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Author Monai, M.; Jenkinson, K.; Melcherts, A.E.M.; Louwen, J.N.; Irmak, E.A.; Van Aert, S.; Altantzis, T.; Vogt, C.; van der Stam, W.; Duchon, T.; Smid, B.; Groeneveld, E.; Berben, P.; Bals, S.; Weckhuysen, B.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Restructuring of titanium oxide overlayers over nickel nanoparticles during catalysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal  
  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  
  ISSN (up) 0036-8075; 1095-9203 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 56.9 Times cited 29 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This work was supported by BASF and NWO CHIPP (research grant to B.M.W.); the MCEC NWO Gravitation Program (B.M.W.); the ARC-CBBC NWO Program (B.M.W.); the European Research Council (grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A.); and the European Research Council (grant 815128 REALNANO to S.B.). Approved Most recent IF: 56.9; 2023 IF: 37.205  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197432 Serial 8923  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Boneschanscher, M.P.; Evers, W.H.; Geuchies, J.J.; Altantzis, T.; Goris, B.; Rabouw, F.T.; van Rossum, S.A.P.; van der Zant, H.S.J.; Siebbeles, L.D.A.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Swart, I.; Hilhorst, J.; Petukhov, A.V.; Bals, S.; Vanmaekelbergh, D.; pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Long-range orientation and atomic attachment of nanocrystals in 2D honeycomb superlattices Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 344 Issue 6190 Pages 1377-1380  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Oriented attachment of synthetic semiconductor nanocrystals is emerging as a route for obtaining new semiconductors that can have Dirac-type electronic bands like graphene, but also strong spin-orbit coupling. The two-dimensional assembly geometry will require both atomic coherence and long-range periodicity of the superlattices. We show how the interfacial self-assembly and oriented attachment of nanocrystals results in two-dimensional (2D) metal chalcogenide semiconductors with a honeycomb superlattice. We present an extensive atomic and nanoscale characterization of these systems using direct imaging and wave scattering methods. The honeycomb superlattices are atomically coherent, and have an octahedral symmetry that is buckled; the nanocrystals occupy two parallel planes. Considerable necking and large-scale atomic motion occurred during the attachment process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000337531700035 Publication Date 2014-05-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0036-8075;1095-9203; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 37.205 Times cited 304 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fwo; 262348 Esmi; 246791 Countatoms; 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 37.205; 2014 IF: 33.611  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:117095 Serial 1840  
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Author Bals, S.; Kabius, B.; Haider, M.; Radmilovic, V.; Kisielowski, C. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Annular dark field imaging in a TEM Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2004 Publication Solid state communications Abbreviated Journal Solid State Commun  
  Volume 130 Issue 10 Pages 675-680  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Annular objective apertures are fabricated for a CM300 transmission electron microscope using a focused ion beam system. A central beam stop in the back focal plane of the objective lens of the microscope blocks all electrons scattered up to a semi-angle of approximately 20 mrad. In this manner, contributions to the image from Bragg scattering are largely reduced and the image contrast is sensitive to the atomic number Z. Experimentally, we find that single atom scattering cross sections measured with this technique are close to Rutherford scattering values. A comparison between this new method and STEM-HAADF shows that both techniques result in qualitatively similar images although the resolution of ADF-TEM is limited by contrast delocalization caused by the spherical aberration of the objective lens. This problem can be overcome by using an aberration corrected microscope.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor  
  Language Wos 000221489300007 Publication Date 2004-04-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0038-1098; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.554 Times cited 43 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.554; 2004 IF: 1.523  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:87584 Serial 132  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Adam, N.; Leroux, F.; Knapen, D.; Bals, S.; Blust, R. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The uptake and elimination of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles in Daphnia magna under chronic exposure scenarios Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication Water research Abbreviated Journal Water Res  
  Volume 68 Issue 68 Pages 249-261  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Veterinary physiology and biochemistry  
  Abstract In this study, the uptake and elimination of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles in Daphnia magna was tested. Daphnids were exposed during 10 days to sublethal concentrations of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles and corresponding metal salts (ZnCl2 and CuCl2.2H2O), after which they were transferred to unexposed medium for another 10 days. At different times during the exposure and none-exposure, the total and internal zinc or copper concentration of the daphnids was determined and the nanoparticles were localized in the organism using electron microscopy. The exposure concentrations were characterized by measuring the dissolved, nanoparticle and aggregated fraction in the medium. The results showed that the ZnO nanoparticles quickly dissolved after addition to the medium. Contrarily, only a small fraction (corresponding to the dissolved metal salt) of the CuO nanoparticles dissolved, while most of these nanoparticles formed large aggregates. Despite an initial increase in zinc and copper concentration during the first 48 hour to 5 day exposure, the body concentration reached a plateau level that was comparable for the ZnO nanoparticles and ZnCl2, but much higher for the CuO nanoparticles (with visible aggregates accumulating in the gut) than CuCl2.2H2O. During the remaining exposure and subsequent none-exposure phase, the zinc and copper concentration decreased fast to concentrations comparable with the unexposed daphnids. The results indicate that D. magna can regulate its internal zinc and copper concentration after exposure to ZnO and CuO nanoparticles, similar as after exposure to metal salts. The combined dissolution, accumulation and toxicity results confirm that the toxicity of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles is caused by the dissolved fraction. Keywords nano; zinc; copper; dissolution; aggregation; electron microscopy  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Oxford Editor  
  Language Wos 000347756900022 Publication Date 2014-10-14  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0043-1354; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.942 Times cited 51 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; The authors would like to thank Valentine Mubiana and Steven Joosen (Sphere, UA) for performing the ICP-MS and ICP-OES measurements and Prof. Dr. Gustaaf Van Tendeloo for making the collaboration between the EMAT and Sphere group possible. This study is part of the ENNSATOX-project, which was funded by the EU (NMP4-SL-2009-229244). The authors report no conflicts of interest. ; Approved Most recent IF: 6.942; 2015 IF: 5.528  
  Call Number c:irua:119366 c:irua:119366 Serial 3822  
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Author Smith, J.D.; Bladt, E.; Burkhart, J.A.C.; Winckelmans, N.; Koczkur, K.M.; Ashberry, H.M.; Bals, S.; Skrabalak, S.E. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Defect‐Directed Growth of Symmetrically Branched Metal Nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Angewandte Chemie (International ed. Print) Abbreviated Journal Angew. Chem.  
  Volume 132 Issue 132 Pages 953-960  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Branched plasmonic nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted much attention due to electric field enhancements at their tips. Seeded growth provides routes to NCs with defined branching patterns and, in turn, near‐field distributions with defined symmetries. Here, a systematic analysis was undertaken in which seeds containing different distributions of planar defects were used to grow branched NCs in order to understand how their distributions direct the branching. Characterization of the products by multimode electron tomography and analysis of the NC morphologies at different overgrowth stages indicate that the branching patterns are directed by the seed defects, with the emergence of branches from the seed faces consistent with minimizing volumetric strain energy at the expense of surface energy. These results contrast with growth of branched NCs from single‐crystalline seeds and provide a new platform for the synthesis of symmetrically branched plasmonic NCs.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000505279500063 Publication Date 2020-01-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0044-8249 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors thank Samantha Harvey for her initial observations of branched structures, Alexander Chen for his help with SAED, the staff of the Nanoscale Characterization Facility (Dr. Yi Yi),Electron Microscopy Center (Dr. David Morgan and Dr. Barry Stein), and Molecular Strucre Center at Indiana University. J.S. recognizes a fellowship provided by the Indiana Space Grant Consortium. E. B. acknowledges a post-doctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). This project has received funding from the National Science Foundation (award number: 1602476), Research Corporation for Scietific Advancement (2017 Frontiers in Research Excellence and Discovery Award), and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 731019 (EUSMI) and No 815128 (REALNANO).; sygma Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:166581 Serial 6336  
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Author Suffian, I.F.B.M.; Wang, J.T.-W.; Hodgins, N.O.; Klippstein, R.; Garcia-Maya, M.; Brown, P.; Nishimura, Y.; Heidari, H.; Bals, S.; Sosabowski, J.K.; Ogino, C.; Kondo, A.; Al-Jamal, K.T. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Engineering hepatitis B virus core particles for targeting HER2 receptors in vitro and in vivo Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Biomaterials Abbreviated Journal Biomaterials  
  Volume 120 Issue 120 Pages 126-138  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Hepatitis B Virus core (HBc) particles have been studied for their potential as drug delivery vehicles for cancer therapy. HBc particles are hollow nano-particles of 30-34 nm diameter and 7 nm thick envelopes, consisting of 180-240 units of 21 kDa core monomers. They have the capacity to assemble/dis-assemble in a controlled manner allowing encapsulation of various drugs and other biomolecules. Moreover, other functional motifs, i.e. receptors, receptor binding sequences, peptides and proteins can be expressed. This study focuses on the development of genetically modified HBc particles to specifically recognise and target human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-expressing cancer cells, in vitro and in vivo, for future cancer therapy. The non-specific binding capacity of wild type HBc particles was reduced by genetic deletion of the sequence encoding arginine-rich domains. A specific HER2-targeting was achieved by expressing the ZHER2 affibodies on the HBc particles surface. In vitro studies showed specific uptake of ZHER2-AHBc particles in HER2 expressing cancer cells. In vivo studies confirmed positive uptake of ZHER2-ABBc particles in HER2-expressing tumours, compared to non-targeted AHBc particles in intraperitoneal tumour-bearing mice models. The present results highlight the potential of these nanocarriers in targeting HER2-positive metastatic abdominal cancer following intra-peritoneal administration. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Guildford Editor  
  Language Wos 000394398900012 Publication Date 2016-12-14  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0142-9612 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.402 Times cited 20 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; The authors would like to thank Dr. Rafael T. M. de Rosales (King's College London) for useful discussion on the radiolabelling technique and Mr William Luckhurst (King's College London) on the technical help of AFM measurements. IFBMS would like to thank Public Service Department, Government of Malaysia for the Excellence Student Programme studentship. We acknowledge funding from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC; (BB/J008656/1)) and the EU FP7-ITN Marie-Curie Network programme RADDEL (290023). NH is a recipient of Graduate School King's Health Partner's scholarship. RIC is a Marie Curie Fellow. S.B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the 7th Framework Program (FP7), ERC Starting Grant No. 335078 COLOURATOMS, and the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative No. 262348 European Soft Matter Infrastructure, ESMI. The authors declare that they have no competing interests. ; ecas_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 8.402  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:141984UA @ admin @ c:irua:141984 Serial 4654  
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Author Monticelli, O.; Musina, Z.; Russo, S.; Bals, S. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title On the use of TEM in the characterization of nanocomposites Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2007 Publication Materials letters Abbreviated Journal Mater Lett  
  Volume 61 Issue 16 Pages 3446-3450  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Both an organically modified commercial clay of montmorillonite type (MMT) and its nanocomposites, based either on polyamide 6 (PA6) or an epoxy resin, as matrix polymer, have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Sample micrographs, taken at increasing exposure times (t(e)), have shown the gradual disappearance of clay layers, because of an amorphisation of the MMT crystalline structures caused by prolonged sample exposure to electron beam. Indeed, the above phenomenon, which is mostly evident in the case of intercalated nanocomposites, makes the detection of the layered silicate dispersion in the polymer matrix rather difficult and compels to perform TEM measurements using very short exposure times. Moreover, the microscopy accelerating voltage has turned out to affect sample stability; namely, when decreasing the above parameter, the disappearance of clay structure occurs at lower exposure times. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000247146100034 Publication Date 2006-12-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0167-577X; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.572 Times cited 28 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.572; 2007 IF: 1.625  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:64757 Serial 2460  
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Author De Schutter, B.; Devulder, W.; Schrauwen, A.; van Stiphout, K.; Perkisas, T.; Bals, S.; Vantomme, A.; Detavernier, C. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Phase formation in intermixed NiGe thin films : influence of Ge content and low-temperature nucleation of hexagonal nickel germanides Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication Microelectronic engineering Abbreviated Journal Microelectron Eng  
  Volume 120 Issue Pages 168-173  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract In this study, we focus on phase formation in intermixed NiGe thin films as they represent a simplified model of the small intermixed interface layer that is believed to form upon deposition of Ni on Ge and where initial phase formation happens. A combinatorial sputter deposition technique was used to co-deposit a range of intermixed NiGe thin films with Ge concentrations varying between 0 and 50 at.%Ge in a single deposition on both Ge (100) and inert SiO2 substrates. In situ X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy where used to study phase formation. In almost the entire composition range under investigation, crystalline phases where found to be present in the as-deposited films. Between 36 and 48 at.%Ge, high-temperature hexagonal nickel germanides were found to occur metastabily below 300 °C, both on SiO2 and Ge (100) substrates. For Ge concentrations in the range between 36 and 42 at.%, this hexagonal germanide phase was even found to be present at room temperature in the as-deposited films. The results obtained in this work could provide more insight in the phase sequence of a pure Ni film on Ge.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000336697300028 Publication Date 2013-09-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0167-9317; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.806 Times cited 9 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes FWO project Nr. G076112N Approved Most recent IF: 1.806; 2014 IF: 1.197  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:116958 Serial 2584  
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Author Van Everbroeck, T.; Wu, J.; Arenas-Esteban, D.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; Mertens, M.; Bals, S.; Dujardin, C.; Granger, P.; Seftel, E.M.; Cool, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title ZnAl layered double hydroxide based catalysts (with Cu, Mn, Ti) used as noble metal-free three-way catalysts Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Applied clay science Abbreviated Journal Appl Clay Sci  
  Volume 217 Issue Pages 106390  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)  
  Abstract  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000795870100004 Publication Date 2022-01-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0169-1317 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.6 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support by theEuropean Union’s Horizon 2020 Project Partial-PGMs (H2020-NMP-686086). R-G C. and P.C. acknowledge the FWO-Flanders (project no. G038215N) for financial support. S⋅B and D.A.E thank the financial support of the European Research Council (ERC-CoG-2019 815128). The authors are grateful to Johnson Matthey, UK, for supplying the commercial benchmark catalysts; realnano; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 5.6  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:186956 Serial 6955  
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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 (up) 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 EMAT @ emat @c:irua:152174UA @ admin @ c:irua:152174 Serial 4994  
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Author Barhoum, A.; Van Assche, G.; Rahier, H.; Fleisch, M.; Bals, S.; Delplancked, M.-P.; Leroux, F.; Bahnemann, D. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Sol-gel hot injection synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles into a porous silica matrix and reaction mechanism Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Materials & design Abbreviated Journal Mater Design  
  Volume 119 Issue 119 Pages 270-276  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Despite the enormous interest in the properties and applications of porous silica matrix, only a few attempts have been reported to deposit metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) inside the porous silica matrix. We report a simple approach (i.e. sol-gel hot injection) for insitu synthesis of ZnO NPs inside a porous silica matrix. Control of the Zn:Si molar ratio, reaction temperature, pH value, and annealing temperature permits formation of ZnO NPs (<= 10 nm) inside a porous silica particles, without additives or organic solvents. Results revealed that a solid state reaction inside the ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites occurs with increasing the annealing temperature. The reaction of ZnO NPs with SiO2 matrix was insignificant up to approximately 500 degrees C. However, ZnO NPs react strongly with the silica matrix when the nanocomposites are annealed at temperatures above 700 degrees C. Extensive annealing of the ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposite at 900 degrees C yields 3D structures made of 500 nm rod-like, 5-7 pm tube-like and 35 pm needle-like Zn2SiO4 crystals. A possible mechanism for forming ZnO NPs inside porous silica matrix and phase transformation of the ZnO/SiO2 nanocomposites into 3D architectures of Zn2SiO4 are carefully discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000397360000030 Publication Date 2017-01-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0264-1275 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.364 Times cited 43 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes ; A.B. would like to thank FWO – Research Foundation Flanders (grant no. V450315N) and the Strategic Initiative Materials in Flanders (SBO-project no. 130529 – INSITU) for financial support. TEM and TEM-EDX analyses were performed by Dr. F. Leroux (EMAT, Universiteit Antwerpen). XRD and DSC measurements were performed by T. Segato (4MAT, Universite Libre de Bruxelles). Notes: the authors declare no competing for financial interest. ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.364  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:142394UA @ admin @ c:irua:142394 Serial 4689  
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Author Adam, N.; Leroux, F.; Knapen, D.; Bals, S.; Blust, R. doi  openurl
  Title The uptake of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles in the water-flea Daphnia magna under acute exposure scenarios Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication Environmental pollution Abbreviated Journal Environ Pollut  
  Volume 194 Issue Pages 130-137  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Veterinary physiology and biochemistry  
  Abstract In this study the uptake of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles by Daphnia magna was tested. Daphnids were exposed during 48 h to acute concentrations of the nanoparticles and corresponding metal salts. The Daphnia zinc and copper concentration was measured and the nanoparticles were localized using electron microscopy. The aggregation and dissolution in the medium was characterized. A fast dissolution of ZnO in the medium was observed, while most CuO formed large aggregates and only a small fraction dissolved. The Daphnia zinc concentration was comparable for the nanoparticles and salts. Contrarily, a much higher Daphnia copper concentration was observed in the CuO exposure, compared to the copper salt. CuO nanoparticles adsorbed onto the carapace and occurred in the gut but did not internalize in the tissues. The combined dissolution and uptake results indicate that the toxicity of both nanoparticle types was caused by metal ions dissolved from the particles in the medium.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication London Editor  
  Language Wos 000342530800016 Publication Date 2014-08-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0269-7491; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.099 Times cited 45 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes ; We would like to thank Valentine Mubiana and Steven Joosen (Sphere, UA) for performing the ICP-OES and ICP-MS measurements and Prof. Dr. Gustaaf Van Tendeloo for making the collaboration between the EMAT and Sphere group possible. Additional thanks go to the European Commission for funding this work through the project ENNSATOX (NMP4-SL-2009-229244). ; Approved Most recent IF: 5.099; 2014 IF: 4.143  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:118326 Serial 3823  
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Author Panzic, I.; Mandic, V.; Mangalam, J.; Rath, T.; Radovanovic-Peric, F.; Gaboardi, M.; De Coen, B.; Bals, S.; Schrenker, N. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title In-situ structural degradation study of quadruple-cation perovskite solar cells with nanostructured charge transfer layer Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Ceramics international Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 49 Issue 14b Pages 24475-24486  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract We investigated the structural stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in n-i-p configuration comprising a rubidium-caesium-methylammonium-formamidinium (Rb-Cs-MA-FA) lead iodide/bromide perovskite absorber, interfaced with nanostructured ZnO-nanorod (NR) or mesostructured (MS) TiO2 electron transfer layers (ETL). An in-situ setup was established comprising synchrotron grazing incidence diffraction (GID) and Raman spectroscopy as a function of temperature under ambient and isothermal conditions; measurements of current-voltage (IV) characteristics and electron microscopic investigations were conducted discretely.The aging of the solar cells was performed at ambient conditions or at elevated temperatures directly in the in -situ measurement setup. The diffraction depth profiling results point to different degradation rates for different ETLs; moreover, electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, as well as energy dispersive spectroscopy clarified surface conditions in terms of the extent of the degradation. Scanning transmission electron microscopy of lamellas, derived by dual beam microscopy, revealed that the origin of the degradation lay in the ETL/ absorber interface. For the case of the nanostructured zincite, the perovskite absorber contained many voids, leading to the conclusion that the investigated quadruple perovskite absorber showed limited compatibility with ZnO NR ETL due to a higher number of defects. Morphological defects promoted the absorber degradation and nullified the advantages initially achieved by nanostructuring. The exchange of the ZnO NR ETL with MS TiO2 improved the stability parameters of the absorber layer.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001021057200001 Publication Date 2022-12-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0272-8842; 1873-3956 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 5.2 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work has been funded by the projects PZS-2019-02-1555 PV-WALL in Research Cooperability Program of the Croatian Science Foundation funded by the European Union from the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Efficient Human Resources 2014-2020 (perovskite solar cells) , UIP-2019-04-2367 SLIPPERY SLOPE of the Croatian Science Foundation (nanostructured titania and zincite constituents) , KK.01.2.1.02.0316 “ The development of the technical solution for energy saving using VIS -transparent or semi-transparent and IR-reflective thin-films” by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (characterisation of thin-films) , 20190571 and 20190516 at Elettra Synchrotron, ICM-2019-13220 in Ernst Mach program of the OeAD-GmbH, and E210900588 in the EUSMI program. The group of prof Gregor Trimmel of the ICTM, NAWI Graz, the beam- line scientists of the MCX beamline of the Elettra synchrotron, and FIB- STEM researchers of the Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, are gratefully acknowledged for collaboration and instrument access. The financial sustenance of the University of Zagreb is gratefully acknowledged. Approved Most recent IF: 5.2; 2023 IF: 2.986  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197806 Serial 8885  
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Author Altantzis, T.; Zanaga, D.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Advanced electron tomography of nanoparticle assemblies Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Europhysics letters Abbreviated Journal Epl-Europhys Lett  
  Volume 119 Issue 119 Pages 38001  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Nanoparticle assemblies have attracted enormous scientific interest during the last

years, due to their unique properties compared to those of their building blocks. To understand

the origin of these properties and to establish the connection with their structure, a detailed and

quantitative structural characterization is essential. Transmission electron microscopy has been

widely used to investigate nano-assemblies. However, TEM images only correspond to a twodimensional

projection of a three-dimensional object. Therefore, in order to obtain the necessary

3D structural information electron tomography has to be applied. By means of advanced electron

tomography, both qualitative and quantitative information can be obtained, which can be used

for detailed theoretical studies.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000415019400023 Publication Date 2017-10-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0295-5075 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.957 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We would like to thank the colleagues who have contributed to this work over the years, including L. M. Liz- Marzan, M. Grzelczak, A. Sanchez-Iglesias, D. Vanmaekelbergh, M. P. Boneschanscher, W. H. Evers, J. J. Geuchies, B. Goris, A. de Backer, S. van Aert, M.-P. Pileni, Z. Yang, K. J. Batenburg, J. Sijbers, F. Bleichrodt, W. J. Palenstijn, A. van Blaaderen, M. A. van Huis, F. M. Peeters, N. Winckelmans and D. Wang. The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (G.0381.16N, G.036915 G.0374.13 and funding of a postdoctoral grant to TA). SB and DZ acknowledge funding from the European Research Council, ERC grant No. 335078 – Colouratom. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 1.957  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:146096UA @ admin @ c:irua:146096 Serial 4733  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Mourdikoudis, S.; Montes-Garcia, V.; Rodal-Cedeira, S.; Winckelmans, N.; Perez-Juste, I.; Wu, H.; Bals, S.; Perez-Juste, J.; Pastoriza-Santos, I. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Highly porous palladium nanodendrites : wet-chemical synthesis, electron tomography and catalytic activity Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Journal of the Chemical Society : Dalton transactions Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 48 Issue 48 Pages 3758-3767  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A simple procedure to obtain highly porous hydrophilic palladium nanodendrites in one-step is described. The synthetic strategy is based on the thermal reduction of a Pd precursor in the presence of a positively charged polyelectrolyte such as polyethylenimine (PEI). Advanced electron microscopy techniques combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry and BET analysis demonstrate the polycrystalline nature of the nanodendrites as well as their high porosity and active surface area, facilitating a better understanding of their unique morphology. Besides, catalytic studies performed using Raman scattering and UV-Vis spectroscopies revealed that the nanodendrites exhibit a superior performance as recyclable catalysts towards hydrogenation reaction compared to other noble metal nanoparticles.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000461088700027 Publication Date 2019-02-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0300-9246; 1477-9226; 1472-7773 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 23 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO, Spain) under the Grant MAT2016-77809-R, Xunta de Galicia (GRC ED431C 2016-048 and Centro Singular de Investigacion de Galicia (ED431G/02)) and Fundacion Ramon Areces (SERSforSafety). S. M. acknowledges funding from the General Secretariat for Research and Technology in Greece (Project PE4 (1546)). S. B. and N. W. acknowledge financial support by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS). We thank the EPSRC CNIE Research Facility (EPSRC Award, EP/K038656/1) at the University College London for the collection of the BET data. Authors thank J. Millos for the XRD measurements. ; Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:158530 Serial 5251  
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Author Zanaga, D.; Altantzis, T.; Sanctorum, J.; Freitag, B.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title An alternative approach for ζ-factor measurement using pure element nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 164 Issue 164 Pages 11-16  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract It is very challenging to measure the chemical composition of hetero nanostructures in a reliable and quantitative manner. Here, we propose a novel and straightforward approach that can be used to quantify energy dispersive X-ray spectra acquired in a transmission electron microscope. Our method is based on a combination of electron tomography and the so-called ζ-factor technique. We will demonstrate the reliability of our approach as well as its applicability by investigating Au-Ag and Au-Pt hetero nanostructures. Given its simplicity, we expect that the method could become a new standard in the field of chemical characterization using electron microscopy.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000373526200002 Publication Date 2016-03-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 19 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant # 335078-COLOURATOMS) and the European Union under the FP7 (Integrated Infrastructure Initiative N. 312483 – ESTEEM2). The authors would also like to thank Luis M. Liz-Marzán, Ana Sánchez-Iglesias, Stefanos Mourdikoudis and Cristina Fernández-López for sample provision and useful discussions.; esteem2jra4; ECASSara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ Serial 4019  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Goris, B.; Meledina, M.; Turner, S.; Zhong, Z.; Batenburg, K.J.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Three dimensional mapping of Fe dopants in ceria nanocrystals using direct spectroscopic electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 171 Issue 171 Pages 55-62  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Electron tomography is a powerful technique for the 3D characterization of the morphology of nanostructures. Nevertheless, resolving the chemical composition of complex nanostructures in 3D remains challenging and the number of studies in which electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) is combined with tomography is limited. During the last decade, dedicated reconstruction algorithms have been developed for HAADF-STEM tomography using prior knowledge about the investigated sample. Here, we will use the prior knowledge that the experimental spectrum of each reconstructed voxel is a linear combination of a well-known set of references spectra in a so-called direct spectroscopic tomography technique. Based on a simulation experiment, it is shown that this technique provides superior results in comparison to conventional reconstruction methods for spectroscopic data, especially for spectrum images containing a relatively low signal to noise ratio. Next, this technique is used to investigate the spatial distribution of Fe dopants in Fe:Ceria nanoparticles in 3D. It is shown that the presence of the Fe2+ dopants is correlated with a reduction of the Ce atoms from Ce4+ towards Ce3+. In addition, it is demonstrated that most of the Fe dopants are located near the voids inside the nanoparticle.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000389106200007 Publication Date 2016-09-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 13 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The work was supported by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen) by project funding (G038116N, 3G004613) and by a post-doctoral research grants to B.G. S.B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant no. COLOURATOMS 335078). K.J.B. acknowledges funding from The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (program 639.072.005.). We would like to thank Dr. Hilde Poelman, Dr. Vladimir Galvita and Prof. Dr. Guy B. Marin for the synthesis of the investigated sample.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number c:irua:135185 c:irua:135185 Serial 4123  
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Author Alania, M.; Altantzis, T.; De Backer, A.; Lobato, I.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Depth sectioning combined with atom-counting in HAADF STEM to retrieve the 3D atomic structure Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 177 Issue 177 Pages 36-42  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Aberration correction in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has greatly improved the lateral and depth resolution. When using depth sectioning, a technique during which a series of images is recorded at different defocus values, single impurity atoms can be visualised in three dimensions. In this paper, we investigate new possibilities emerging when combining depth sectioning and precise atom-counting in order to reconstruct nanosized particles in three dimensions. Although the depth resolution does not allow one to precisely locate each atom within an atomic column, it will be shown that the depth location of an atomic column as a whole can be measured precisely. In this manner, the morphology of a nanoparticle can be reconstructed in three dimensions. This will be demonstrated using simulations and experimental data of a gold nanorod.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000401219800006 Publication Date 2016-11-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 13 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union under the Seventh Framework Program under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative. Reference No. 312483-ESTEEM2. S. Bals acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. COLOURATOMS 335078). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project fundings (G.0374.13N, G.0369.15N and G.0368.15N) and a post-doctoral grant to A. De Backer and T. Altantzis. The authors are grateful to Professor Luis M. Liz-Marzán for providing the sample.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:138015UA @ admin @ c:irua:138015 Serial 4316  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zanaga, D.; Altantzis, T.; Sanctorum, J.; Freitag, B.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title An alternative approach for \zeta-factor measurement using pure element nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 164 Issue Pages 11-16  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract It is very challenging to measure the chemical composition of hetero nanostructures in a reliable and quantitative manner. Here, we propose a novel and straightforward approach that can be used to quantify energy dispersive X-ray spectra acquired in a transmission electron microscope. Our method is based on a combination of electron tomography and the so-called zeta-factor technique. We will demonstrate the reliability of our approach as well as its applicability by investigating Au-Ag and Au-Pt hetero nanostructures. Given its simplicity, we expect that the method could become a new standard in the field of chemical characterization using electron microscopy. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000373526200002 Publication Date 2016-03-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 19 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant # 335078-COLOURATOMS) and the European Union under the FP7 (Integrated Infrastructure Initiative N. 312483 – ESTEEM2). ; ecas_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:133259 Serial 4439  
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Author Zhong, Z.; Goris, B.; Schoenmakers, R.; Bals, S.; Batenburg, K.J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title A bimodal tomographic reconstruction technique combining EDS-STEM and HAADF-STEM Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 174 Issue 174 Pages 35-45  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A three-dimensional (3D) chemical characterization of nanomaterials can be obtained using tomography based on high angle annular dark field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) or energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) STEM. These two complementary techniques have both advantages and disadvantages. The Z-contrast images have good image quality but lack robustness in the compositional analysis, while the elemental maps give more element-specific information, but at a low signal-to-noise ratio and a longer exposure time. Our aim is to combine these two types of complementary information in one single tomographic reconstruction process. Therefore, an imaging model is proposed combining both HAADF-STEM

and EDS-STEM. Based on this model, the elemental distributions can be reconstructed using both types of information simultaneously during the reconstruction process. The performance of the new technique is evaluated using simulated data and real experimental data. The results demonstrate that combining two imaging modalities leads to tomographic reconstructions with suppressed noise and enhanced contrast.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000403342200005 Publication Date 2016-12-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 26 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research is supported by the Dutch Technology Foundation STW (http://www.stw.nl/), which is part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and which is partly funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation under project number 13314. It is also supported by the Flemish research foundation (FWO Vlaanderen) by project funding (G038116N) and a postdoctoral research grant to B.G. Funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. COLOURATOMS 335078) is acknowledged by S.B. The authors would like to thank Dr. Bernd Rieger and Dr. Richard Aveyard for useful discussions, and Prof. Dr. Luis M. Liz-Marzan for providing the investigated samples. We also acknowledge COST Action MP1207 for networking support. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:141719UA @ admin @ c:irua:141719 Serial 4484  
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Author Zhuge, X.; Jinnai, H.; Dunin-Borkowski, R.E.; Migunov, V.; Bals, S.; Cool, P.; Bons, A.-J.; Batenburg, K.J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Automated discrete electron tomography – Towards routine high-fidelity reconstruction of nanomaterials Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 175 Issue 175 Pages 87-96  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)  
  Abstract Electron tomography is an essential imaging technique for the investigation of morphology and 3D structure of nanomaterials. This method, however, suffers from well-known missing wedge artifacts due to a restricted tilt range, which limits the objectiveness, repeatability and efficiency of quantitative structural analysis. Discrete tomography represents one of the promising reconstruction techniques for materials science, potentially capable of delivering higher fidelity reconstructions by exploiting the prior knowledge of the limited number of material compositions in a specimen. However, the application of discrete tomography to practical datasets remains a difficult task due to the underlying challenging mathematical problem. In practice, it is often hard to obtain consistent reconstructions from experimental datasets. In addition, numerous parameters need to be tuned manually, which can lead to bias and non-repeatability. In this paper, we present the application of a new

iterative reconstruction technique, named TVR-DART, for discrete electron tomography. The technique is capable of consistently delivering reconstructions with significantly reduced missing wedge artifacts for a variety of challenging data and imaging conditions, and can automatically estimate its key parameters. We describe the principles of the technique and apply it to datasets from three different types of samples acquired under diverse imaging modes. By further reducing the available tilt range and number of projections, we show that the

proposed technique can still produce consistent reconstructions with minimized missing wedge artifacts. This new development promises to provide the electron microscopy community with an easy-to-use and robust tool for high-fidelity 3D characterization of nanomaterials.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000403342500008 Publication Date 2017-01-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 22 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work has been supported in part by the Stichting voor de Technische Wetenschappen (STW) through a personal grant (Veni,13610), and was in part by ExxonMobil Chemical Europe Inc. The authors further acknowledge financial support from the University of Antwerp through BOF GOA funding. S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS). R.D.B. is grateful for funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013)/ ERC grant agreement number 320832. Thomas Altantzis is gratefully acknowledged for acquiring the Anatase nanosheets dataset. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:141218UA @ admin @ c:irua:141218 Serial 4485  
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Author Zhong, Z.; Aveyard, R.; Rieger, B.; Bals, S.; Palenstijn, W.J.; Batenburg, K.J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Automatic correction of nonlinear damping effects in HAADF-STEM tomography for nanomaterials of discrete compositions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 184 Issue 184 Pages 57-65  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract <script type='text/javascript'>document.write(unpmarked('HAADF-STEM tomography is a common technique for characterizing the three-dimensional morphology of nanomaterials. In conventional tomographic reconstruction algorithms, the image intensity is assumed to be a linear projection of a physical property of the specimen. However, this assumption of linearity is not completely valid due to the nonlinear damping of signal intensities. The nonlinear damping effects increase w.r.t the specimen thickness and lead to so-called \u0022cupping artifacts\u0022, due to a mismatch with the linear model used in the reconstruction algorithm. Moreover, nonlinear damping effects can strongly limit the applicability of advanced reconstruction approaches such as Total Variation Minimization and discrete tomography. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for automatically correcting the nonlinear effects and the subsequent cupping artifacts. It is applicable to samples in which chemical compositions can be segmented based on image gray levels. The correction is realized by iteratively estimating the nonlinear relationship between projection intensity and sample thickness, based on which the projections are linearized. The correction and reconstruction algorithms are tested on simulated and experimental data. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.'));  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000417779800008 Publication Date 2017-10-31  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; This research is supported by the Dutch Technology Foundation STW (http:// www.stw.nl/), which is part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and which is partly funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation under project number 13314. Funding from the European Research Council (Starting grant no. COLOURATOMS 335078) is acknowledged by S. Bals. The authors would like to thank Dr. Thomas Altantzis and Dr. Bart Goris for providing the experimental data, and Prof. Dr. Luis M. Liz-Marzan for providing the investigated samples. ; ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:148501UA @ admin @ c:irua:148501 Serial 4867  
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Author Vanrompay, H.; Skorikov, A.; Bladt, E.; Béché, A.; Freitag, B.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Fast versus conventional HAADF-STEM tomography of nanoparticles: advantages and challenges Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 221 Issue Pages 113191  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract HAADF-STEM tomography is a widely used experimental technique for analyzing nanometer-scale crystalline structures of a large variety of materials in three dimensions. Unfortunately, the acquisition of conventional HAADF-STEM tilt series can easily take up one hour or more, depending on the complexity of the experiment. It is therefore far from straightforward to investigate samples that do not withstand long acquisition or to acquire large amounts of tilt series during a single TEM experiment. The latter would lead to the ability to obtain statistically meaningful 3D data, or to perform in situ 3D characterizations with a much shorter time resolution. Various HAADF-STEM acquisition strategies have been proposed to accelerate the tomographic acquisition and reduce the required electron dose. These methods include tilting the holder continuously while acquiring a projection “movie” and a hybrid, incremental, methodology which combines the benefits of the conventional and continuous technique. However, until now an experimental evaluation has been lacking. In this paper, the different acquisition strategies will be experimentally compared in terms of speed, resolution and electron dose. This evaluation will be performed based on experimental tilt series acquired for various metallic nanoparticles with different shapes and sizes. We discuss the data processing involved with the fast HAADF-STEM tilt series and provide a general guideline when which acquisition strategy should be preferentially used.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000612539600003 Publication Date 2020-12-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 15 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We acknowledge Prof. Luis M. Liz-Marzán and co-workers of the Bionanoplasmonics Laboratory, CIC biomaGUNE, Spain for providing the Au@Ag nanoparticles, Prof. Sara. E. Skrabalak and co-workers of Indiana University, United States for the provision of the Au octopods and Prof. Teri W. Odom of Northwestern University, United States for the provision of the Au nanostars. H.V. acknowledges financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant 1S32617N). S.B acknowledges financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant G.0381.16N). This project received funding as well from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 731019 (EUSMI) and No 815128 (REALNANO). The authors acknowledge the entire EMAT technical staff for their support.; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:174551 Serial 6660  
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Author Li, C.; Tardajos, A.P.; Wang, D.; Choukroun, D.; Van Daele, K.; Breugelmans, T.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title A simple method to clean ligand contamination on TEM grids Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 221 Issue Pages 113195  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) including nanowires and nanosheets made by chemical methods involve many organic ligands. When the structure of NPs is investigated via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the organic ligands act as a source for e-beam induced deposition and this causes substantial build-up of carbon layers in the investigated areas, which is typically referred to as “contamination” in the eld of electron mi- croscopy. This contamination is often more severe for scanning TEM, a technique that is based on a focused electron beam and hence higher electron dose rate. In this paper, we report a simple and effective method to clean drop-cast TEM grids that contain NPs with ligands. Using a combination of activated carbon and ethanol, this method effectively reduces the amount of ligands on TEM grids, and therefore greatly improves the quality of electron microscopy images and subsequent analytical measurements. This ef cient and facile method can be helpful during electron microscopy investigation of different kinds of nanomaterials that suffer from ligand- induced contamination.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000612539600002 Publication Date 0000-00-00  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was funded by the University Antwerp GOA project (ID 33928). DW acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (grant 894254 SuprAtom). Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:174947 Serial 6666  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Koo, J.; Dahl, A.B.; Bærentzen, J.A.; Chen, Q.; Bals, S.; Dahl, V.A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Shape from projections via differentiable forward projector for computed tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 224 Issue Pages 113239  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract In computed tomography, the reconstruction is typically obtained on a voxel grid. In this work, however, we propose a mesh-based reconstruction method. For tomographic problems, 3D meshes have mostly been studied to simulate data acquisition, but not for reconstruction, for which a 3D mesh means the inverse process of estimating shapes from projections. In this paper, we propose a differentiable forward model for 3D meshes that bridge the gap between the forward model for 3D surfaces and optimization. We view the forward projection as a rendering process, and make it differentiable by extending recent work in differentiable rendering. We use the proposed forward model to reconstruct 3D shapes directly from projections. Experimental results for single-object problems show that the proposed method outperforms traditional voxel-based methods on noisy simulated data. We also apply the proposed method on electron tomography images of nanoparticles to demonstrate the applicability of the method on real data.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000744576800008 Publication Date 2021-03-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes EU Horizon 2020 MSCA Innovative Training Network MUMMERING Grant Number 765604. Approved Most recent IF: 2.843  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183267 Serial 6825  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author De Backer, A.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title A decade of atom-counting in STEM: From the first results toward reliable 3D atomic models from a single projection Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 113702  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Quantitative structure determination is needed in order to study and understand nanomaterials at the atomic scale. Materials characterisation resulting in precise structural information is a crucial point to understand the structure–property relation of materials. Counting the number of atoms and retrieving the 3D atomic structure of nanoparticles plays an important role here. In this paper, an overview will be given of the atom-counting methodology and its applications over the past decade. The procedure to count the number of atoms will be discussed in detail and it will be shown how the performance of the method can be further improved. Furthermore, advances toward mixed element nanostructures, 3D atomic modelling based on the atom-counting results, and quantifying the nanoparticle dynamics will be highlighted.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000953765800001 Publication Date 2023-02-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.2 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (Grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to S. Van Aert, Grant 815128 REALNANO to S. Bals, and Grant 823717 ESTEEM3). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project fundings (G.0267.18N, G.0502.18N, G.0346.21N, and EOS 30489208) and a postdoctoral grant to A. De Backer. S. Van Aert acknowledges funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF) . The authors also thank the colleagues who have contributed to this work over the years, including T. Altantzis, E. Arslan Irmak, K.J. Batenburg, E. Bladt, A. De wael, R. Erni, C. Faes, B. Goris, L. Jones, L.M. Liz-Marzán, I. Lobato, G.T. Martinez, P.D. Nellist, M.D. Rosell, A. Rosenauer, K.H.W. van den Bos, A. Varambhia, and Z. Zhang.; esteem3reported; esteem3JRA Approved Most recent IF: 2.2; 2023 IF: 2.843  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:195896 Serial 7236  
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Author Batenburg, K.J.; Bals, S.; Sijbers, J.; Kübel, C.; Midgley, P.A.; Hernandez, J.C.; Kaiser, U.; Encina, E.R.; Coronado, E.A.; Van Tendeloo, G. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title 3D imaging of nanomaterials by discrete tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2009 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 109 Issue 6 Pages 730-740  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab  
  Abstract The field of discrete tomography focuses on the reconstruction of samples that consist of only a few different materials. Ideally, a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of such a sample should contain only one grey level for each of the compositions in the sample. By exploiting this property in the reconstruction algorithm, either the quality of the reconstruction can be improved significantly, or the number of required projection images can be reduced. The discrete reconstruction typically contains fewer artifacts and does not have to be segmented, as it already contains one grey level for each composition. Recently, a new algorithm, called discrete algebraic reconstruction technique (DART), has been proposed that can be used effectively on experimental electron tomography datasets. In this paper, we propose discrete tomography as a general reconstruction method for electron tomography in materials science. We describe the basic principles of DART and show that it can be applied successfully to three different types of samples, consisting of embedded ErSi2 nanocrystals, a carbon nanotube grown from a catalyst particle and a single gold nanoparticle, respectively.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000265816400005 Publication Date 2009-02-01  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 220 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo; Esteem 026019 Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2009 IF: 2.067  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:74665 c:irua:74665 Serial 12  
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Author Roelandts, T.; Batenburg, K.J.; Biermans, E.; Kübel, C.; Bals, S.; Sijbers, J. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Accurate segmentation of dense nanoparticles by partially discrete electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 114 Issue Pages 96-105  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab  
  Abstract Accurate segmentation of nanoparticles within various matrix materials is a difficult problem in electron tomography. Due to artifacts related to image series acquisition and reconstruction, global thresholding of reconstructions computed by established algorithms, such as weighted backprojection or SIRT, may result in unreliable and subjective segmentations. In this paper, we introduce the Partially Discrete Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (PDART) for computing accurate segmentations of dense nanoparticles of constant composition. The particles are segmented directly by the reconstruction algorithm, while the surrounding regions are reconstructed using continuously varying gray levels. As no properties are assumed for the other compositions of the sample, the technique can be applied to any sample where dense nanoparticles must be segmented, regardless of the surrounding compositions. For both experimental and simulated data, it is shown that PDART yields significantly more accurate segmentations than those obtained by optimal global thresholding of the SIRT reconstruction.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000301954300011 Publication Date 2012-01-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 34 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2012 IF: 2.470  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:97710 Serial 52  
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Author Goris, B.; Roelandts, T.; Batenburg, K.J.; Heidari Mezerji, H.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Advanced reconstruction algorithms for electron tomography : from comparison to combination Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2013 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 127 Issue Pages 40-47  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab  
  Abstract In this work, the simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique (SIRT), the total variation minimization (TVM) reconstruction technique and the discrete algebraic reconstruction technique (DART) for electron tomography are compared and the advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Furthermore, we describe how the result of a three dimensional (3D) reconstruction based on TVM can provide objective information that is needed as the input for a DART reconstruction. This approach results in a tomographic reconstruction of which the segmentation is carried out in an objective manner.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000316659100007 Publication Date 2012-08-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 63 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2013 IF: 2.745  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:101217 Serial 72  
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Author van den Broek, W.; Rosenauer, A.; Goris, B.; Martinez, G.T.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S.; van Dyck, D. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Correction of non-linear thickness effects in HAADF STEM electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 116 Issue Pages 8-12  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab  
  Abstract In materials science, high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy is often used for tomography at the nanometer scale. In this work, it is shown that a thickness dependent, non-linear damping of the recorded intensities occurs. This results in an underestimated intensity in the interior of reconstructions of homogeneous particles, which is known as the cupping artifact. In this paper, this non-linear effect is demonstrated in experimental images taken under common conditions and is reproduced with a numerical simulation. Furthermore, an analytical derivation shows that these non-linearities can be inverted if the imaging is done quantitatively, thus preventing cupping in the reconstruction.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000304473700002 Publication Date 2012-03-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (up) 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 67 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2012 IF: 2.470  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:96558 Serial 518  
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