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Author Xi, J.; Yang, S.; Silvioli, L.; Cao, S.; Liu, P.; Chen, Q.; Zhao, Y.; Sun, H.; Hansen, J.N.; Haraldsted, J.-P.B.; Kibsgaard, J.; Rossmeisl, J.; Bals, S.; Wang, S.; Chorkendorff, I. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Highly active, selective, and stable Pd single-atom catalyst anchored on N-doped hollow carbon sphere for electrochemical H₂O₂ synthesis under acidic conditions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Catalysis Abbreviated Journal J Catal  
  Volume 393 Issue Pages 313-323  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have recently attracted broad scientific interests due to their unique structural feature, the single-atom dispersion. Optimized electronic structure as well as high stability are required for single-atom catalysts to enable efficient electrochemical production of H2O2. Herein, we report a facile synthesis method that stabilizes atomic Pd species on the reduced graphene oxide/Ndoped carbon hollow carbon nanospheres (Pd1/N-C). Pd1/N-C exhibited remarkable electrochemical H2O2 production rate with high faradaic efficiency, reaching 80%. The single-atom structure and its high H2O2 production rate were maintained even after 10,000 cycle stability test. The existence of single-atom Pd as well as its coordination with N species is responsible for its high activity, selectivity, and stability. The N coordination number and substrate doping around Pd atoms are found to be critical for an optimized adsorption energy of intermediate *OOH, resulting in efficient electrochemical H2O2 production. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000640923500003 Publication Date 2020-11-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 0021-9517 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.844 Times cited 40 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51772110), Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (No. 2019CFB539), Danmarks Innovationsfond within the ProActivE project (5160-00003B), Villum Foundation V-SUSTAIN grant 9455 to the Villum Center for the Science of Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals, the Carlsberg Foundation grant CF18-0435, the Institutional Research Program (2E30220) of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Shenzhen Science and Technology Plan under Grant (JCYJ20170818160751460) and the Open Project of Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education (No. GCP20200205). The authors would like to acknowledge the Analytical and Testing Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics for SEM, TEM, Raman and XPS measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 6.844  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:178321 Serial 6796  
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Author Skorikov, A.; Heyvaert, W.; Albecht, W.; Pelt, D.M.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Deep learning-based denoising for improved dose efficiency in EDX tomography of nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 13 Issue Pages 12242-12249  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The combination of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron tomography is a powerful approach to retrieve the 3D elemental distribution in nanomaterials, providing an unprecedented level of information for complex, multi-component systems, such as semiconductor devices, as well as catalytic and plasmonic nanoparticles. Unfortunately, the applicability of EDX tomography is severely limited because of extremely long acquisition times and high electron irradiation doses required to obtain 3D EDX reconstructions with an adequate signal-to-noise ratio. One possibility to address this limitation is intelligent denoising of experimental data using prior expectations about the objects of interest. Herein, this approach is followed using the deep learning methodology, which currently demonstrates state-of-the-art performance for an increasing number of data processing problems. Design choices for the denoising approach and training data are discussed with a focus on nanoparticle-like objects and extremely noisy signals typical for EDX experiments. Quantitative analysis of the proposed method demonstrates its significantly enhanced performance in comparison to classical denoising approaches. This allows for improving the tradeoff between the reconstruction quality, acquisition time and radiation dose for EDX tomography. The proposed method is therefore especially beneficial for the 3D EDX investigation of electron beam-sensitive materials and studies of nanoparticle transformations.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000671395800001 Publication Date 2021-07-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 016.Veni.192.235 ; H2020 European Research Council, 815128 ; H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, 797153 ; H2020 Research Infrastructures, 731019; realnano; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179756 Serial 6799  
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Author Arenas-Vivo, A.; Rojas, S.; Ocaña, I.; Torres, A.; Liras, M.; Salles, F.; Arenas-Esteban, D.; Bals, S.; Ávila, D.; Horcajada, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Ultrafast reproducible synthesis of a Ag-nanocluster@MOF composite and its superior visible-photocatalytic activity in batch and in continuous flow Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Materials Chemistry A Abbreviated Journal J Mater Chem A  
  Volume 9 Issue 28 Pages 15704-15713  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The (photo)catalytic properties of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can be enhanced by post-synthetic inclusion of metallic species in their porosity. Due to their extraordinarily high surface area and well defined porous structure, MOFs can be used for the stabilization of metal nanoparticles with adjustable size within their porosity. Originally, we present here an optimized ultrafast photoreduction protocol for the<italic>in situ</italic>synthesis of tiny and monodisperse silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) homogeneously supported on a photoactive porous titanium carboxylate MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>MOF. The strong metal–framework interaction between –NH<sub>2</sub>and Ag atoms influences the AgNC growth, leading to the surfactant-free efficient catalyst AgNC@MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>with improved visible light absorption. The potential use of AgNC@MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>was further tested in challenging applications: (i) the photodegradation of the emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) methylene blue (MB-dye) and sulfamethazine (SMT-antibiotic) in water treatment, and (ii) the catalytic hydrogenation of<italic>p</italic>-nitroaniline (4-NA) to<italic>p</italic>-phenylenediamine (PPD) with industrial interest. It is noteworthy that compared with the pristine MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>, the composite presents an improved catalytic activity and stability, being able to photodegrade 92% of MB in 60 min and 96% of SMT in 30 min, and transform 100% of 4-NA to PPD in 30 min. Aside from these very good results, this study describes for the first time the use of a MOF in a visible light continuous flow reactor for wastewater treatment. With only 10 mg of AgNC@MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>, high SMT removal efficiency over 70% is maintained after >2 h under water flow conditions found in real wastewater treatment plants, signaling a future real application of MOFs in water remediation.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000671839200001 Publication Date 2021-06-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2050-7488 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.867 Times cited 18 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Comunidad de Madrid, CAM PEJD-2016/IND-2828 Talento Modality 2, 2017-T2/IND-5149 ; Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, Raphuel project (ENE2016-79608-C2-1-R) Retos Project MAT2017-84385-R ; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Juan de la Cierva Incorporación Fellowship (grant agreement no. IJC2019-038894-I) MOFSEIDON project (PID2019-104228RB-I00) Ramón y Cajal, Grant Agreements 2014-15039 and 2015-18677 ; Fundación BBVA, IN[17]CBBQUI_0197 ; H2020 European Research Council, ERC Consolidator Grant REALNANO 815128 Grant Agreement no. 731019 (EUSMI) ; sygmaSB; Approved Most recent IF: 8.867  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179791 Serial 6802  
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Author Boschker, H.T.S.; Cook, P.L.M.; Polerecky, L.; Eachambadi, R.T.; Lozano, H.; Hidalgo-Martinez, S.; Khalenkow, D.; Spampinato, V.; Claes, N.; Kundu, P.; Wang, D.; Bals, S.; Sand, K.K.; Cavezza, F.; Hauffman, T.; Bjerg, J.T.; Skirtach, A.G.; Kochan, K.; McKee, M.; Wood, B.; Bedolla, D.; Gianoncelli, A.; Geerlings, N.M.J.; Van Gerven, N.; Remaut, H.; Geelhoed, J.S.; Millan-Solsona, R.; Fumagalli, L.; Nielsen, L.P.; Franquet, A.; Manca, J.V.; Gomila, G.; Meysman, F.J.R. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Efficient long-range conduction in cable bacteria through nickel protein wires Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Nature Communications Abbreviated Journal Nat Commun  
  Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 3996  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Filamentous cable bacteria display long-range electron transport, generating electrical currents over centimeter distances through a highly ordered network of fibers embedded in their cell envelope. The conductivity of these periplasmic wires is exceptionally high for a biological material, but their chemical structure and underlying electron transport mechanism remain unresolved. Here, we combine high-resolution microscopy, spectroscopy, and chemical imaging on individual cable bacterium filaments to demonstrate that the periplasmic wires consist of a conductive protein core surrounded by an insulating protein shell layer. The core proteins contain a sulfur-ligated nickel cofactor, and conductivity decreases when nickel is oxidized or selectively removed. The involvement of nickel as the active metal in biological conduction is remarkable, and suggests a hitherto unknown form of electron transport that enables efficient conduction in centimeter-long protein structures.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000669944900006 Publication Date 2021-06-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2041-1723 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.124 Times cited 23 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors thank Marlies Neiemeisland for assistance with Raman microscopy, Michiel Kienhuis for assistance with NanoSIMS analysis, Peter Hildebrandt and Diego Millo for helping with the interpretation of the Raman spectra, IONTOF for the Orbitrap Hybrid- SIMS analysis, and Rene Fabregas for helping with finite-element numerical modeling for SDM. H.T.S.B. and F.J.R.M. were financially supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (VICI grant 016.VICI.170.072). Research Foundation Flanders supported F.J.R.M., J.V.M., and R.T.E. through FWO grant G031416N, and F.J.R.M. and J.S.G. through FWO grant G038819N. N.M.J.G. is the recipient of a Ph.D. scholarship for teachers from NWO in the Netherlands (grant 023.005.049). The NanoSIMS facility at Utrecht University was financed through a large infrastructure grant by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO, grant no. 175.010.2009.011) and through a Research Infrastructure Fund by the Utrecht University Board. A.G.S. is supported by the Special Research Fund (BOF) of Ghent University (BOF14/IOP/003, BAS094-18, 01IO3618) and FWO (G043219). The ToF-SIMS was funded by FWO Hercules grant (ZW/13/07) to J.V.M. and A.F. H.L., R.M.S., and G.G. were funded by the European Union H2020 Framework Programme (MSCA-ITN-2016) under grant agreement n 721874.EU, the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación and EU FEDER under grant agreements TEC2016-79156-P and TEC2015-72751-EXP, the Generalitat de Catalunya through 2017-SGR1079 grant and CERCA Program. G.G. was recipient of an ICREA Academia Award, and H.L. of a FPI fellowship (BES-2015-074799) from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación/Fondo Social Europeo. L.F. received funding from the European Research Council (grant agreement No. 819417) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Approved Most recent IF: 12.124  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179813 Serial 6803  
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Author Mychinko, M.; Skorikov, A.; Albrecht, W.; Sánchez‐Iglesias, A.; Zhuo, X.; Kumar, V.; Liz‐Marzán, L.M.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The Influence of Size, Shape, and Twin Boundaries on Heat‐Induced Alloying in Individual Au@Ag Core–Shell Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume Issue Pages 2102348  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Environmental conditions during real-world application of bimetallic core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) often include the use of elevated temperatures, which are known to cause elemental redistribution, in turn significantly altering the properties of these nanomaterials. Therefore, a thorough understanding of such processes is of great importance. The recently developed combination of fast electron tomography with in situ heating holders is a powerful approach to investigate heat-induced processes at the single NP level, with high spatial resolution in 3D. In combination with 3D finite-difference diffusion simulations, this method can be used to disclose the influence of various NP parameters on the diffusion dynamics in Au@Ag core–shell systems. A detailed study of the influence of heating on atomic diffusion and alloying for Au@Ag NPs with varying core morphology and crystallographic details is carried out. Whereas the core shape and aspect ratio of the NPs play a minor role, twin boundaries are found to have a strong influence on the elemental diffusion.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000673326600001 Publication Date 2021-07-14  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The funding for this project was provided by European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128, REALNANO) and European Commission (grant 731019, EUSMI and grant 26019, ESTEEM). This work was performed under the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Programme-Grant No. MDM-2017-0720, Ministry of Science and Innovation.; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 8.643  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179856 Serial 6804  
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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 (up) Edition  
  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  
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Author Dingenen, F.; Blommaerts, N.; Van Hal, M.; Borah, R.; Arenas-Esteban, D.; Lenaerts, S.; Bals, S.; Verbruggen, S.W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Layer-by-Layer-Stabilized Plasmonic Gold-Silver Nanoparticles on TiO2: Towards Stable Solar Active Photocatalysts Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Nanomaterials Abbreviated Journal Nanomaterials-Basel  
  Volume 11 Issue 10 Pages 2624  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract To broaden the activity window of TiO2, a broadband plasmonic photocatalyst has been designed and optimized. This plasmonic ‘rainbow’ photocatalyst consists of TiO2 modified with gold–silver composite nanoparticles of various sizes and compositions, thus inducing a broadband interaction with polychromatic solar light. However, these nanoparticles are inherently unstable, especially due to the use of silver. Hence, in this study the application of the layer-by-layer technique is introduced to create a protective polymer shell around the metal cores with a very high degree of control. Various TiO2 species (pure anatase, PC500, and P25) were loaded with different plasmonic metal loadings (0–2 wt %) in order to identify the most solar active composite materials. The prepared plasmonic photocatalysts were tested towards stearic acid degradation under simulated sunlight. From all materials tested, P25 + 2 wt % of plasmonic ‘rainbow’ nanoparticles proved to be the most promising (56% more efficient compared to pristine P25) and was also identified as the most cost-effective. Further, 2 wt % of layer-by-layer-stabilized ‘rainbow’ nanoparticles were loaded on P25. These layer-by-layer-stabilized metals showed superior stability under a heated oxidative atmosphere, as well as in a salt solution. Finally, the activity of the composite was almost completely retained after 1 month of aging, while the nonstabilized equivalent lost 34% of its initial activity. This work shows for the first time the synergetic application of a plasmonic ‘rainbow’ concept and the layer-by-layer stabilization technique, resulting in a promising solar active, and long-term stable photocatalyst.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000712759800001 Publication Date 2021-10-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2079-4991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.553 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Research was funded by Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO), FN 700300001— Aspirant F. Dingenen. Approved Most recent IF: 3.553  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183281 Serial 6812  
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Author Esteban, D.A.; Vanrompay, H.; Skorikov, A.; Béché, A.; Verbeeck, J.; Freitag, B.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Fast electron low dose tomography for beam sensitive materials Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Microscopy And Microanalysis Abbreviated Journal Microsc Microanal  
  Volume 27 Issue S1 Pages 2116-2118  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2021-07-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 1431-9276 ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor 1.891 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.891  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183278 Serial 6813  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Gorbanev, Y.; Engelmann, Y.; van’t Veer, K.; Vlasov, E.; Ndayirinde, C.; Yi, Y.; Bals, S.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Al2O3-Supported Transition Metals for Plasma-Catalytic NH3 Synthesis in a DBD Plasma: Metal Activity and Insights into Mechanisms Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Catalysts Abbreviated Journal Catalysts  
  Volume 11 Issue 10 Pages 1230  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Movement Antwerp (MOVANT)  
  Abstract N2 fixation into NH3 is one of the main processes in the chemical industry. Plasma catalysis is among the environmentally friendly alternatives to the industrial energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process. However, many questions remain open, such as the applicability of the conventional catalytic knowledge to plasma. In this work, we studied the performance of Al2O3-supported Fe, Ru, Co and Cu catalysts in plasma-catalytic NH3 synthesis in a DBD reactor. We investigated the effects of different active metals, and different ratios of the feed gas components, on the concentration and production rate of NH3, and the energy consumption of the plasma system. The results show that the trend of the metal activity (common for thermal catalysis) does not appear in the case of plasma catalysis: here, all metals exhibited similar performance. These findings are in good agreement with our recently published microkinetic model. This highlights the virtual independence of NH3 production on the metal catalyst material, thus validating the model and indicating the potential contribution of radical adsorption and Eley-Rideal reactions to the plasma-catalytic mechanism of NH3 synthesis.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000715656300001 Publication Date 2021-10-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2073-4344 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.082 Times cited 19 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Catalisti, Moonshot P2C ; Research Foundation – Flanders, GoF9618n ; European Research Council, 810182 SCOPE 815128 REALNANO ; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 3.082  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183279 Serial 6815  
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Author Prabhakara, V.; Nuytten, T.; Bender, H.; Vandervorst, W.; Bals, S.; Verbeeck, J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Linearized radially polarized light for improved precision in strain measurements using micro-Raman spectroscopy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Optics Express Abbreviated Journal Opt Express  
  Volume 29 Issue 21 Pages 34531  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Strain engineering in semiconductor transistor devices has become vital in the semiconductor industry due to the ever-increasing need for performance enhancement at the nanoscale. Raman spectroscopy is a non-invasive measurement technique with high sensitivity to mechanical stress that does not require any special sample preparation procedures in comparison to characterization involving transmission electron microscopy (TEM), making it suitable for inline strain measurement in the semiconductor industry. Indeed, at present, strain measurements using Raman spectroscopy are already routinely carried out in semiconductor devices as it is cost effective, fast and non-destructive. In this paper we explore the usage of linearized radially polarized light as an excitation source, which does provide significantly enhanced accuracy and precision as compared to linearly polarized light for this application. Numerical simulations are done to quantitatively evaluate the electric field intensities that contribute to this enhanced sensitivity. We benchmark the experimental results against TEM diffraction-based techniques like nano-beam diffraction and Bessel diffraction. Differences between both approaches are assigned to strain relaxation due to sample thinning required in TEM setups, demonstrating the benefit of Raman for nondestructive inline testing.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000708940500144 Publication Date 2021-10-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 1094-4087 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.307 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, 823717 – ESTEEM3 ; GOA project, “Solarpaint” ; Herculesstichting;; esteem3jra; esteem3reported; Approved Most recent IF: 3.307  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:182472 Serial 6816  
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 (up) Edition  
  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  
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Author Arslan Irmak, E.; Liu, P.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title 3D Atomic Structure of Supported Metallic Nanoparticles Estimated from 2D ADF STEM Images: A Combination of Atom – Counting and a Local Minima Search Algorithm Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Small methods Abbreviated Journal Small Methods  
  Volume Issue Pages 2101150  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Determining the three-dimensional (3D) atomic structure of nanoparticles (NPs) is critical to understand their structure-dependent properties. It is hereby important to perform such analyses under conditions relevant for the envisioned application. Here, we investigate the 3D structure of supported Au NPs at high temperature, which is of importance to understand their behavior during catalytic reactions. To overcome limitations related to conventional high-resolution electron tomography at high temperature, 3D characterization of NPs with atomic resolution has been performed by applying atom-counting using atomic resolution annular darkfield scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF STEM) images followed by structural relaxation. However, at high temperatures, thermal displacements, which affect the ADF STEM intensities, should be taken into account. Moreover, it is very likely that the structure of a NP investigated at elevated temperature deviates from a ground state configuration, which is difficult to determine using purely computational energy minimization approaches. In this paper, we therefore propose an optimized approach using an iterative local minima search algorithm followed by molecular dynamics (MD) structural relaxation of candidate structures associated with each local minimum. In this manner, it becomes possible to investigate the 3D atomic structure of supported NPs, which may deviate from their ground state configuration.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000716511600001 Publication Date 2021-11-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2366-9608 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 12 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (Grant 815128 REALNANO to SB, Grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to SVA, Grant 823717 ESTEEM3). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project funding (G.0267.18N, G.0502.18N, G.0346.21N).; sygmaSB; esteem3jra; esteem3reported Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183289 Serial 6820  
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 (up) Edition  
  ISSN 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 Walters, A.A.; Santacana-Font, G.; Li, J.; Routabi, N.; Qin, Y.; Claes, N.; Bals, S.; Tzu-Wen Wang, J.; Al-Jamal, K.T. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Nanoparticle-MediatedIn SituMolecular Reprogramming of Immune Checkpoint Interactions for Cancer Immunotherapy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Acs Nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 15 Issue 11 Pages 17549-17564  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Pharmacology. Therapy; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Immune checkpoint blockade involves targeting immune

regulatory molecules with antibodies. Preclinically, complex multiantibody

regimes of both inhibitory and stimulatory targets are a promising

candidate for the next generation of immunotherapy. However, in this

setting, the antibody platform may be limited due to excessive toxicity

caused by off target effects as a result of systemic administration. RNA

can be used as an alternate to antibodies as it can both downregulate

immunosuppressive checkpoints (siRNA) or induce expression of

immunostimulatory checkpoints (mRNA). In this study, we demonstrate

that the combination of both siRNA and mRNA in a single

formulation can simultaneously knockdown and induce expression of

immune checkpoint targets, thereby reprogramming the tumor

microenvironment from immunosuppressive to immunostimulatory

phenotype. To achieve this, RNA constructs were synthesized and

formulated into stable nucleic acid lipid nanoparticles (SNALPs); the SNALPs produced were 140−150 nm in size with >80%

loading efficiency. SNALPs could transfect macrophages and B16F10 cells in vitro resulting in 75% knockdown of inhibitory

checkpoint (PDL1) expression and simultaneously express high levels of stimulatory checkpoint (OX40L) with minimal

toxicity. Intratumoral treatment with the proposed formulation resulted in statistically reduced tumor growth, a greater

density of CD4+ and CD8+ infiltrates in the tumor, and immune activation within tumor-draining lymph nodes. These data

suggest that a single RNA-based formulation can successfully reprogram multiple immune checkpoint interactions on a

cellular level. Such a candidate may be able to replace future immune checkpoint therapeutic regimes composed of both

stimulatory- and inhibitory-receptor-targeting antibodies.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000747115200039 Publication Date 2021-11-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes A.A.W. is the grateful recipient of a Maplethorpe Fellowship. K.A.J. acknowledges funding from the British Council (Newton Fund, 337313), Wellcome Trust (WT103913), and the Cancer Research UK King’s Health Partners Centre at King’s College London. Financial support is acknowledged from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme, by means of Grant Agreement No. 731019 (EUSMI). Images were drawn on BioRender.com. Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183950 Serial 6829  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Renero-Lecuna, C.; Herrero, A.; Jimenez de Aberasturi, D.; Martínez-Flórez, M.; Valiente, R.; Mychinko, M.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Nd3+-Doped Lanthanum Oxychloride Nanocrystals as Nanothermometers Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 125 Issue 36 Pages 19887-19896  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The development of optical nanothermometers operating in the near-infrared (NIR) is of high relevance toward temperature measurements in biological systems. We propose herein the use of Nd3+-doped lanthanum oxychloride nanocrystals as an efficient system with intense photoluminescence under NIR irradiation in the first biological transparency window and emission in the second biological window with excellent emission stability over time under 808 nm excitation, regardless of Nd3+ concentration, which can be considered as a particular strength of our system. Additionally, surface passivation through overgrowth of an inert LaOCl shell around optically active LaOCl/Nd3+ cores was found to further enhance the photoluminescence intensity and also the lifetime of the 1066 nm, 4F3/2 to 4I11/2 transition, without affecting its (ratiometric) sensitivity toward temperature changes. As required for biological applications, we show that the obtained (initially hydrophobic) nanocrystals can be readily transferred into aqueous solvents with high, long-term stability, through either ligand exchange or encapsulation with an amphiphilic polymer.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000697335100031 Publication Date 2021-09-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 9 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors thank the financial support of the European Research Council (ERC-AdG-2017 787510, ERC-CoG-2019 815128) and of the European Commission (EUSMI, Grant 731019). This work was performed under the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency−Grant MDM-2017−0720. Realnano; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:181671 Serial 6831  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Mushtaq, A.; Pradhan, B.; Kushavah, D.; Zhang, Y.; Wolf, M.; Schrenker, N.; Fron, E.; Bals, S.; Hofkens, J.; Debroye, E.; Pal, S.K. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties and Saturation of Two-Photon Absorption in Lead-Free Double Perovskite Nanocrystals under Femtosecond Excitation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Acs Photonics Abbreviated Journal Acs Photonics  
  Volume 8 Issue 11 Pages 3365-3374  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Lead halide perovskites have been widely explored

in the field of photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes, and lasers due to

their outstanding linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties.

But, the presence of lead toxicity and low chemical stability remain

serious concerns. Lead-free double perovskite with excellent

optical properties and chemical stability could be an alternative.

However, proper examination of the NLO properties of such a

material is crucial to identify their utility for future nonlinear device

applications. Herein, we have made use of femtosecond (fs) Z-scan

technique to explore the NLO properties of Cs2AgIn0.9Bi0.1Cl6

nanocrystals (NCs). Our measurements suggest that under

nonresonant fs excitation, perovskite NCs exhibit strong twophoton

absorption (TPA). The observed saturation of TPA at high

light intensities has been explained by a customized model. Furthermore, we have demonstrated a change in the nonlinear refractive

index of the NCs under varying input intensities. The strong TPA absorption of lead-free double perovskite NCs could be used for

Kerr nonlinearity-based nonlinear applications such as optical shutters for picosecond lasers.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000757024100028 Publication Date 2021-11-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2330-4022 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.756 Times cited 25 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes A.M. is thankful to IIT Mandi for his fellowship and Advanced Materials Research Centre for the experimental facilities. A.M. is also thankful to Torbjörn Pascher (Pascher Instrument) for writing the Z-scan data acquisition program. J.H. acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO, Grant No. G983.19N, G0A5817N, and G0H6316N) and the Flemish government through long-term structural funding Methusalem (CASAS2, Meth/15/04). B.P. acknowledges postdoctoral fellowship from the Research Foundation- Flanders (FWO Grant No. 1275521N). D.K. acknowledges the financial support from Science and Engineering Research Board (Grant No. PDF/2018/003146), India. N.J.S. acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation- Flanders via a postdoctoral fellowship (FWO Grant No. 1238622N). Approved Most recent IF: 6.756  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:184249 Serial 6832  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Feng, X.; Jena, H.S.; Krishnaraj, C.; Arenas-Esteban, D.; Leus, K.; Wang, G.; Sun, J.; Rüscher, M.; Timoshenko, J.; Roldan Cuenya, B.; Bals, S.; Voort, P.V.D. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Creation of Exclusive Artificial Cluster Defects by Selective Metal Removal in the (Zn, Zr) Mixed-Metal UiO-66 Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of The American Chemical Society Abbreviated Journal J Am Chem Soc  
  Volume Issue Pages jacs.1c05357  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The differentiation between missing linker defects

and missing cluster defects in MOFs is difficult, thereby limiting the

ability to correlate materials properties to a specific type of defects.

Herein, we present a novel and easy synthesis strategy for the

creation of solely “missing cluster defects” by preparing mixed-metal

(Zn, Zr)-UiO-66 followed by a gentle acid wash to remove the Zn

nodes. The resulting material has the reo UiO-66 structure, typical

for well-defined missing cluster defects. The missing clusters are

thoroughly characterized, including low-pressure Ar-sorption, iDPCSTEM

at a low dose (1.5 pA), and XANES/EXAFS analysis. We

show that the missing cluster UiO-66 has a negligible number of missing linkers. We show the performance of the missing cluster

UiO-66 in CO2 sorption and heterogeneous catalysis.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000730569500001 Publication Date 2021-12-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 0002-7863 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.858 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen, HBC.2019.0110 HBC.2021.0254 ; Universiteit Gent; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 665501 ; Dalian University of Technology; China Scholarship Council, 201507565009 ; National Natural Science Foundation of China, 22101039 ; H2020 European Research Council, 815128 REALNANO ; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 13.858  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183951 Serial 6833  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Chee, S.-S.; Greboval, C.; Vale Magalhaes, D.; Ramade, J.; Chu, A.; Qu, J.; Rastogi, P.; Khalili, A.; Dang, T.H.; Dabard, C.; Prado, Y.; Patriarche, G.; Chaste, J.; Rosticher, M.; Bals, S.; Delerue, C.; Lhuillier, E. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Correlating structure and detection properties in HgTe nanocrystal films Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Nano Letters Abbreviated Journal Nano Lett  
  Volume 21 Issue 10 Pages 4145-4151  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract HgTe nanocrystals (NCs) enable broadly tunable infrared absorption, now commonly used to design light sensors. This material tends to grow under multipodic shapes and does not present well-defined size distributions. Such point generates traps and reduces the particle packing, leading to a reduced mobility. It is thus highly desirable to comprehensively explore the effect of the shape on their performance. Here, we show, using a combination of electron tomography and tight binding simulations, that the charge dissociation is strong within HgTe NCs, but poorly shape dependent. Then, we design a dual-gate field-effect-transistor made of tripod HgTe NCs and use it to generate a planar p-n junction, offering more tunability than its vertical geometry counterpart. Interestingly, the performance of the tripods is higher than sphere ones, and this can be correlated with a stronger Te excess in the case of sphere shapes which is responsible for a higher hole trap density.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000657242300002 Publication Date 2021-05-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 1530-6984 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.712 Times cited 20 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The project is supported by ERC starting grant blackQD (Grant No. 756225) and consolidator grant Realnano (815128). This project has received funding from the European Commission (Grant 731019, EUSMI). We acknowledge the use of cleanroom facilities from the “Centrale de Proximité Paris-Centre”. This work has been supported by the Region Ile-de-France in the framework of DIM Nano-K (Grant dopQD). This work was supported by French state funds managed by the ANR within the Investissements d’Avenir programme under reference ANR11-IDEX-0004-02, and more specifically within the framework of the Cluster of Excellence MATISSE and also by grants IPERNano2 (ANR-18CE30-0023-01), Copin (ANR-19-CE24- 0022), Frontal (ANR-19-CE09-0017), Graskop (ANR-19- CE09-0026), and NITQuantum (ANR-20-ASTR-0008-01). A.C. thanks Agence innovation defense for Ph.D. funding; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 12.712  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:179127 Serial 6837  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Salzmann, B.B.V.; Vliem, J.F.; Maaskant, D.N.; Post, L.C.; Li, C.; Bals, S.; Vanmaekelbergh, D. url  doi
openurl 
  Title From CdSe nanoplatelets to quantum rings by thermochemical edge reconfiguration Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Chemistry Of Materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater  
  Volume 33 Issue 17 Pages 6853-6859  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The variation in the shape of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) remains intriguing. This interest goes beyond crystallography as the shape of the NC determines its energy levels and optoelectronic properties. While thermodynamic arguments point to a few or just a single shape(s), terminated by the most stable crystal facets, a remarkable variation in NC shape has been reported for many different compounds. For instance, for the well-studied case of CdSe, close-to-spherical quantum dots, rods, two-dimensional nanoplatelets, and quantum rings have been reported. Here, we report how two-dimensional CdSe nanoplatelets reshape into quantum rings. We monitor the reshaping in real time by combining atomically resolved structural characterization with optical absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. We observe that CdSe units leave the vertical sides of the edges and recrystallize on the top and bottom edges of the nanoplatelets, resulting in a thickening of the rims. The formation of a central hole, rendering the shape into a ring, only occurs at a more elevated temperature.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000696553600024 Publication Date 2021-08-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756; 1520-5002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.466 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Hans Meeldijk is kindly acknowledged for helping with electron microscopy at Utrecht University. B.B.V.S. and D.V. acknowledge the Dutch NWO for financial support via the TOP-ECHO grant no. 715.016.002. D.V. acknowledges financial support from the European ERC Council, ERC Advanced grant 692691 “First Step”. D.V. and L.C.P. acknowledge the Dutch NWO for financial support via the TOP-ECHO grant nr. 718.015.002. S.B acknowledges financial support from the European ERC Council, ERC Consolidator grant 815128. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 731019 (EUSMI). Realnano; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 9.466  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:181550 Serial 6839  
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 (up) Edition  
  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 Abakumov, A.M.; Li, C.; Boev, A.; Aksyonov, D.A.; Savina, A.A.; Abakumova, T.A.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Bals, S. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Grain boundaries as a diffusion-limiting factor in lithium-rich NMC cathodes for high-energy lithium-ion batteries Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication ACS applied energy materials Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 4 Issue 7 Pages 6777-6786  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract High-energy lithium-rich layered transition metal oxides are capable of delivering record electrochemical capacity and energy density as positive electrodes for Li-ion batteries. Their electrochemical behavior is extremely complex due to sophisticated interplay between crystal structure, electronic structure, and defect structure. Here we unravel an extra level of this complexity by revealing that the most typical representative Li1.2Ni0.13Mn0.54Co0.13O2 material, prepared by a conventional coprecipitation technique with Na2CO3 as a precipitating agent, contains abundant coherent (001) grain boundaries with a Na-enriched P2-structured block due to segregation of the residual sodium traces. The trigonal prismatic oxygen coordination of Na triggers multiple nanoscale twinning, giving rise to incoherent (104) boundaries. The cationic layers at the (001) grain boundaries are filled with transition metal cations being Mn-depleted and Co-enriched; this makes them virtually not permeable for the Li+ cations, and therefore they negatively influence the Li diffusion in and out of the spherical agglomerates. These results demonstrate that besides the mechanisms intrinsic to the crystal and electronic structure of Li-rich cathodes, their rate capability might also be depreciated by peculiar microstructural aspects. Dedicated engineering of grain boundaries opens a way for improving inherently sluggish kinetics of these materials.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000678382900042 Publication Date 2021-07-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2574-0962 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 4 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes We thank Dr. M. V. Berekchiian (MSU) for assisting in ICPMS measurements. We acknowledge Russian Science Foundation (Grant 20-43-01012) and Research Foundation Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen, Project No. G0F1320N) for financial support. Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:180556 Serial 6841  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Pramanik, G.; Kvakova, K.; Thottappali, M.A.; Rais, D.; Pfleger, J.; Greben, M.; El-Zoka, A.; Bals, S.; Dracinsky, M.; Valenta, J.; Cigler, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Inverse heavy-atom effect in near infrared photoluminescent gold nanoclusters Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 12 Issue 23 Pages 10462-10467  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Fluorophores functionalized with heavy elements show enhanced intersystem crossing due to increased spin-orbit coupling, which in turn shortens the fluorescence decay lifetime (tau(PL)). This phenomenon is known as the heavy-atom effect (HAE). Here, we report the observation of increased tau(PL) upon functionalisation of near-infrared photoluminescent gold nanoclusters with iodine. The heavy atom-mediated increase in tau(PL) is in striking contrast with the HAE and referred to as inverse HAE. Femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy revealed overcompensation of a slight decrease in lifetime of the transition associated with the Au core (ps) by a large increase in the long-lived triplet state lifetime associated with the Au shell, which contributed to the observed inverse HAE. This unique observation of inverse HAE in gold nanoclusters provides the means to enhance the triplet excited state lifetime.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000657052500001 Publication Date 2021-06-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge support from GACR project no. 18-12533S. G. P. acknowledges support from EUSMI project no. E180200060; J. P. from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic – Program INTER-EXCELLENCE (LTAUSA19066). Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:179052 Serial 6843  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Choukroun, D.; Pacquets, L.; Li, C.; Hoekx, S.; Arnouts, S.; Baert, K.; Hauffman, T.; Bals, S.; Breugelmans, T. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Mapping composition–selectivity relationships of supported sub-10 nm Cu–Ag nanocrystals for high-rate CO₂ electroreduction Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Acs Nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 15 Issue 9 Pages 14858-14872  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Colloidal Cu–Ag nanocrystals measuring less than 10 nm across are promising candidates for integration in hybrid CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) interfaces, especially in the context of tandem catalysis and selective multicarbon (C2–C3) product formation. In this work, we vary the synthetic-ligand/copper molar ratio from 0.1 to 1.0 and the silver/copper atomic ratio from 0 to 0.7 and study the variations in the nanocrystals’ size distribution, morphology and reactivity at rates of ≥100 mA cm–2 in a gas-fed recycle electrolyzer operating under neutral to mildly basic conditions (0.1–1.0 M KHCO3). High-resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy are used in order to characterize the morphology of sub-10 nm Cu–Ag nanodimers and core–shells and to elucidate trends in Ag coverage and surface composition. It is shown that Cu–Ag nanocrystals can be densely dispersed onto a carbon black support without the need for immediate ligand removal or binder addition, which considerably facilitates their application. Although CO2RR product distribution remains an intricate function of time, (kinetic) overpotential and processing conditions, we nevertheless conclude that the ratio of oxygenates to hydrocarbons (which depends primarily on the initial dispersion of the nanocrystals and their composition) rises 3-fold at moderate Ag atom % relative to Cu NCs-based electrodes. Finally, the merits of this particular Cu–Ag/C system and the recycling reactor employed are utilized to obtain maximum C2–C3 partial current densities of 92–140 mA cm–2 at −1.15 VRHE and liquid product concentrations in excess of 0.05 wt % in 1 M KHCO3 after short electrolysis periods.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000703553600082 Publication Date 2021-08-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 25 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes D.C. acknowledges Thomas Kenis for configuring the analytical instrumentation (HPLC/GC-FID/ICP-MS), Hannelore Andries for assistance with ICP-MS measurements, and Dr. Saeid Pourbabak and Dr. Tine Derez for assistance with Cu sputtering. L.P. was supported by Research Foundation of Flanders (FWO 1S56920N). S.B. acknowledges financial support from ERC Consolidator grant number 815128 REALNANO. S.B. and T.B. acknowledge financial support from the university research fund (BOF-GOA-PS ID no. 33928).; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:180305 Serial 6844  
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 (up) Edition  
  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  
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Author Dey, A.; Ye, J.; De, A.; Debroye, E.; Ha, S.K.; Bladt, E.; Kshirsagar, A.S.; Wang, Z.; Yin, J.; Wang, Y.; Quan, L.N.; Yan, F.; Gao, M.; Li, X.; Shamsi, J.; Debnath, T.; Cao, M.; Scheel, M.A.; Kumar, S.; Steele, J.A.; Gerhard, M.; Chouhan, L.; Xu, K.; Wu, X.-gang; Li, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Dutta, A.; Han, C.; Vincon, I.; Rogach, A.L.; Nag, A.; Samanta, A.; Korgel, B.A.; Shih, C.-J.; Gamelin, D.R.; Son, D.H.; Zeng, H.; Zhong, H.; Sun, H.; Demir, H.V.; Scheblykin, I.G.; Mora-Sero, I.; Stolarczyk, J.K.; Zhang, J.Z.; Feldmann, J.; Hofkens, J.; Luther, J.M.; Perez-Prieto, J.; Li, L.; Manna, L.; Bodnarchuk, M., I; Kovalenko, M., V; Roeffaers, M.B.J.; Pradhan, N.; Mohammed, O.F.; Bakr, O.M.; Yang, P.; Muller-Buschbaum, P.; Kamat, P., V; Bao, Q.; Zhang, Q.; Krahne, R.; Galian, R.E.; Stranks, S.D.; Bals, S.; Biju, V.; Tisdale, W.A.; Yan, Y.; Hoye, R.L.Z.; Polavarapu, L. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title State of the art and prospects for Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Acs Nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 15 Issue 7 Pages 10775-10981  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Metal-halide perovskites have rapidly emerged as one of the most promising materials of the 21st century, with many exciting properties and great potential for a broad range of applications, from photovoltaics to optoelectronics and photocatalysis. The ease with which metal-halide perovskites can be synthesized in the form of brightly luminescent colloidal nanocrystals, as well as their tunable and intriguing optical and electronic properties, has attracted researchers from different disciplines of science and technology. In the last few years, there has been a significant progress in the shape-controlled synthesis of perovskite nanocrystals and understanding of their properties and applications. In this comprehensive review, researchers having expertise in different fields (chemistry, physics, and device engineering) of metal-halide perovskite nanocrystals have joined together to provide a state of the art overview and future prospects of metal-halide perovskite nanocrystal research.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000679406500006 Publication Date 2021-06-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 538 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes E.D. and J.H. acknowledge financial support from the Research FoundationFlanders (FWO Grant Nos. S002019N, G.0B39.15, G.0B49.15, G.0962.13, G098319N, and ZW15_09-GOH6316), the Research Foundation Flanders postdoctoral fellowships to J.A.S. and E.D. (FWO Grant Nos. 12Y7218N and 12O3719N, respectively), Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:180553 Serial 6846  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Sanchez-Iglesias, A.; Jenkinson, K.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzan, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Kinetic regulation of the synthesis of pentatwinned gold nanorods below room temperature Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 125 Issue 43 Pages 23937-23944  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The synthesis of gold nanorods requires the presence of symmetry-breaking and shape-directing additives, among which bromide ions and quaternary ammonium surfactants have been reported as essential. As a result, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has been selected as the most efficient surfactant to direct anisotropic growth. One of the difficulties arising from this selection is the low solubility of CTAB in water at room temperature, and therefore the seeded growth of gold nanorods is usually performed at 25 degrees C or above, which has restricted so far the analysis of kinetic effects derived from lower temperatures. We report a systematic study of the synthesis of gold nanorods from pentatwinned seeds using hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) as the principal surfactant and a low concentration of bromide as shape-directing agent. Under these conditions, the synthesis can be performed at temperatures as low as 8 degrees C, and the corresponding kinetic effects can be studied, resulting in temperature-controlled aspect ratio tunability.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000716453300038 Publication Date 2021-10-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes realnano; sygmaSB; This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under award NSF CHE-1808502 (P.C. and I.J.). This work made use of the EPIC facility of Northwestern University's NUANCE Center, which has received support from the SHyNE Resource (NSF ECCS-2025633), the IIN, and Northwestern's MRSEC program (NSF DMR-1720139). D.A E. and S.B. 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 Grant Agreement No. 731019 EUSMI). Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:184104 Serial 6868  
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Author Zhang, Y.; Qin, S.; Claes, N.; Schilling, W.; Sahoo, P.K.; Ching, H.Y.V.; Jaworski, A.; Lemière, F.; Slabon, A.; Van Doorslaer, S.; Bals, S.; Das, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Direct Solar Energy-Mediated Synthesis of Tertiary Benzylic Alcohols Using a Metal-Free Heterogeneous Photocatalyst Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering Abbreviated Journal Acs Sustain Chem Eng  
  Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages 530-540  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Organic synthesis (ORSY)  
  Abstract Direct hydroxylation via the functionalization of tertiary benzylic C(sp3)-H bond is of great significance for obtaining tertiary alcohols which find wide applications in pharmaceuticals as well as in fine chemical industries. However, current synthetic procedures use toxic reagents and therefore, the development of a sustainable strategy for the synthesis of tertiary benzyl alcohols is highly desirable. To solve this problem, herein, we report a metal-free

heterogeneous photocatalyst to synthesize the hydroxylated products using oxygen as the key reagent. Various benzylic substrates were employed into our mild reaction conditions to afford the desirable products in good to excellent yields. More importantly, gram-scale reaction was achieved via harvesting direct solar energy and exhibited high quantity of the product. The high stability of the catalyst was proved via recycling the catalyst and spectroscopic analyses. Finally, a possible mechanism was proposed based on the EPR and other experimental

evidence.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000736518000001 Publication Date 2022-01-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2168-0485 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.4 Times cited 24 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We thank BOF joint PhD grant (to Y. Z.), Francqui Foundation and FWO research grant (to S.D.), Chinese Scholarship Council (to Y.Z.). A.S. would like to thank the Swedish Energy Agency for financial support (project nr: 5050-1). The SEM microscope was partly funded by the Hercules Fund from the Flemish Government. Approved Most recent IF: 8.4  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:184744 Serial 6900  
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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 (up) Edition  
  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  
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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 (up) Edition  
  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  
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Author Pramanik, G.; Kvakova, K.; Thottappali, M.A.; Rais, D.; Pfleger, J.; Greben, M.; El-Zoka, A.; Bals, S.; Dracinsky, M.; Valenta, J.; Cigler, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Inverse heavy-atom effect in near infrared photoluminescent gold nanoclusters Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2021 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 13 Issue 23 Pages 10462-10467  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ;  
  Abstract Fluorophores functionalized with heavy elements show enhanced intersystem crossing due to increased spin–orbit coupling, which in turn shortens the fluorescence decay lifetime (<italic>τ</italic><sup>PL</sup>). This phenomenon is known as the heavy-atom effect (HAE). Here, we report the observation of increased<italic>τ</italic><sup>PL</sup>upon functionalisation of near-infrared photoluminescent gold nanoclusters with iodine. The heavy atom-mediated increase in<italic>τ</italic><sup>PL</sup>is in striking contrast with the HAE and referred to as inverse HAE. Femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy revealed overcompensation of a slight decrease in lifetime of the transition associated with the Au core (ps) by a large increase in the long-lived triplet state lifetime associated with the Au shell, which contributed to the observed inverse HAE. This unique observation of inverse HAE in gold nanoclusters provides the means to enhance the triplet excited state lifetime.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2021-05-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue (up) Edition  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 7 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes The authors acknowledge support from GACR project Nr.18- 12533S. G. P. acknowledges support from EUSMI project No. E180200060; J.P. from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic – Program INTER-EXCELLENCE (LTAUSA19066). Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ Serial 6950  
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