COLOURATOMS). The authors acknowledge S. Goeteyn for the assistance in preliminary depositions. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 2.589  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:152174UA @ admin @ c:irua:152174 Serial 4994  
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Author van den Bos, K.H.W.; Altantzis, T.; De Backer, A.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Recent breakthroughs in scanning transmission electron microscopy of small species Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Advances in Physics: X Abbreviated Journal Advances in Physics: X  
  Volume 3 Issue 3 Pages 1480420  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Over the last decade, scanning transmission electron microscopy has become one of the most powerful tools to characterise nanomaterials at the atomic scale. Often, the ultimate goal is to retrieve the three-dimensional structure, which is very challenging since small species are typically sensitive to electron irradiation. Nevertheless, measuring individual atomic positions is crucial to understand the relation between the structure and physicochemical properties of these (nano)materials. In this review, we highlight the latest approaches that are available to reveal the 3D atomic structure of small species. Finally, we will provide an outlook and will describe future challenges where the limits of electron microscopy will be pushed even further.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000441619500001 Publication Date 2018-08-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2374-6149 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) under Grant G.0368.15N, G.0369.15N, and G.0267.18N, by personal FWO Grants to K. H. W. van den Bos, T. Altantzis, and A. De Backer, and the European Research Council under Grant 335078 COLOURATOM to S. Bals. The authors would like to thank the colleagues who have contributed to this work over the years, including A. M. Abakumov, K. J. Batenburg, E. Countiño-Gonzalez, C. de Mello Donega, R. Erni, J. J. Geuchies, B. Goris, J. Hofkens, L. Jones, P. Lievens, L. M. Liz-Marzán, I. Lobato, G. T. Martinez, P. D. Nellist, B. Partoens, M. B. J. Roeffaers, M.D. Rossell, B. Schoeters, M. J. Van Bael, W. van der Stam, M. van Huis, G. Van Tendeloo, D. Vanmaekelbergh, and N. Winckelmans. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:152820UA @ admin @ c:irua:152820 Serial 5007  
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Author Peters, J.L.; Altantzis, T.; Lobato, I.; Jazi, M.A.; van Overbeek, C.; Bals, S.; Vanmaekelbergh, D.; Sinai, S.B. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Mono- and Multilayer Silicene-Type Honeycomb Lattices by Oriented Attachment of PbSe Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Analysis of the Disorder Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater  
  Volume 30 Issue 30 Pages 4831-4837  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Nanocrystal (NC) solids are commonly prepared from nonpolar organic NC suspensions. In many cases, the capping on the NC surface is preserved and forms a barrier between the NCs. More recently, superstructures with crystalline connections between the NCs, implying the removal of the capping, have been reported, too. Here, we present large-scale uniform superstructures of attached PbSe NCs with a silicene-type honeycomb geometry, resulting from solvent evaporation under nearly reversible conditions. We also prepared multilayered silicene honeycomb structures by using larger amounts of PbSe NCs. We show that the two-dimensional silicene superstructures can be seen as a crystallographic slice from a 3-D simple cubic structure. We describe the disorder in the silicene lattices in terms of the nanocrystals position and their atomic alignment. The silicene honeycomb sheets are large enough to be used in transistors and optoelectronic devices.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000440105500042 Publication Date 2018-07-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.466 Times cited 33 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge funding from the European Commission (Grant EUSMI 731019). S.B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (Grant 335078 COLOURATOM). T.A. acknowledges a postdoctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme by means of the Grant Agreement No. 731019 EUSMI. (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 9.466  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:152997UA @ admin @ c:irua:152997 Serial 5011  
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Author Amini, M.N.; Altantzis, T.; Lobato, I.; Grzelczak, M.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Van Aert, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Partoens, B.; Bals, S.; Neyts, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Understanding the Effect of Iodide Ions on the Morphology of Gold Nanorods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Particle and particle systems characterization Abbreviated Journal Part Part Syst Char  
  Volume 35 Issue 35 Pages 1800051  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The presence of iodide ions during the growth of gold nanorods strongly affects the shape of the final products, which is proposed to be due to selective iodide adsorption on certain crystallographic facets. Therefore, a detailed structural and morphological characterization of the starting rods is crucial toward understanding this effect. Electron tomography is used to determine the crystallographic indices of the lateral facets of gold nanorods, as well as those present at the tips. Based on this information, density functional theory calculations are used to determine the surface and interface energies of the observed facets and provide insight into the relationship between the amount of iodide ions in the growth solution and the final morphology of anisotropic gold nanoparticles.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000441893400002 Publication Date 2018-06-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0934-0866 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.474 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (grant 335078 COLOURATOM to S.B.). T.A., S.V.A. S.B. and E.C.N., acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium), through project funding (G.0218.14N and G.0369.15N) and a postdoctoral grant to T.A. L.M.L.-M. and M.G. acknowledge funding from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (grant MAT2013-46101-R). Mozhgan N. Amini and Thomas Altantzis contributed equally to this work. (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.474  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:152998UA @ admin @ c:irua:152998 Serial 5010  
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Author Guzzinati, G.; Altantzis, T.; Batuk, M.; De Backer, A.; Lumbeeck, G.; Samaee, V.; Batuk, D.; Idrissi, H.; Hadermann, J.; Van Aert, S.; Schryvers, D.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Recent Advances in Transmission Electron Microscopy for Materials Science at the EMAT Lab of the University of Antwerp Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Materials Abbreviated Journal Materials  
  Volume 11 Issue 11 Pages 1304  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The rapid progress in materials science that enables the design of materials down to the nanoscale also demands characterization techniques able to analyze the materials down to the same scale, such as transmission electron microscopy. As Belgium’s foremost electron microscopy group, among the largest in the world, EMAT is continuously contributing to the development of TEM techniques, such as high-resolution imaging, diffraction, electron tomography, and spectroscopies, with an emphasis on quantification and reproducibility, as well as employing TEM methodology at the highest level to solve real-world materials science problems. The lab’s recent contributions are presented here together with specific case studies in order to highlight the usefulness of TEM to the advancement of materials science.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000444112800041 Publication Date 2018-07-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1996-1944 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.654 Times cited 15 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0502.18N, G.0267.18N, G.0120.12N, G.0365.15N, G.0934.17N, S.0100.18N AUHA13009 ; European Research Council, COLOURATOM 335078 ; Universiteit Antwerpen, GOA Solarpaint ; G. Guzzinati, T. Altantzis and A. De Backer have been supported by postdoctoral fellowship grants from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). Funding was also received from the European Research Council (starting grant no. COLOURATOM 335078), the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 770887), the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project fundings (G.0502.18N, G.0267.18N, G.0120.12N, G.0365.15N, G.0934.17N, S.0100.18N, G.0401.16N) and from the University of Antwerp through GOA project Solarpaint. Funding for the TopSPIN precession system under grant AUHA13009, as well as for the Qu-Ant-EM microscope, is acknowledged from the HERCULES Foundation. H. Idrissi is mandated by the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS). (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 2.654  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:153737UA @ admin @ c:irua:153737 Serial 5064  
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Author Serrano-Sevillano, J.; Reynaud, M.; Saracibar, A.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; van Tendeloo, G.; Casas-Cabanas, M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Enhanced electrochemical performance of Li-rich cathode materials through microstructural control Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 20 Issue 20 Pages 23112-23122  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The microstructural complexity of Li-rich cathode materials has so far hampered understanding the critical link between size, morphology and structural defects with both capacity and voltage fadings that this family of materials exhibits. Li2MnO3 is used here as a model material to extract reliable structure–property

relationships that can be further exploited for the development of high-performing and long-lasting Li-rich oxides. A series of samples with microstructural variability have been prepared and thoroughly characterized using the FAULTS software, which allows quantification of planar defects and extraction of

average crystallite sizes. Together with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and density functional theory (DFT) results, the successful application of FAULTS analysis to Li2MnO3 has allowed rationalizing the synthesis conditions and identifying the individual impact of concurrent microstructural features on

both voltage and capacity fadings, a necessary step for the development of high-capacity Li-ion cathode materials with enhanced cycle life.
 
  Address  
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  Language Wos 000445220500071 Publication Date 2018-08-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9076 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.123 Times cited 36 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de la Economı´a y de la Competitividad through the project IONSTORE (MINECO ref. ENE2016-81020-R). The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme under Grant Agreement 312483 – ESTEEM2 (Integrated Infrastructure Initiative-I3). JSS and AS are grateful for computing time provided by the Spanish i2Basque Centers. MR acknowledges the Spanish State for its financial support through her post-doctoral grant Juan de la Cierva – Formacio´n (MINECO ref. FJCI-2014-19990) and her international mobility grant Jose´ Castillejos (MECD ref. CAS15/00354). S. B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC starting grant #335078 Colouratom) and T. A. a postdoctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.123  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:154782UA @ admin @ c:irua:154782 Serial 5062  
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Author Lak, A.; Cassani, M.; Mai, B.T.; Winckelmans, N.; Cabrera, D.; Sadrollahi, E.; Marras, S.; Remmer, H.; Fiorito, S.; Cremades-Jimeno, L.; Litterst, F.J.; Ludwig, F.; Manna, L.; Teran, F.J.; Bals, S.; Pellegrino, T. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Fe2+Deficiencies, FeO Subdomains, and Structural Defects Favor Magnetic Hyperthermia Performance of Iron Oxide Nanocubes into Intracellular Environment Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Nano letters Abbreviated Journal Nano Lett  
  Volume 18 Issue 18 Pages 6856-6866  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Herein, by studying a stepwise phase transformation of 23 nm FeO-Fe3O4 core-shell nanocubes into Fe3O4, we identify a composition at which the magnetic heating performance of the nanocubes is not affected by the medium viscosity and aggregation. Structural and magnetic characterizations reveal the transformation of the FeO-Fe3O4 nanocubes from having stoichiometric phase compositions into Fe2+ deficient Fe3O4 phases. The resultant nanocubes contain tiny compressed and randomly distributed FeO sub-domains as well as structural defects. This phase transformation causes a tenfold increase in the magnetic losses of the nanocubes, which remains exceptionally insensitive to the medium viscosity as well as aggregation unlike similarly sized single-phase magnetite nanocubes. We observe that the dominant relaxation mechanism switches from Néel in fresh core-shell nanocubes to Brownian in partially oxidized nanocubes and once again to Néel in completely treated nanocubes. The Fe2+ deficiencies and structural defects appear to reduce the magnetic energy barrier and anisotropy field, thereby driving the overall relaxation into Néel process. The magnetic losses of the particles remain unchanged through a progressive internalization/association to ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, the particles induce a significant cell death after being exposed to hyperthermia treatment. Here, we present the largest heating performance that has been reported to date for 23 nm iron oxide nanoparticles under cellular and intracellular conditions. Our findings clearly demonstrate the positive impacts of the Fe2+ deficiencies and structural defects in the Fe3O4 structure on the heating performance under cellular and intracellular conditions.  
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  Language Wos 000451102100028 Publication Date 2018-11-14  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1530-6984 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.712 Times cited 51 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work is partially funded by the European Research Council (starting grant ICARO, Contract No. 678109 and COLOURATOM-335078), Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MAT2016-81955-REDT, SEV-2016-0686, MAT2017-85617-R) Comunidad de Madrid (NANOFRONTMAG-CM, S2013/MIT-2850), the European COST Action TD1402 (RADIOMAG), and Ramon y Cajal subprogram (RYC-2011-09617). Financial support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG Priority Program 1681 (LU800/4-3). S.B. and N.W. acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through Project funding G038116N. A.L. acknowledges the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for the Postdoctoral Research Fellow funding. Mr Emilio J. Artés from the Advanced Instrumentation Unit (iMdea Nanociencia) is acknowledged for his technical assistance. L. M acknowledges the predoctoral fellowship funded from Comunidad de Madrid (PEJD-2017-PRE/IND-4189). Authors thank Tiziano Catelani and Doriana Debellis for the preparation of TEM cell samples (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 12.712  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:155439UA @ admin @ c:irua:155439 Serial 5072  
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Author Feld, A.; Weimer, A.; Kornowski, A.; Winckelmans, N.; Merkl, J.-P.; Kloust, H.; Zierold, R.; Schmidtke, C.; Schotten, T.; Riedner, M.; Bals, S.; Weller, P.D., Horst url  doi
openurl 
  Title Chemistry of Shape-Controlled Iron Oxide Nanocrystal Formation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 13 Issue 13 Pages 152-162  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Herein we demonstrate that meticulous and in-depth analysis of the reaction mechanisms of nanoparticle formation is rewarded by full control of size, shape and crystal structure of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocrystals during synthesis. Starting from two iron sources – iron(II)- and iron(III) carbonate -a strict separation of oleate formation from the generation of reactive pyrolysis products and concomitant nucleation of iron oxide nanoparticles was achieved. This protocol enabled us to analyze each step of nanoparticle formation independently in depth. Progress of the entire reaction was monitored via matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and gas chromatography (GC) gaining insight into the formation of various iron oleate species prior to nucleation. Interestingly, due to the intrinsic strongly reductive pyrolysis conditions of the oleate intermediates and redox process in early stages of the synthesis, pristine iron oxide nuclei were composed exclusively from wustite, irrespective of the oxidation state of the iron source. Controlling the reaction conditions provided a very broad range of size- and shape defined monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles. Curiously, after nucleation star shaped nanocrystals were obtained, which underwent metamorphism towards cubic shaped particles. EELS tomography revealed ex post oxidation of the primary wustite nanocrystal providing a full 3D image of Fe2+ and Fe3+ distribution within. Overall, we developed a highly flexible synthesis, yielding multigram amounts of well-defined iron oxide nanocrystals of different sizes and morphologies.  
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  Language Wos 000456749900017 Publication Date 2018-12-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 54 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – Projektnummer 192346071 – SFB 986 and the excellence cluster ‘The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging – Structure, Dynamics and Control of Matter at the Atomic Scale’ (by grant EXC 1074) S.B. and N.W. acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS) and from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through Project fundings G038116N. Dr. Volker Sauerland for his support in calibrating the MALDI-TOF spectra. Almut Bark for measuring XRD (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:155716UA @ admin @ c:irua:155716 Serial 5073  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vanrompay, H.; Bladt, E.; Albrecht, W.; Béché, A.; Zakhozheva, M.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title 3D characterization of heat-induced morphological changes of Au nanostars by fast in situ electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 22792-22801  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A thorough understanding of the thermal stability and potential reshaping of anisotropic gold nanostars is required for various potential applications. Combination of a tomographic heating holder with fast tilt series acquisition has been used to monitor temperature-induced morphological changes of Au nanostars. The outcome of our 3D investigations can be used as an input for boundary element method simulations, enabling us to investigate the influence of reshaping on the nanostars’ plasmonic properties. Our work leads to a better understanding of the mechanism behind thermal reshaping. In addition, the approach presented here is generic and can hence be applied to a wide variety of nanoparticles made of different materials and with arbitrary morphology.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000453248100010 Publication Date 2018-11-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 55 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes H.V. acknowledges financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant 1S32617N). E.B. acknowledges a post-doctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). W.A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020. The authors acknowledge funding from European Commission Grant (EUSMI 731019 to S.B., L.M.L.-M. and M.Z. and MUMMERING 765604 to S.B. and M.Z.). S.B. acknowledges financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078- COLOURATOMS).; Ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:155718UA @ admin @ c:irua:155718 Serial 5071  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Albrecht, W.; Bladt, E.; Vanrompay, H.; Smith, J.D.; Skrabalak, S.E.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Thermal Stability of Gold/Palladium Octopods Studied in Situ in 3D: Understanding Design Rules for Thermally Stable Metal Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 13 Issue 13 Pages 6522-6530  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Multifunctional metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as anisotropic multimetallic NPs are crucial for boosting nanomaterial based applications. Advanced synthetic protocols exist to make a large variety of such nanostructures. However, a major limiting factor for the usability of them in real life applications is their stability. Here, we show that Au/Pd octopods, 8-branched nanocrystals with Oh symmetry, with only a low amount of Pd exhibited a high thermal stability and maintained strong plasmon resonances up to 600 ◦C. Furthermore, we study the influence of the composition, morphology and environment on the thermal stability and define key parameters for the design of thermally stable multifunctional NPs.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000473248300038 Publication Date 2019-06-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 46 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes W. A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020. H. V. acknowledges financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant 1S32617N). E. B. acknowledges a post-doctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). J. D. S. and S.E.S acknowledge funding from the US National Science Foundation (award number: CHE-1602476). The authors acknowledge funding from the European Commission Grant (EUSMI E180600101 to S. B. and S. E. S.) and European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS). Realnano 815128; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:161356 Serial 5285  
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Author Blommaerts, N.; Vanrompay, H.; Nuti, S.; Lenaerts, S.; Bals, S.; Verbruggen, S.W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Unraveling Structural Information of Turkevich Synthesized Plasmonic Gold-Silver Bimetallic Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume 15 Issue 15 Pages 1902791  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract For the synthesis of gold-silver bimetallic nanoparticles, the Turkevich method has been the state-of-the-art method for several decades. It has been presumed that this procedure results in a homogeneous alloy, although this has been debatable for many years. In this work, it is shown that neither a full alloy, nor a perfect core-shell particle is formed but rather a core-shell-like particle with altering metal composition along the radial direction. In-depth wet-chemical experiments are performed in combination with advanced transmission electron microscopy, including EDX tomography, and Finite Element Method modeling to support the observations. From the electron tomography results, the core-shell structure could be clearly visualized and the spatial distribution of gold and silver atoms could be quantified. Theoretical simulations are performed to demonstrate that even though UV-Vis spectra show only one plasmon band, this still originates from core-shell type structures. The simulations also indicate that the core-shell morphology does not so much affect the location of the plasmon band, but mainly results in significant band broadening. Wet-chemistry experiments provide the evidence that the synthesis pathway starts with gold enriched alloy cores, and later on in the synthesis mainly silver is incorporated to end up with a silver enriched alloy shell.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000482637100001 Publication Date 2019-08-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 26 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Universiteit Antwerpen; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1S32617N G.0369.15N G.0381.16N ; Approved Most recent IF: 8.643  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:161636 Serial 5290  
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Author Cremers, V.; Rampelberg, G.; Baert, K.; Abrahami, S.; Claes, N.; de Oliveira, T.M.; Terryn, H.; Bals, S.; Dendooven, J.; Detavernier, C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Corrosion protection of Cu by atomic layer deposition Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Journal of vacuum science and technology: A: vacuum surfaces and films Abbreviated Journal J Vac Sci Technol A  
  Volume 37 Issue 37 Pages 060902  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a vapor phase technique that is able to deposit uniform, conformal thin films with an excellent thickness control at the atomic scale. 18 nm thick Al2O3 and TiO2 coatings were deposited conformaly and pinhole-free onto micrometer-sized Cu powder, using trimethylaluminum and tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium(IV), respectively, as a precursor and de-ionized water as a reactant. The capability of the ALD coating to protect the Cu powder against corrosion was investigated. Therefore, the stability of the coatings was studied in solutions with different pH in the range of 0–14, and in situ raman spectroscopy was used to detect the emergence of corrosion products of Cu as an indication that the protective coating starts to fail. Both ALD coatings provide good protection at standard pH values in the range of 5–7. In general, the TiO2 coating shows a better barrier protection against corrosion than the Al2O3 coating. However, for the most extreme pH conditions, pH 0 and pH 14, the TiO2 coating starts also to degrade.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000517925800003 Publication Date 2019-09-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0734-2101 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.374 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support from the Strategic Initiative Materials in Flanders (SIM, SBO-FUNC project) and the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (No. GOA 01G01513). J.D. acknowledges the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen) for a postdoctoral fellowship. Approved Most recent IF: 1.374  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:162640 Serial 5361  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ramachandran, R.K.; Filez, M.; Solano, E.; Poelman, H.; Minjauw, M.M.; Van Daele, M.; Feng, J.-Y.; La Porta, A.; Altantzis, T.; Fonda, E.; Coati, A.; Garreau, Y.; Bals, S.; Marin, G.B.; Detavernier, C.; Dendooven, J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Chemical and Structural Configuration of Pt Doped Metal Oxide Thin Films Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater  
  Volume 31 Issue 31 Pages 9673-9683  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Pt doped semiconducting metal oxides and Pt metal clusters embedded in an oxide matrix are of interest for applications such as catalysis and gas sensing, energy storage and memory devices. Accurate tuning of the dopant level is crucial for adjusting the properties of these materials. Here, a novel atomic layer deposition (ALD) based method for doping Pt into In2O3 in specific, and metals in metal oxides in general, is demonstrated. This approach combines alternating exposures of Pt and In2O3 ALD processes in a single ‘supercycle’, followed by supercycle repetition leading to multilayered nanocomposites. The atomic level control of ALD and its conformal nature make the method suitable for accurate dopant control even on high surface area supports. Oxidation state, local structural environment and crystalline phase of the embedded Pt dopants were obtained by means of X-ray characterization methods and high angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). In addition, this approach allows characterization of the nucleation stages of metal ALD processes, by stacking those states multiple times in an oxide matrix. Regardless of experimental conditions, a few Pt ALD cycles leads to the formation of oxidized Pt species due to their highly dispersed nature, as proven by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and highresolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (HR-STEM/EDXS) show that Pt is evenly distributed in the In2O3 metal oxide matrix without the formation of clusters. For a larger number of Pt ALD

cycles, typ. > 10, the oxidation state gradually evolves towards fully metallic, and metallic Pt clusters are obtained within the In2O3 metal oxide matrix. This work reveals how tuning of the ALD supercycle approach for Pt doping allows controlled engineering of the Pt compositional and structural configuration within a metal oxide matrix.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000502418000010 Publication Date 2019-11-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.466 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was supported by the Flemish Research Foundation (FWO-Vlaanderen), the Flemish Government (Long term structural funding – Methusalem funding and Medium scale research infrastructure funding-Hercules funding), the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (GOA 01G01513) and the CALIPSO Trans National Access Program funded by the European Commission in supplying financing of travel costs. We are grateful to the SIXS and SAMBA-SOLEIL staff for smoothly running the beamline facilities. J.D. and R.K.R. are postdoctoral fellows of the FWO. Approved Most recent IF: 9.466  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:164056 Serial 5380  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Skorikov, A.; Albrecht, W.; Bladt, E.; Xie, X.; van der Hoeven, J.E.S.; van Blaaderen, A.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Quantitative 3D Characterization of Elemental Diffusion Dynamics in Individual Ag@Au Nanoparticles with Different Shapes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 13 Issue 13 Pages 13421-13429  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Anisotropic bimetallic nanoparticles are promising candidates for plasmonic and catalytic applications. Their catalytic performance and plasmonic properties are closely linked to the distribution of the two metals, which can change during applications in which the particles are exposed to heat. Due to this fact, correlating the thermal stability of complex heterogeneous nanoparticles to their microstructural properties is of high interest for the practical applications of such materials. Here, we employ quantitative electron tomography in high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADFSTEM) mode to measure the 3D elemental diffusion dynamics in individual anisotropic Au−Ag nanoparticles upon heating in situ. This approach allows us to study the elemental redistribution in complex, asymmetric nanoparticles on a single particle level, which has been inaccessible to other techniques so far. In this work, we apply the proposed method to compare the alloying dynamics of Au−Ag nanoparticles with different shapes and compositions and find that the shape of the nanoparticle does not exhibit a significant effect on the alloying speed whereas the composition does. Finally, comparing the experimental results to diffusion simulations allows us to estimate the diffusion coefficients of the metals for individual nanoparticles.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000500650000115 Publication Date 2019-10-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This project has received funding from the European Commission (grant 731019, EUSMI) and European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grants 815128, REALNANO; 770887, PICOMETRICS; 648991, 3MC; and ERC Advanced Grant 291667, HierarSACol). This project has also received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement 823717, ESTEEM3. W.A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (grant 797153, SOPMEN). E.B. acknowledges a postdoctoral grant 12T2719N from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). X.X. acknowledges financial support from the EU H2020-MSCAITN-2015 project 676045, MULTIMAT. The authors also acknowledge financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grants G038116N, G026718N, and G036915N).; sygma; esteem3JRA; esteem3reported Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:164061 Serial 5379  
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Author Kirkwood, N.; De Backer, A.; Altantzis, T.; Winckelmans, N.; Longo, A.; Antolinez, F.V.; Rabouw, F.T.; De Trizio, L.; Geuchies, J.J.; Mulder, J.T.; Renaud, N.; Bals, S.; Manna, L.; Houtepen, A.J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Locating and controlling the Zn content in In(Zn)P quantum dots Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater  
  Volume 32 Issue 32 Pages 557-565  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Zinc is routinely employed in the synthesis of InP quantum dots (QDs) to improve the photoluminescence efficiency and carrier mobility of the resulting In(Zn)P alloy nanostructures. The exact location of Zn in the final structures and the mechanism by which it enhances the optoelectronic properties of the QDs is debated. We use synchrotron X-ray absorbance spectroscopy to show that the majority of Zn in In(Zn)P QDs is located at their surface as Zn-carboxylates. However, a small amount of Zn is present inside the bulk of the QDs with the consequent contraction of their lattice, as confirmed by combining high resolution high-angle annular dark-field imaging scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) with statistical parameter estimation theory. We further demonstrate that the Zn content and its incorporation into the QDs can be tuned by the ligation of commonly employed Zn carboxylate precursors: the use of highly reactive Zn-acetate leads to the formation of undesired Zn3P2 and the final nanostructures being characterized by broad optical features, whereas Zn-carboxylates with longer carbon chains lead to InP crystals with much lower zinc content and narrow optical features. These results can explain the differences between structural and optical properties of In(Zn)P samples reported across the literature, and provide a rational method to tune the amount of Zn in InP nanocrystals and to drive the incorporation of Zn either as surface Zn-carboxylate, as a substitutional dopant inside the InP crystal lattice, or even predominantly as Zn3P2.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000507721600056 Publication Date 2019-12-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.466 Times cited 39 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes A.J.H. acknowledges support from the European Research Council Horizon 2020 ERC Grant Agreement No. 678004 (Doping on Demand). This research is supported by the Dutch Technology Foundation TTW, which is part of The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and which is partly funded by Ministry of Economic Affairs. SB acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (grant 815128 REALNANO). The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project funding G.0381.16N and a postdoctoral grant to A.D.B. AJH, LM and JM acknowledge support from the H2020 Collaborative Project TEQ (Grant No. 766900).; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 9.466  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:165234 Serial 5438  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Peeters, H.; Keulemans, M.; Nuyts, G.; Vanmeert, F.; Li, C.; Minjauw, M.; Detavernier, C.; Bals, S.; Lenaerts, S.; Verbruggen, S.W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasmonic gold-embedded TiO2 thin films as photocatalytic self-cleaning coatings Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Applied Catalysis B-Environmental Abbreviated Journal Appl Catal B-Environ  
  Volume 267 Issue 267 Pages 118654  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); AXES (Antwerp X-ray Analysis, Electrochemistry and Speciation); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Transparent photocatalytic TiO2 thin films hold great potential in the development of self-cleaning glass sur-

faces, but suffer from a poor visible light response that hinders the application under actual sunlight. To alleviate this problem, the photocatalytic film can be modified with plasmonic nanoparticles that interact very effectively with visible light. Since the plasmonic effect is strongly concentrated in the near surroundings of the nano- particle surface, an approach is presented to embed the plasmonic nanostructures in the TiO2 matrix itself, rather than deposit them loosely on the surface. This way the interaction interface is maximised and the plasmonic effect can be fully exploited. In this study, pre-fabricated gold nanoparticles are made compatible with the organic medium of a TiO2 sol-gel coating suspension, resulting in a one-pot coating suspension. After spin coating, homogeneous, smooth, highly transparent and photoactive gold-embedded anatase thin films are ob- tained.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000518865300002 Publication Date 2020-01-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 22.1 Times cited 57 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes H.P. is grateful to the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) for an aspirant PhD scholarship. Approved Most recent IF: 22.1; 2020 IF: 9.446  
  Call Number (up) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:165616 Serial 5446  
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