toggle visibility
Search within Results:
Display Options:

Select All    Deselect All
 |   | 
Details
   print
  Records Links
Author Gasparotto, A.; Maccato, C.; Sada, C.; Carraro, G.; Kondarides, D.I.; Bebelis, S.; Petala, A.; La Porta, A.; Altantzis, T.; Barreca, D. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Controlled Surface Modification of ZnO Nanostructures with Amorphous TiO2for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2019 Publication Advanced Sustainable Systems Abbreviated Journal Adv. Sustainable Syst.  
  Volume Issue Pages 1900046  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ;  
  Abstract The utilization of solar radiation to trigger photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has gained interest for sustainable energy production. In this study, attention is focused on the development of ZnO–TiO2 nanocomposite photoanodes. The target systems are obtained by growing porous arrays of highly crystalline, elongated ZnO nanostructures on indium tin oxide (ITO) by chemical vapor deposition. Subsequently, the obtained nanodeposits are functionalized with TiO2 via radio frequency-sputtering for different process durations, and subjected to final annealing in air. Characterization results demonstrate the successful formation of high purity composite systems in which the surface of ZnO nanostructures is decorated by ultra-small amounts of amorphous titania, whose content can be conveniently tailored as a function of deposition time. Photocurrent density measurements in sunlight triggered water splitting highlight a remarkable performance enhancement with respect to single-phase zinc and titanium oxides, with up to a threefold photocurrent increase compared to bare ZnO. These results, mainly traced back to the formation of ZnO/TiO2 heterojunctions yielding an improved photocarrier separation, show that the target nanocomposites are attractive photoanodes for efficient PEC water splitting.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2019-06-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 2366-7486 ISBN Additional Links  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This work was financially supported by Padova University DOR 2016–2019, P-DiSC #03BIRD2016-UNIPD, and #03BIRD2018-UNIPD projects and ACTION post-doc fellowship. A.G. acknowledges AMGAFoundation and INSTM Consortium. T.A. acknowledges a postdoctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). Thanks are also due to Dr. Sebastiano Pianta (Department of Chemical Sciences, Padova University, Italy) for experimental assistance. Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ Serial 5186  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Gonzalez-Rubio, G.; Kumar, V.; Llombart, P.; Diaz-Nunez, P.; Bladt, E.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; Pena-Rodriguez, O.; Noya, E.G.; MacDowell, L.G.; Guerrero-Martinez, A.; Liz-Marzan, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Disconnecting Symmetry Breaking from Seeded Growth for the Reproducible Synthesis of High Quality Gold Nanorods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 13 Issue 13 Pages 4424-4435  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract One of the major difficulties hindering the widespread application of colloidal anisotropic plasmonic nanoparticles is the limited robustness and reproducibility of multistep synthetic methods. We demonstrate herein that the reproducibility and reliability of colloidal gold nanorod (AuNR) synthesis can be greatly improved by disconnecting the symmetry-breaking event from the seeded growth process. We have used a modified silver-assisted seeded growth method in the presence of the surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and n-decanol as a co-surfactant to prepare small AuNRs in high yield, which were then used as seeds for the growth of high quality AuNR colloids. Whereas the use of n-decanol provides a more-rigid micellar system, the growth on anisotropic seeds avoids sources of irreproducibility during the symmetry breaking step, yielding uniform AuNR colloids with narrow plasmon bands, ranging from 600 to 1270 nm, and allowing the fine-tuning of the final dimensions. This method provides a robust route for the preparation of high quality AuNR colloids with tunable morphology, size, and optical response in a reproducible and scalable manner.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000466052900067 Publication Date 2019-04-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 100 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; This work has been funded by the Spanish MINECO (grant nos. FIS2017-89361-C3-2-P and MAT2017-86659-R), the Madrid Regional Government (grant no. P2018/NMT-4389) and the Complutense University of Madrid (grant no. PR75/18-21616). Funding is acknowledged from the European Commission (grant no. EUSMI 731019). G.G.-R. acknowledges receipt of FPI Fellowship from the Spanish MINECO. E.B. and T.A. acknowledge postdoctoral grants from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). The authors are indebted to Profs. Justin Gooding, Watson Loh, Nicholas Kotov, Deqing Zhang, Mihaela Delcea, Maurizio Prato, and Krishna Ganesh, for providing milli-Q water samples. ; Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:160417 Serial 5246  
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 (up)  
  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 EMAT @ emat @c:irua:164056 Serial 5380  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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 (up)  
  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 EMAT @ emat @c:irua:165234 Serial 5438  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Choukroun, D.; Daems, N.; Kenis, T.; Van Everbroeck, T.; Hereijgers, J.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; Cool, P.; Breugelmans, T. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Bifunctional nickel-nitrogen-doped-carbon-supported copper electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 124 Issue 124 Pages 1369-1381  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Bifunctionality is a key feature of many industrial catalysts, supported metal clusters and particles in particular, and the development of such catalysts for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to hydrocarbons and alcohols is gaining traction in light of recent advancements in the field. Carbon-supported Cu nanoparticles are suitable candidates for integration in the state-of-the-art reaction interfaces, and here, we propose, synthesize, and evaluate a bifunctional Ni–N-doped-C-supported Cu electrocatalyst, in which the support possesses active sites for selective CO2 conversion to CO and Cu nanoparticles catalyze either the direct CO2 or CO reduction to hydrocarbons. In this work, we introduce the scientific rationale behind the concept, its applicability, and the challenges with regard to the catalyst. From the practical aspect, the deposition of Cu nanoparticles onto carbon black and Ni–N–C supports via an ammonia-driven deposition precipitation method is reported and explored in more detail using X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) give further evidence of the presence of Cu-containing nanoparticles on the Ni–N–C supports while revealing an additional relationship between the nanoparticle’s composition and the electrode’s electrocatalytic performance. Compared to the benchmark carbon black-supported Cu catalysts, Ni–N–C-supported Cu delivers up to a 2-fold increase in the partial C2H4 current density at −1.05 VRHE (C1/C2 = 0.67) and a concomitant 10-fold increase of the CO partial current density. The enhanced ethylene production metrics, obtained by virtue of the higher intrinsic activity of the Ni–N–C support, point out toward a synergistic action between the two catalytic functionalities.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000508467700015 Publication Date 2020-01-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.7 Times cited 24 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; N.D. acknowledges sponsoring from the research foundation of Flanders (FWO) in the frame of a postdoctoral grant (12Y3919N N.D.). J.H. greatly acknowledges the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) for support through a postdoctoral fellowship (28761). T.V.E. and P.C. acknowledge financial support from the EU-Partial-PGMs project (H2020NMP-686086). The authors also acknowledge financial support from the university research fund (BOF-GOA PS ID No. 33928). ; Approved Most recent IF: 3.7; 2020 IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:165326 Serial 6286  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Agrawal, H.; Patra, B.K.; Altantzis, T.; De Backer, A.; Garnett, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Quantifying Strain and Dislocation Density at Nanocube Interfaces after Assembly and Epitaxy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Applied Materials & Interfaces Abbreviated Journal Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 12 Issue 7 Pages 8788-8794  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Nanoparticle self-assembly and epitaxy are utilized extensively to make 1D and 2D structures with complex shapes. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) has shown that single-crystalline interfaces can form, but little is known about the strain and dislocations at these interfaces. Such information is critically important for applications: drastically reducing

dislocation density was the key breakthrough enabling widespread implementation of light-emitting diodes, while strain engineering has been fundamental to modern high-performance transistors, solar cells, and thermoelectrics. In this work, the interfacial defect and strain formation after selfassembly and room temperature epitaxy of 7 nm Pd nanocubes capped with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is examined. It is observed that, during ligand removal, the cubes move over large distances on the substrate, leading to both spontaneous self-assembly and epitaxy to form single crystals. Subsequently, atomically resolved images are used to quantify the strain and dislocation density at the epitaxial interfaces between cubes with different lateral and angular misorientations. It is shown that dislocation- and strain-free interfaces form when the nanocubes align parallel to each other. Angular misalignment between adjacent cubes does not necessarily lead to grain boundaries but does cause dislocations, with higher densities associated with larger rotations.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000515214300101 Publication Date 2020-02-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.5 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek; H2020 Research Infrastructures, 731019 ; Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 14846 ; The work at AMOLF is part of the research program of the “Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek” (NWO). This work was supported by the NWO VIDI grant (project no. 14846). The authors would like to thank Reinout Jaarsma and Dr. Sven Askes for helping with the XPS measurements. A.D.B. 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. Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2020 IF: 7.504  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:167770 Serial 6398  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Milagres de Oliveira, T.; Albrecht, W.; González-Rubio, G.; Altantzis, T.; Lobato Hoyos, I.P.; Béché, A.; Van Aert, S.; Guerrero-Martínez, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title 3D Characterization and Plasmon Mapping of Gold Nanorods Welded by Femtosecond Laser Irradiation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 14 Issue Pages acsnano.0c02610  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Ultrafast laser irradiation can induce morphological and structural changes in plasmonic nanoparticles. Gold nanorods (Au NRs), in particular, can be welded together upon irradiation with femtosecond laser pulses, leading to dimers and trimers through the formation of necks between individual nanorods. We used electron tomography to determine the 3D (atomic) structure at such necks for representative welding geometries and to characterize the induced defects. The spatial distribution of localized surface plasmon modes for different welding configurations was assessed by electron energy loss spectroscopy. Additionally, we were able to directly compare the plasmon line width of single-crystalline and welded Au NRs with single defects at the same resonance energy, thus making a direct link between the structural and plasmonic properties. In this manner, we show that the occurrence of (single) defects results in significant plasmon broadening.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000586793400016 Publication Date 2020-08-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 17.1 Times cited 25 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This project has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC Consolidator Grants #815128 – REALNANO and #770887 – PICOMETRICS). The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project funding G.0381.16N and G.0267.18N. W.A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie 27 Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (grant 797153, SOPMEN). G.G.-R. acknowledge receipt of FPI Fellowship from the Spanish MINECO. This work has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) (Grants RTI2018-095844-B-I00 and MAT2017-86659-R) and the Madrid Regional Government (Grant P2018/NMT-4389). A.B. acknowledges funding from FWO project G093417N and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 823717 – ESTEEM3. L.M.L.-M. acknowledges the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency (Grant No. MDM-2017-0720); Comunidad de Madrid, P2018/NMT-4389 ; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, MAT2017-86659-R RTI2018-095844-B-I00 ; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, 797153 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0267.18N G.0381.16N G093417N ; H2020 Research Infrastructures, 823717 ; H2020 European Research Council, 770887 815128 ; Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, MDM-2017-0720 ; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 17.1; 2020 IF: 13.942  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:172440 Serial 6426  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, D.; Dasgupta, T.; van der Wee, E.B.; Zanaga, D.; Altantzis, T.; Wu, Y.; Coli, G.M.; Murray, C.B.; Bals, S.; Dijkstra, M.; van Blaaderen, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Binary icosahedral clusters of hard spheres in spherical confinement Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Nature Physics Abbreviated Journal Nat Phys  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-9  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract The influence of geometry on the local and global packing of particles is important to many fundamental and applied research themes, such as the structure and stability of liquids, crystals and glasses. Here we show by experiments and simulations that a binary mixture of hard-sphere-like nanoparticles crystallizing into a MgZn(2)Laves phase in bulk spontaneously forms icosahedral clusters in slowly drying droplets. Using advanced electron tomography, we are able to obtain the real-space coordinates of all the spheres in the icosahedral clusters of up to about 10,000 particles. The local structure of 70-80% of the particles became similar to that of the MgCu(2)Laves phase. These observations are important for photonic applications. In addition, we observed in simulations that the icosahedral clusters nucleated away from the spherical boundary, which is distinctly different from that of the single species clusters. Our findings open the way for particle-level studies of nucleation and growth of icosahedral clusters, and of binary crystallization. The authors investigate out-of-equilibrium crystallization of a binary mixture of sphere-like nanoparticles in small droplets. They observe the spontaneous formation of an icosahedral structure with stable MgCu(2)phases, which are promising for photonic applications.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000564497300002 Publication Date 2020-08-31  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 1745-2473; 1745-2481 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 19.6 Times cited 38 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; D.W., E.B.v.d.W. and A.v.B. acknowledge partial financial support from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP-2007-2013)/ERC Advanced Grant Agreement 291667 HierarSACol. T.D. and M. D. acknowledge financial support from the Industrial Partnership Programme, 'Computational Sciences for Energy Research' (grant number 13CSER025), of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), which was co-financed by Shell Global Solutions International BV G.M.C. was also financially supported by NWO. S.B. acknowledges financial support from ERC Consolidator Grant Number 815128 REALNANO. T.A. acknowledges a post-doctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). C.B.M. and Y.W. acknowledge support for materials synthesis from the Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative Award ONR N00014-18-1-2497. G. A. Blab is gratefully acknowledged for 3D printing numerous truncated tetrahedra, which increased our understanding of the connection between the binary icosahedral cluster and Laves phase structures. N. Tasios is sincerely thanked for providing the code for the diffraction pattern calculation. M. Hermes is sincerely thanked for providing interactive views of the structures in this work. We thank G. van Tendeloo, M. Engel, J. Wang, S. Dussi, L. Filion, E. Boattini, S. Paliwal, N. Tasios, B. van der Meer, I. Lobato, J. Wu and L. Laurens for fruitful discussions. We acknowledge the EM Square centre at Utrecht University for the access to the microscopes. ; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 19.6; 2020 IF: 22.806  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:172044 Serial 6460  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Bagiński, M.; Pedrazo-Tardajos, A.; Altantzis, T.; Tupikowska, M.; Vetter, A.; Tomczyk, E.; Suryadharma, R.N.S.; Pawlak, M.; Andruszkiewicz, A.; Górecka, E.; Pociecha, D.; Rockstuhl, C.; Bals, S.; Lewandowski, W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Understanding and Controlling the Crystallization Process in Reconfigurable Plasmonic Superlattices Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Acs Nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume Issue Pages acsnano.0c09746  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract The crystallization of nanomaterials is a primary source of solid-state, photonic structures. Thus, a detailed understanding of this process is of paramount importance for the successful application of photonic nanomaterials in emerging optoelectronic technologies. While colloidal crystallization has been thoroughly studied, for example, with advanced in situ electron microscopy methods, the noncolloidal crystallization (freezing) of nanoparticles (NPs) remains so far unexplored. To fill this gap, in this work, we present proof-of principle experiments decoding a crystallization of reconfigurable assemblies of NPs at a solid state. The chosen material corresponds to an excellent testing bed, as it enables both in situ and ex situ investigation using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and optical spectroscopy in visible and ultraviolet range (UV−vis) techniques. In particular, ensemble measurements with small-angle XRD highlighted the dependence of the correlation length in the NPs assemblies on the number of heating/cooling cycles and the rate of cooling. Ex situ TEM imaging further supported these results by revealing a dependence of domain size and structure on the sample preparation route and by showing we can control the domain size over 2 orders of magnitude. The application of HAADF-STEM tomography, combined with in situ thermal control, provided three-dimensional single-particle level information on the positional order evolution within assemblies. This combination of real and reciprocal space provides insightful information on the anisotropic, reversibly reconfigurable assemblies of NPs. TEM measurements also highlighted the importance of interfaces in the polydomain structure of nanoparticle solids, allowing us to understand experimentally observed differences in UV−vis extinction spectra of the differently prepared crystallites. Overall, the obtained results show that the combination of in situ heating HAADF-STEM tomography with XRD and ex situ TEM techniques is a powerful approach to study nanoparticle freezing processes and to reveal the crucial impact of disorder in the solid-state aggregates of NPs on their plasmonic properties.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000634569100101 Publication Date 2021-02-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyzszego, 0112/DIA/2019/48 ; European Commission, 731019 E171000009 (EUSMI) ; Narodowe Centrum Nauki, 2016/21/N/ST5/03356 ; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, RO 3640/12-1 ; Fundacja na rzecz Nauki Polskiej, First TEAM2016–2/15 ; European Research Council, 815128 (REALNANO) ; sygma; Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:175872 Serial 6673  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wu, L.; Kolmeijer, K.E.; Zhang, Y.; An, H.; Arnouts, S.; Bals, S.; Altantzis, T.; Hofmann, J.P.; Costa Figueiredo, M.; Hensen, E.J.M.; Weckhuysen, B.M.; van der Stam, W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Stabilization effects in binary colloidal Cu and Ag nanoparticle electrodes under electrochemical CO₂ reduction conditions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 13 Issue 9 Pages 4835-4844  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Nanoparticle modified electrodes constitute an attractive way to tailor-make efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction catalysts. However, the restructuring and sintering processes of nanoparticles under electrochemical reaction conditions not only impedes the widespread application of nanoparticle catalysts, but also misleads the interpretation of the selectivity of the nanocatalysts. Here, we colloidally synthesized metallic copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution (<10%) and utilized them in electrochemical CO2 reduction reactions. Monometallic Cu and Ag nanoparticle electrodes showed severe nanoparticle sintering already at low overpotential of -0.8 V vs. RHE, as evidenced by ex situ SEM investigations, and potential-dependent variations in product selectivity that resemble bulk Cu (14% for ethylene at -1.3 V vs. RHE) and Ag (69% for carbon monoxide at -1.0 V vs. RHE). However, by co-deposition of Cu and Ag nanoparticles, a nanoparticle stabilization effect was observed between Cu and Ag, and the sintering process was greatly suppressed at CO2 reducing potentials (-0.8 V vs. RHE). Furthermore, by varying the Cu/Ag nanoparticle ratio, the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) selectivity towards methane (maximum of 20.6% for dense Cu-2.5-Ag-1 electrodes) and C-2 products (maximum of 15.7% for dense Cu-1-Ag-1 electrodes) can be tuned, which is attributed to a synergistic effect between neighbouring Ag and Cu nanoparticles. We attribute the stabilization of the nanoparticles to the positive enthalpies of Cu-Ag solid solutions, which prevents the dissolution-redeposition induced particle growth under CO2RR conditions. The observed nanoparticle stabilization effect enables the design and fabrication of active CO2 reduction nanocatalysts with high durability.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000628024200011 Publication Date 2021-02-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 24 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work is funded by the Strategic UU-TU/e Alliance project ‘Joint Centre for Chemergy Research’ (budget holder B. M. W.). S. B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant #815128 REALNANO). S. A. and T. A. acknowledge funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). We thank Eric Hellebrand (Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University) for the assistance in SEM measurements. Dr Ramon Oord (ARC Chemical Building Blocks Consortium, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University) is acknowledged for assisting with the grazing incidence XRD measurements; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:176723 Serial 6737  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Albrecht, W.; Arslan Irmak, E.; Altantzis, T.; Pedrazo‐Tardajos, A.; Skorikov, A.; Deng, T.‐S.; van der Hoeven, J.E.S.; van Blaaderen, A.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title 3D Atomic‐Scale Dynamics of Laser‐Light‐Induced Restructuring of Nanoparticles Unraveled by Electron Tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Advanced Materials Abbreviated Journal Adv Mater  
  Volume Issue Pages 2100972  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Understanding light–matter interactions in nanomaterials is crucial for

optoelectronic, photonic, and plasmonic applications. Specifically, metal

nanoparticles (NPs) strongly interact with light and can undergo shape

transformations, fragmentation and ablation upon (pulsed) laser excitation.

Despite being vital for technological applications, experimental insight into

the underlying atomistic processes is still lacking due to the complexity of

such measurements. Herein, atomic resolution electron tomography is performed

on the same mesoporous-silica-coated gold nanorod, before and after

femtosecond laser irradiation, to assess the missing information. Combined

with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on the experimentally

determined 3D atomic-scale morphology, the complex atomistic rearrangements,

causing shape deformations and defect generation, are unraveled.

These rearrangements are simultaneously driven by surface diffusion, facet

restructuring, and strain formation, and are influenced by subtleties in the

atomic distribution at the surface.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000671662000001 Publication Date 2021-07-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 0935-9648 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 19.791 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes W.A. and E.A.I. contributed equally to this work. The authors acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC Consolidator Grants No. 815128 – REALNANO and No. 770887 – PICOMETRICS), the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (ERC Advanced Grant No. 291667 – HierarSACol), and the European Commission (EUSMI). W.A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in the Horizon2020 program (Grant 797153, SOPMEN). T.-S.D. acknowledges financial support from the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC, Grant No. 61905056). The authors also acknowledge financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO Grant G.0267.18N).; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 19.791  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179781 Serial 6805  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Hudry, D.; De Backer, A.; Popescu, R.; Busko, D.; Howard, I.A.; Bals, S.; Zhang, Y.; Pedrazo‐Tardajos, A.; Van Aert, S.; Gerthsen, D.; Altantzis, T.; Richards, B.S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Interface Pattern Engineering in Core‐Shell Upconverting Nanocrystals: Shedding Light on Critical Parameters and Consequences for the Photoluminescence Properties Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume Issue Pages 2104441  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Advances in controlling energy migration pathways in core-shell lanthanide (Ln)-based hetero-nanocrystals (HNCs) have relied heavily on assumptions about how optically active centers are distributed within individual HNCs. In this article, it is demonstrated that different types of interface patterns can be formed depending on shell growth conditions. Such interface patterns are not only identified but also characterized with spatial resolution ranging from the nanometer- to the atomic-scale. In the most favorable cases, atomic-scale resolved maps of individual particles are obtained. It is also demonstrated that, for the same type of core-shell architecture, the interface pattern can be engineered with thicknesses of just 1 nm up to several tens of nanometers. Total alloying between the core and shell domains is also possible when using ultra-small particles as seeds. Finally, with different types of interface patterns (same architecture and chemical composition of the core and shell domains) it is possible to modify the output color (yellow, red, and green-yellow) or change (improvement or degradation) the absolute upconversion quantum yield. The results presented in this article introduce an important paradigm shift and pave the way toward the emergence of a new generation of core-shell Ln-based HNCs with better control over their atomic-scale organization.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000710758000001 Publication Date 2021-10-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 17 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Helmholtz Recruitment Initiative Fellowship (B.S.R.) and the Helmholtz Association's Research Field Energy (Materials and Technologies for the Energy Transition program, Topic 1 Photovoltaics and Wind Energy). The authors would like to thank the Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF) for STEM access. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant agreement no. 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A. and Grant agreement no. 815128 REALNANO to S.B.). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through Projects no. G.0502.18N, G.0267.18N, and a postdoctoral grant to A.D.B. T.A. acknowledges funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). This project had received funding (EUSMI proposal #E181100205) from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant agreement no 731019 (EUSMI). D.H. would like to thank “CGFigures” for helpful tutorials on 3D graphics with Blender.; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 8.643  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183285 Serial 6817  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Coeck, R.; Meeprasert, J.; Li, G.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; Pidko, E.A.; De Vos, D.E. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Gold and silver-catalyzed reductive amination of aromatic carboxylic acids to benzylic amines Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Acs Catalysis Abbreviated Journal Acs Catal  
  Volume 11 Issue 13 Pages 7672-7684  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract The reductive amination of benzoic acid and its derivatives would be an effective addition to current synthesis methods for benzylamine. However, with current technology it is very difficult to keep the aromaticity intact when starting from benzoic acid, and salt wastes are often generated in the process. Here, we report a heterogeneous catalytic system for such a reductive amination, requiring solely H-2 and NH3 as the reactants. The Ag/TiO2 or Au/TiO2 catalysts can be used multiple times, and very little noble metal is required, only 0.025 mol % Au. The catalysts are bifunctional: the support catalyzes the dehydration of both the ammonium carboxylate to the amide and of the amide to the nitrile, while the sites at the metal-support interface promote the hydrogenation of the in situ generated nitrile. Yields of up to 92% benzylamine were obtained.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000670659900005 Publication Date 2021-06-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 10.614 Times cited 16 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes R.C. thanks the FWO for his SB PhD fellowship. D.E.D.V. acknowledges FWO for research project funding, as well as KU Leuven for funding in the Metusalem program Casas. S.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator grant #815128 REALNANO). T.A. acknowledges funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). E.A.P. acknowledges the support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator grant #725686 DeliCAT). J.M. acknowledges financial support through the Royal Thai Government Scholarship. DFT calculations on SURFsara supercomputer facilities were performed with support from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 10.614  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:179851 Serial 6840  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, D.; van der Wee, E.B.; Zanaga, D.; Altantzis, T.; Wu, Y.; Dasgupta, T.; Dijkstra, M.; Murray, C.B.; Bals, S.; van Blaaderen, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Quantitative 3D real-space analysis of Laves phase supraparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Nature Communications Abbreviated Journal Nat Commun  
  Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 3980  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract 3D real-space analysis of thick nanoparticle crystals is non-trivial. Here, the authors demonstrate the structural analysis of a bulk-like Laves phase by imaging an off-stoichiometric binary mixture of hard-sphere-like nanoparticles in spherical confinement by electron tomography, enabling defect analysis on the single-particle level. Assembling binary mixtures of nanoparticles into crystals, gives rise to collective properties depending on the crystal structure and the individual properties of both species. However, quantitative 3D real-space analysis of binary colloidal crystals with a thickness of more than 10 layers of particles has rarely been performed. Here we demonstrate that an excess of one species in the binary nanoparticle mixture suppresses the formation of icosahedral order in the self-assembly in droplets, allowing the study of bulk-like binary crystal structures with a spherical morphology also called supraparticles. As example of the approach, we show single-particle level analysis of over 50 layers of Laves phase binary crystals of hard-sphere-like nanoparticles using electron tomography. We observe a crystalline lattice composed of a random mixture of the Laves phases. The number ratio of the binary species in the crystal lattice matches that of a perfect Laves crystal. Our methodology can be applied to study the structure of a broad range of binary crystals, giving insights into the structure formation mechanisms and structure-property relations of nanomaterials.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000687320200032 Publication Date 2021-06-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 2041-1723 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.124 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes M. Hermes is sincerely thanked for providing interactive views of the structures in this work. The authors thank I. Lobato, S. Dussi, L. Filion, E. Boattini, S. Paliwal, B. van der Meer and X. Xie for fruitful discussions. D.W., E.B.v.d.W. and A.v.B. acknowledge partial financial support from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP-2007-2013)/ERC Advanced Grant Agreement 291667 HierarSACol. T.D. and M.D. acknowledge financial support from the Industrial Partnership Program, “Computational Sciences for Energy Research” (Grant no. 13CSER025), of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), which was co-financed by Shell Global Solutions International B.V. S.B. acknowledges financial support from ERC Consolidator Grant No. 815128 REALNANO. T.A. acknowledges a post-doctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). C.B.M and Y.W. acknowledge support for materials synthesis from the Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative Award ONR N00014-18-1-2497. The authors acknowledge EM Square center at Utrecht University for the access to the microscopes.; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 12.124  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:181662 Serial 6845  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zheng, Y.-R.; Vernieres, J.; Wang, Z.; Zhang, K.; Hochfilzer, D.; Krempl, K.; Liao, T.-W.; Presel, F.; Altantzis, T.; Fatermans, J.; Scott, S.B.; Secher, N.M.; Moon, C.; Liu, P.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S.; Cao, A.; Anand, M.; Nørskov, J.K.; Kibsgaard, J.; Chorkendorff, I. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Monitoring oxygen production on mass-selected iridium–tantalum oxide electrocatalysts Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Nature Energy Abbreviated Journal Nat Energy  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Development of low-cost and high-performance oxygen evolution reaction catalysts is key to implementing polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers for hydrogen production. Iridium-based oxides are the state-of-the-art acidic oxygen evolution reactio catalysts but still suffer from inadequate activity and stability, and iridium's scarcity motivates the discovery of catalysts with lower iridium loadings. Here we report a mass-selected iridium-tantalum oxide catalyst prepared by a magnetron-based cluster source with considerably reduced noble-metal loadings beyond a commercial IrO2 catalyst. A sensitive electrochemistry/mass-spectrometry instrument coupled with isotope labelling was employed to investigate the oxygen production rate under dynamic operating conditions to account for the occurrence of side reactions and quantify the number of surface active sites. Iridium-tantalum oxide nanoparticles smaller than 2 nm exhibit a mass activity of 1.2 ± 0.5 kA “g” _“Ir” ^“-1” and a turnover frequency of 2.3 ± 0.9 s-1 at 320 mV overpotential, which are two and four times higher than those of mass-selected IrO2, respectively. Density functional theory calculations reveal that special iridium coordinations and the lowered aqueous decomposition free energy might be responsible for the enhanced performance.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000728458000001 Publication Date 2021-12-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 2058-7546 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 95 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Y.-R.Z. and Z.W acknowledge funding from the Toyota Research Institute. This project has received funding from VILLUM FONDEN (grant no. 9455) and the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grants no. 741860-CLUNATRA, no. 815128−REALNANO and no. 770887−PICOMETRICS). S.B. and S.V.A. acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, G026718N and G050218N). T.A. acknowledges the University of Antwerp Research Fund (BOF). STEM measurements were supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructure-Integrating Activities for Advanced Communities under grant agreement No 823717 – ESTEEM3.; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:184794 Serial 6903  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Altantzis, T.; Wang, D.; Kadu, A.; van Blaaderen, A.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Optimized 3D Reconstruction of Large, Compact Assemblies of Metallic Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 125 Issue 47 Pages 26240-26246  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract 3D characterization of assemblies of nanoparticles is of great importance to determine their structure-property connection. Such investigations become increasingly more challenging when the assemblies become larger and more compact. In this paper, we propose an optimized approach for electron tomography to minimize artefacts related to beam broadening in High Angle Annular Dark-Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy mode. These artefacts are typically present at one side of the reconstructed 3D data set for thick nanoparticle assemblies. To overcome this problem, we propose a procedure in which two tomographic tilt series of the same sample are acquired. After acquiring the first series, the sample is flipped over 180o, and a second tilt series is acquired. By merging the two reconstructions, blurring in the reconstructed volume is minimized. Next, this approach is combined with an advanced three-dimensional reconstruction algorithm yielding quantitative structural information. Here, the approach is applied to a thick and compact assembly of spherical Au nanoparticles, but the methodology can we used to investigate a broad range of samples.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000752810100031 Publication Date 2021-12-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 4 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (grant No. 815128−REALNANO to S.B.). T.A. acknowledges the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). D.W. and A.v.B. acknowledge partial financial support from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP-2007-2013)/ERC Advanced Grant Agreement 291667 HierarSACol. D.W. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (grant 894254 SuprAtom).; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:185224 Serial 6904  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Fatermans, J.; Romolini, G.; Altantzis, T.; Hofkens, J.; Roeffaers, M.B.J.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Atomic-scale detection of individual lead clusters confined in Linde Type A zeolites Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Structural analysis of metal clusters confined in nanoporous materials is typically performed by X-ray-driven techniques. Although X-ray analysis has proved its strength in the characterization of metal clusters, it provides averaged structural information. Therefore, we here present an alternative workflow for bringing the characterization of confined metal clusters towards the local scale. This workflow is based on the combination of aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM), TEM image simulations, and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) with advanced statistical techniques. In this manner, we were able to characterize the clustering of Pb atoms in Linde Type A (LTA) zeolites with Pb loadings as low as 5 wt%. Moreover, individual Pb clusters could be directly detected. The proposed methodology thus enables a local-scale characterization of confined metal clusters in zeolites. This is important for further elucidation of the connection between the structure and the physicochemical properties of such systems.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000809619900001 Publication Date 0000-00-00  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.7 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge the Research Foundation Flanders through project fundings (FWO, G026718N, G050218N, ZW15_09-G0H6316N, and W002221N) and through a PhD scholarship to G.R. (grant 11C6920N), as well as iBOF-21-085 PERSIST. T.A. and S.V.A. acknowledge funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). J.H. acknowledges the Flemish government through long-term structural funding Methusalem (CASAS2, Meth/15/04) and the MPI as MPI fellow. M.R. acknowledges funding by the KU Leuven Research Fund (C14/19/079). S.B. and S.V.A. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC Consolidator Grants No. 815128−REALNANO and No. 770887−PICOMETRICS). The authors thank Dr. D. Chernyshov for the collection of XRD measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 6.7  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:189061 Serial 7076  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yang, S.; An, H.; Anastasiadou, D.; Xu, W.; Wu, L.; Wang, H.; de Ruiter, J.; Arnouts, S.; Figueiredo, M.C.; Bals, S.; Altantzis, T.; van der Stam, W.; Weckhuysen, B.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Waste-derived copper-lead electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ChemCatChem Abbreviated Journal Chemcatchem  
  Volume 14 Issue 18 Pages e202200754-11  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract It remains a real challenge to control the selectivity of the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (eCO(2)R) reaction to valuable chemicals and fuels. Most of the electrocatalysts are made of non-renewable metal resources, which hampers their large-scale implementation. Here, we report the preparation of bimetallic copper-lead (CuPb) electrocatalysts from industrial metallurgical waste. The metal ions were extracted from the metallurgical waste through simple chemical treatment with ammonium chloride, and CuxPby electrocatalysts with tunable compositions were fabricated through electrodeposition at varying cathodic potentials. X-ray spectroscopy techniques showed that the pristine electrocatalysts consist of Cu-0, Cu1+ and Pb2+ domains, and no evidence for alloy formation was found. We found a volcano-shape relationship between eCO(2)R selectivity toward two electron products, such as CO, and the elemental ratio of Cu and Pb. A maximum Faradaic efficiency towards CO was found for Cu9.00Pb1.00, which was four times higher than that of pure Cu, under the same electrocatalytic conditions. In situ Raman spectroscopy revealed that the optimal amount of Pb effectively improved the reducibility of the pristine Cu1+ and Pb2+ domains to metallic Cu and Pb, which boosted the selectivity towards CO by synergistic effects. This work provides a framework of thinking to design and tune the selectivity of bimetallic electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction through valorization of metallurgical waste.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000853941300001 Publication Date 2022-06-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 1867-3880; 1867-3899 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.5 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes S.Y and B.M.W. acknowledge support from the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (SOCRATES-721385; project website: http://etn-socrates.eu/). W.v.d.S., M.C.F. and B.M.W. acknowledge support from the Strategic UU-TU/e Alliance project 'Joint Centre for Chemergy Research'. S.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant #815128 REALNANO). S.A. and T.A. acknowledge funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). The Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (1W1B, BSRF) is acknowledged for the beamtime. We are grateful to Annelies van der Bok and Bas Salzmann (Condensed Matter and Interfaces, Utrecht University, UU) for the support with the ICP-OES measurements. The authors thank dr. Robin Geitenbeek, Nikos Nikolopoulos, Ioannis Nikolopoulos, Jochem Wijten and Joris Janssens (Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, UU) for helpful discussions and technical support. The authors also thank Yuang Piao (Materials Chemistry and Catalysis, UU) for the help in the preparation of the figures of the article. Approved Most recent IF: 4.5  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:190703 Serial 7226  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Parastaev, A.; Muravev, V.; Osta, E.H.; Kimpel, T.F.; Simons, J.F.M.; van Hoof, A.J.F.; Uslamin, E.; Zhang, L.; Struijs, J.J.C.; Burueva, D.B.; Pokochueva, E.V.; Kovtunov, K.V.; Koptyug, I.V.; Villar-Garcia, I.J.; Escudero, C.; Altantzis, T.; Liu, P.; Béché, A.; Bals, S.; Kosinov, N.; Hensen, E.J.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Breaking structure sensitivity in CO2 hydrogenation by tuning metal–oxide interfaces in supported cobalt nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Nature Catalysis Abbreviated Journal Nat Catal  
  Volume 5 Issue 11 Pages 1051-1060  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract A high dispersion of the active metal phase of transition metals on oxide supports is important when designing efficient heterogeneous catalysts. Besides nanoparticles, clusters and even single metal atoms can be attractive for a wide range of reactions. However, many industrially relevant catalytic transformations suffer from structure sensitivity, where reducing the size of the metal particles below a certain size substantially lowers catalytic performance. A case in point is the low activity of small cobalt nanoparticles in the hydrogenation of CO and CO2. Here we show how engineering of catalytic sites at the metal–oxide interface in cerium oxide–zirconium dioxide (ceria–zirconia)-supported cobalt can overcome this structure sensitivity. Few-atom cobalt clusters dispersed on 3 nm cobalt(II)-oxide particles stabilized by ceria–zirconia yielded a highly active CO2 methanation catalyst with a specific activity higher than that of larger particles under the same conditions.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000884939300006 Publication Date 2022-11-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 2520-1158 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 37.8 Times cited 32 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was supported by the Applied and Engineering Sciences division of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research through the Alliander (now Qirion) Perspective program on Plasma Conversion of CO2. We acknowledge Diamond Light Source for time on beamline B18 under proposal SP20715-1. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 823717 – ESTEEM3. S.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant #815128 REALNANO) and T.A. acknowledges funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). A.B. received funding from the European Union under grant agreement No 823717 – ESTEEM3. The authors acknowledge funding through the Hercules grant (FWO, University of Antwerp) I003218N “Infrastructure for imaging nanoscale processes in gas/vapour or liquid environments”. I.V.K., D.B.B., and E.V.P. acknowledge the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (contract 075-15-2021-580) for financial support of parahydrogen-based studies. Experiments using synchrotron radiation XPS were performed at the CIRCE beamline at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff. F. Oropeza Palacio and Rim C.J. van de Poll are acknowledged for the help with RPES measurements.; esteem3reported; esteem3jra Approved Most recent IF: 37.8  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:192068 Serial 7230  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yang, S.; Liu, Z.; An, H.; Arnouts, S.; de Ruiter, J.; Rollier, F.; Bals, S.; Altantzis, T.; Figueiredo, M.C.; Filot, I.A.W.; Hensen, E.J.M.; Weckhuysen, B.M.; van der Stam, W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Near-unity electrochemical CO₂ to CO conversion over Sn-doped copper oxide nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS catalysis Abbreviated Journal Acs Catal  
  Volume 12 Issue 24 Pages 15146-15156  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Bimetallic electrocatalysts have emerged as a viable strategy to tune the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) for the selective production of valuable base chemicals and fuels. However, obtaining high product selectivity and catalyst stability remain challenging, which hinders the practical application of eCO2RR. In this work, it was found that a small doping concentration of tin (Sn) in copper oxide (CuO) has profound influence on the catalytic performance, boosting the Faradaic efficiency (FE) up to 98% for carbon monoxide (CO) at -0.75 V versus RHE, with prolonged stable performance (FE > 90%) for up to 15 h. Through a combination of ex situ and in situ characterization techniques, the in situ activation and reaction mechanism of the electrocatalyst at work was elucidated. In situ Raman spectroscopy measurements revealed that the binding energy of the crucial adsorbed *CO intermediate was lowered through Sn doping, thereby favoring gaseous CO desorption. This observation was confirmed by density functional theory, which further indicated that hydrogen adsorption and subsequent hydrogen evolution were hampered on the Sn-doped electrocatalysts, resulting in boosted CO formation. It was found that the pristine electrocatalysts consisted of CuO nanoparticles decorated with SnO2 domains, as characterized by ex situ high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. These pristine nanoparticles were subsequently in situ converted into a catalytically active bimetallic Sn-doped Cu phase. Our work sheds light on the intimate relationship between the bimetallic structure and catalytic behavior, resulting in stable and selective oxide-derived Sn-doped Cu electrocatalysts.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000900052400001 Publication Date 2022-11-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.9 Times cited 16 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes B.M.W., S.Y., M.C.F., E.J.M.H., and W.v.d.S. acknowledge support from the Strategic UU-TU/e Alliance project ?Joint Centre for Chemergy Research?. S.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator grant #815128 REALNANO) . Z.L. acknowledges financial support of the China Scholarship Council and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research for access to computa-tional resources for carrying out the DFT calculations reported in this work. S.A. and T.A. acknowledge funding from theUniversity of Antwerp Research fund (BOF) . The authors also thank Dr. Jochem Wijten and Joris Janssens (Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Utrecht University) for helpful technical support. Sander Deelen (Faculty of Science, Utrecht University) is acknowledged for the design of the in situ XRD cell. Approved Most recent IF: 12.9  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:192742 Serial 7325  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yang, S.; An, H.; Arnouts, S.; Wang, H.; Yu, X.; de Ruiter, J.; Bals, S.; Altantzis, T.; Weckhuysen, B.M.; van der Stam, W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Halide-guided active site exposure in bismuth electrocatalysts for selective CO₂ conversion into formic acid Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Nature Catalysis Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 6 Issue 9 Pages 796-806  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract It remains a challenge to identify the active sites of bismuth catalysts in the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. Here we show through in situ characterization that the activation of bismuth oxyhalide electrocatalysts to metallic bismuth is guided by the halides. In situ X-ray diffraction results show that bromide promotes the selective exposure of planar bismuth surfaces, whereas chloride and iodide result in more disordered active sites. Furthermore, we find that bromide-activated bismuth catalysts outperform the chloride and iodide counterparts, achieving high current density (>100 mA cm(-2)) and formic acid selectivity (>90%), suggesting that planar bismuth surfaces are more active for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction. In addition, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements reveal that the reconstruction proceeds rapidly in chloride-activated bismuth and gradually when bromide is present, facilitating the formation of ordered planar surfaces. These findings show the pivotal role of halogens on selective facet exposure in activated bismuth-based electrocatalysts during the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001050367400001 Publication Date 2023-08-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 2520-1158 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 37.8 Times cited 13 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes B.M.W. acknowledges support from the Strategic UU-TU/e Alliance project 'Joint Centre for Chemergy Research' as well as from the Netherlands Center for Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversion (MCEC), an NWO gravitation programme funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the government of the Netherlands. S.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant #815128 REALNANO). S.A. and T.A. acknowledge funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). We also thank J. Wijten, J. Janssens and T. Prins (all from the Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group, Utrecht University) for helpful technical support. S. Deelen (Faculty of Science, Utrecht University) and L. Wu (Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis group, Utrecht University) are acknowledged for the design of the in situ XRD cell. We also acknowledge B. Detlefs, P. Glatzel and V. Paidi (ESRF) for the support during the HERFD-XANES measurements on the ID26 beamline of the ESRF. Approved Most recent IF: 37.8; 2023 IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199190 Serial 8877  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Monai, M.; Jenkinson, K.; Melcherts, A.E.M.; Louwen, J.N.; Irmak, E.A.; Van Aert, S.; Altantzis, T.; Vogt, C.; van der Stam, W.; Duchon, T.; Smid, B.; Groeneveld, E.; Berben, P.; Bals, S.; Weckhuysen, B.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Restructuring of titanium oxide overlayers over nickel nanoparticles during catalysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 380 Issue 6645 Pages 644-651  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Reducible supports can affect the performance of metal catalysts by the formation of suboxide overlayers upon reduction, a process referred to as the strong metal-support interaction (SMSI). A combination of operando electron microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy revealed that thin TiOx overlayers formed on nickel/titanium dioxide catalysts during 400 degrees C reduction were completely removed under carbon dioxide hydrogenation conditions. Conversely, after 600 degrees C reduction, exposure to carbon dioxide hydrogenation reaction conditions led to only partial reexposure of nickel, forming interfacial sites in contact with TiOx and favoring carbon-carbon coupling by providing a carbon species reservoir. Our findings challenge the conventional understanding of SMSIs and call for more-detailed operando investigations of nanocatalysts at the single-particle level to revisit static models of structure-activity relationships.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000999020900010 Publication Date 2023-05-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition (up)  
  ISSN 0036-8075; 1095-9203 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 56.9 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by BASF and NWO CHIPP (research grant to B.M.W.); the MCEC NWO Gravitation Program (B.M.W.); the ARC-CBBC NWO Program (B.M.W.); the European Research Council (grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A.); and the European Research Council (grant 815128 REALNANO to S.B.). Approved Most recent IF: 56.9; 2023 IF: 37.205  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197432 Serial 8923  
Permanent link to this record
Select All    Deselect All
 |   | 
Details
   print

Save Citations:
Export Records: