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Author Khalilov, U.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Atomic-scale mechanisms of plasma-assisted elimination of nascent base-grown carbon nanotubes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Carbon Abbreviated Journal Carbon  
  Volume 118 Issue 118 Pages 452-457  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Selective etching allows for obtaining carbon nanotubes with a specific chirality. While plasma-assisted etching has already been used to separate metallic tubes from their semiconducting counterparts, little is known about the nanoscale mechanisms of the etching process. We combine (reactive) molecular dynamics (MD) and force-bias Monte Carlo (tfMC) simulations to study H-etching of CNTs. In particular, during the hydrogenation and subsequent etching of both the carbon cap and the tube, they sequentially transform to different carbon nanostructures, including carbon nanosheet, nanowall, and polyyne chains, before they are completely removed from the surface of a substrate-bound Ni-nanocluster.We also found that onset of the etching process is different in the cases of the cap and the tube, although the overall etching scenario is similar in both cases. The entire hydrogenation/etching process for both cases is analysed in detail, comparing with available theoretical and experimental evidences.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000401120800053 Publication Date 2017-03-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0008-6223 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.337 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes U. K. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), Belgium (Grant No. 12M1315N). The work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure of the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Centre VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the Universiteit Antwerpen. The authors also thank Prof. A. C. T. van Duin for sharing the ReaxFF code. Approved Most recent IF: 6.337  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:141915 Serial 4531  
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Author Khalilov, U.; Bogaerts, A.; Hussain, S.; Kovacevic, E.; Brault, P.; Boulmer-Leborgne, C.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Nanoscale mechanisms of CNT growth and etching in plasma environment Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Journal of physics: D: applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Phys D Appl Phys  
  Volume 50 Issue 50 Pages 184001  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma-enhanced chemical deposition (PECVD) of carbon nanotubes has already been shown to allow chirality control to some extent. In PECVD, however, etching may occur simultaneously with the growth, and the occurrence of intermediate processes further significantly complicates the growth process.

We here employ a computational approach with experimental support to study the plasma-based formation of Ni nanoclusters, Ni-catalyzed CNT growth and subsequent etching processes, in order to understand the underpinning nanoscale mechanisms. We find that hydrogen is the dominant factor in both the re-structuring of a Ni film and the subsequent appearance of Ni nanoclusters, as well as in the CNT nucleation and etching processes. The obtained results are compared with available theoretical and experimental studies and provide a deeper understanding of the occurring nanoscale mechanisms in plasma-assisted CNT nucleation and growth.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000398300900001 Publication Date 2017-04-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0022-3727 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.588 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes UK gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), Belgium (Grant No. 12M1315N). The work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure of the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Centre VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the Universiteit Antwerpen. The authors also thank Prof A C T van Duin for sharing the ReaxFF code. Approved Most recent IF: 2.588  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:141918 Serial 4533  
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Author Verlackt, C.C.W.; Van Boxem, W.; Dewaele, D.; Lemière, F.; Sobott, F.; Benedikt, J.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Mechanisms of Peptide Oxidation by Hydroxyl Radicals: Insight at the Molecular Scale Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 121 Issue 121 Pages 5787-5799  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to provide atomic scale insight in the initial interaction between hydroxyl radicals (OH) and peptide systems in solution. These OH radicals are representative reactive oxygen species produced by cold atmospheric plasmas. The use of plasma for biomedical applications is gaining increasing interest, but the fundamental mechanisms behind the plasma modifications still remain largely elusive. This study helps to gain more insight in the underlying mechanisms of plasma medicine but is also more generally applicable to peptide oxidation, of interest for other applications. Combining both reactive and nonreactive MD simulations, we are able to elucidate the reactivity of the amino acids inside the peptide systems and their effect on their structure up to 1 μs. Additionally, experiments were performed, treating the simulated peptides with a plasma jet. The computational results presented here correlate well with the obtained experimental data and highlight the importance of the chemical environment for the reactivity of the individual amino acids, so that specific amino acids are attacked in higher numbers than expected. Furthermore, the long time scale simulations suggest that a single oxidation has an effect on the 3D conformation due to an increase in hydrophilicity and intra- and intermolecular interactions.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000396969900037 Publication Date 2017-03-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G012413N ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:142202 Serial 4537  
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Author Khalilov, U.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Toward the Understanding of Selective Si Nano-Oxidation by Atomic Scale Simulations Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Accounts of chemical research Abbreviated Journal Accounts Chem Res  
  Volume 50 Issue 50 Pages 796-804  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The continuous miniaturization of nanodevices, such as transistors, solar cells, and optical fibers, requires the controlled synthesis of (ultra)thin gate oxides (<10 nm), including Si gate-oxide (SiO2) with high quality at the atomic scale. Traditional thermal growth of SiO2 on planar Si surfaces, however, does not allow one to obtain such ultrathin oxide due to either the high oxygen diffusivity at high temperature or the very low sticking ability of incident oxygen at low temperature. Two recent techniques, both operative at low (room) temperature, have been put forward to overcome these obstacles: (i) hyperthermal oxidation of planar Si surfaces and (ii) thermal or plasma-assisted oxidation of nonplanar Si surfaces, including Si nanowires (SiNWs). These nanooxidation processes are, however, often difficult to study experimentally, due to the key intermediate processes taking place on the nanosecond time scale.

In this Account, these Si nano-oxidation techniques are discussed from a computational point of view and compared to both hyperthermal and thermal oxidation experiments, as well as to well-known models of thermal oxidation, including the Deal−Grove, Cabrera−Mott, and Kao models and several alternative mechanisms. In our studies, we use reactive molecular dynamics (MD) and hybrid MD/Monte Carlo simulation techniques, applying the Reax force field. The incident energy of oxygen species is chosen in the range of 1−5 eV in hyperthermal oxidation of planar Si surfaces in order to prevent energy-induced damage. It turns out that hyperthermal growth allows for two growth modes, where the ultrathin oxide thickness depends on either (1) only the kinetic energy of the incident oxygen species at a growth temperature below Ttrans = 600 K, or (2) both the incident energy and the growth temperature at a growth temperature above Ttrans. These modes are specific to such ultrathin oxides, and are not observed in traditional thermal oxidation, nor theoretically considered by already existing models. In the case of thermal or plasma-assisted oxidation of small Si nanowires, on the other hand, the thickness of the ultrathin oxide is a function of the growth temperature and the nanowire diameter. Below Ttrans, which varies with the nanowire diameter, partially oxidized SiNW are formed, whereas complete oxidation to a SiO2 nanowire occurs only above Ttrans. In both nano-oxidation processes at lower temperature (T < Ttrans), final sandwich c-Si|SiOx|a-SiO2 structures are obtained due to a competition between overcoming the energy barrier to penetrate into Si subsurface layers and the compressive stress (∼2−3 GPa) at the Si crystal/oxide interface. The overall atomic-simulation results strongly indicate that the thickness of the intermediate SiOx (x < 2) region is very limited (∼0.5 nm) and constant irrespective of oxidation parameters. Thus, control over the ultrathin SiO2 thickness with good quality is indeed possible by accurately tuning the oxidant energy, oxidation temperature and surface curvature.

In general, we discuss and put in perspective these two oxidation mechanisms for obtaining controllable ultrathin gate-oxide films, offering a new route toward the fabrication of nanodevices via selective nano-oxidation.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000399859800016 Publication Date 2017-04-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0001-4842 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 20.268 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 12M1315N ; Approved Most recent IF: 20.268  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:142638 Serial 4561  
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Author Bruggeman, P.J.; Kushner, M.J.; Locke, B.R.; Gardeniers, J.G.E.; Graham, W.G.; Graves, D.B.; Hofman-Caris, R.C.H.M.; Maric, D.; Reid, J.P.; Ceriani, E.; Fernandez Rivas, D.; Foster, J.E.; Garrick, S.C.; Gorbanev, Y.; Hamaguchi, S.; Iza, F.; Jablonowski, H.; Klimova, E.; Kolb, J.; Krcma, F.; Lukes, P.; Machala, Z.; Marinov, I.; Mariotti, D.; Mededovic Thagard, S.; Minakata, D.; Neyts, E.C.; Pawlat, J.; Petrovic, Z.L.; Pflieger, R.; Reuter, S.; Schram, D.C.; Schröter, S.; Shiraiwa, M.; Tarabová, B.; Tsai, P.A.; Verlet, J.R.R.; von Woedtke, T.; Wilson, K.R.; Yasui, K.; Zvereva, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasma–liquid interactions: a review and roadmap Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Plasma sources science and technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T  
  Volume 25 Issue 5 Pages 053002  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma–liquid interactions represent a growing interdisciplinary area of research involving plasma science, fluid dynamics, heat and mass transfer, photolysis, multiphase chemistry and aerosol science. This review provides an assessment of the state-of-the-art of this multidisciplinary area and identifies the key research challenges. The developments in diagnostics, modeling and further extensions of cross section and reaction rate databases that are necessary to address these challenges are discussed. The review focusses on nonequilibrium plasmas.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000384715400001 Publication Date 2016-09-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1361-6595 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.302 Times cited 460 Open Access  
  Notes This manuscript originated from discussions at the Lorentz Center Workshop ‘Gas/Plasma–Liquid Interface: Transport, Chemistry and Fundamental Data’ that took place at the Lorentz Center, Leiden University in the Netherlands from August 4, through August 8, 2014, and follow-up discussions since the workshop. All authors acknowledge the support of the Lorentz Center, the COST action TD1208 (Electrical Discharges with Liquids for Future Applications) and the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences for their financial support. PJB, MJK, DBG and JEF acknowledge the support of the ‘Center on Control of Plasma Kinetics’ of the United States Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Science (DE-SC0001319). In addition, PJB and BRL acknowledge the support of the National Science Foundation (PHY 1500135 and CBET 1236225, respectively). In addition the enormous help of Mrs. Victoria Piorek (University of Minnesota) in the formatting of the final document including the references is gratefully acknowledged. Approved Most recent IF: 3.302  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:144654 Serial 4628  
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Author Yusupov, M.; Wende, K.; Kupsch, S.; Neyts, E.C.; Reuter, S.; Bogaerts, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Effect of head group and lipid tail oxidation in the cell membrane revealed through integrated simulations and experiments Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Scientific reports Abbreviated Journal Sci Rep-Uk  
  Volume 7 Issue 7 Pages 5761  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We report on multi-level atomistic simulations for the interaction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with the head groups of the phospholipid bilayer, and the subsequent effect of head group and lipid tail oxidation on the structural and dynamic properties of the cell membrane. Our simulations are validated by experiments using a cold atmospheric plasma as external ROS source. We found that plasma treatment leads to a slight initial rise in membrane rigidity, followed by a strong and persistent increase in fluidity, indicating a drop in lipid order. The latter is also revealed by our simulations. This study is important for cancer treatment by therapies producing (extracellular) ROS, such as plasma treatment. These ROS will interact with the cell membrane, first oxidizing the head groups, followed by the lipid tails. A drop in lipid order might allow them to penetrate into the cell interior (e.g., through pores created due to oxidation of the lipid tails) and cause intracellular oxidative damage, eventually leading to cell death. This work in general elucidates the underlying mechanisms of ROS interaction with the cell membrane at the atomic level.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000405746500072 Publication Date 2017-07-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2045-2322 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.259 Times cited 27 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes M.Y. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), grant number 1200216 N. The computational work was carried out using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UA), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UA. S.R. and S.K. acknowledge funding by the BMBF (FKZ: 03Z2DN12). S.R. acknowledges funding by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (AU 15001). The authors thank M. Hammer for the support and discussion in the biophysical studies and J. Van der Paal for the interesting discussions. Approved Most recent IF: 4.259  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:144627 Serial 4630  
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Author Shirazi, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title A DFT study of H-dissolution into the bulk of a crystalline Ni(111) surface: a chemical identifier for the reaction kinetics Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 19 Issue 19 Pages 19150-19158  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract In this study, we investigated the diffusion of H-atoms to the subsurface and their further diffusion into the bulk of a Ni(111) crystal by means of density functional theory calculations in the context of thermal and plasma-assisted catalysis. The H-atoms at the surface can originate from the dissociative adsorption of H2 or CH4 molecules, determining the surface H-coverage. When a threshold H-coverage is passed, corresponding to 1.00 ML for the crystalline Ni(111) surface, the surface-bound H-atoms start to diffuse to the subsurface. A similar threshold coverage is observed for the interstitial H-coverage. Once the interstitial sites are filled up with a coverage above 1.00 ML of H, dissolution of interstitial H-atoms to the layer below the interstitial sites will be initiated. Hence, by applying a high pressure or inducing a reactive plasma and high temperature, increasing the H-flux to the surface, a large amount of hydrogen can diffuse in a crystalline metal like Ni and can be absorbed. The formation of metal hydride may modify the entire reaction kinetics of the system. Equivalently, the H-atoms in the bulk can easily go back to the surface and release a large amount of heat. In a plasma process, H-atoms are formed in the plasma, and therefore the energy barrier for dissociative adsorption is dismissed, thus allowing achievement of the threshold coverage without applying a high pressure as in a thermal process. As a result, depending on the crystal plane and type of metal, a large number of H-atoms can be dissolved (absorbed) in the metal catalyst, explaining the high efficiency of plasma-assisted catalytic reactions. Here, the mechanism of H-dissolution is established as a chemical identifier for the investigation of the reaction kinetics of a chemical process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000406334300034 Publication Date 2017-06-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9076 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.123 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Financial support from the Reactive Atmospheric Plasma processIng – eDucation (RAPID) network, through the EU 7th Framework Programme (grant agreement no. 606889), is gratefully acknowledged. The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government department (EWI) and the Universiteit Antwerpen. Approved Most recent IF: 4.123  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:144794 Serial 4633  
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Author Neyts, E.C.; Bal, K.M. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Effect of electric fields on plasma catalytic hydrocarbon oxidation from atomistic simulations Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Plasma processes and polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym  
  Volume 14 Issue 6 Pages e1600158  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons is an industrially important process, in which selectivity is a key issue. We here investigate the conversion of methanol to formaldehyde on a vanadia surface employing long timescale simulations, reaching a time scale of seconds. In particular, we compare the thermal process to the case where an additional external electric field is applied, as would be the case in a direct plasma-catalysis setup. We find that the electric field influences the retention time of the molecules at the catalyst surface. These simulations provide an atomic scale insight in the thermal catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation process, and in how an external electric field may affect this process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor  
  Language Wos 000403699900013 Publication Date 2016-11-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1612-8850 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.846 Times cited 2 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.846  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:144210 Serial 4647  
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Author Aussems, D.U.B.; Bal, K. M.; Morgan, T.W.; van de Sanden, M.C.M.; Neyts, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Atomistic simulations of graphite etching at realistic time scales Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemical science Abbreviated Journal Chem Sci  
  Volume 8 Issue 10 Pages 7160-7168  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Hydrogen–graphite interactions are relevant to a wide variety of applications, ranging from astrophysics to fusion devices and nano-electronics. In order to shed light on these interactions, atomistic simulation using Molecular Dynamics (MD) has been shown to be an invaluable tool. It suffers, however, from severe timescale

limitations. In this work we apply the recently developed Collective Variable-Driven Hyperdynamics (CVHD) method to hydrogen etching of graphite for varying inter-impact times up to a realistic value of 1 ms, which corresponds to a flux of 1020 m2 s1. The results show that the erosion yield, hydrogen surface coverage and species distribution are significantly affected by the time between impacts. This can be explained by the higher probability of C–C bond breaking due to the prolonged exposure to thermal stress and the subsequent transition from ion- to thermal-induced etching. This latter regime of thermal-induced etching – chemical erosion – is here accessed for the first time using atomistic simulations. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that accounting for long time-scales significantly affects ion bombardment simulations and should not be neglected in a wide range of conditions, in contrast to what is typically assumed.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000411730500055 Publication Date 2017-08-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2041-6520 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.668 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes DIFFER is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientic Research (NWO). K. M. B. is funded as a PhD fellow (aspirant) of the FWO-Flanders (Fund for Scientic Research-Flanders), Grant 11V8915N. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and the Flemish Government – department EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 8.668  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:145519 Serial 4707  
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Author Tinck, S.; Tillocher, T.; Georgieva, V.; Dussart, R.; Neyts, E.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Concurrent effects of wafer temperature and oxygen fraction on cryogenic silicon etching with SF6/O2plasmas Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Plasma processes and polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym  
  Volume 14 Issue 9 Pages 1700018  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Cryogenic plasma etching is a promising technique for high-control wafer development with limited plasma induced damage. Cryogenic wafer temperatures effectively reduce surface damage during etching, but the fundamental mechanism is not well understood. In this study, the influences of wafer temperature, gas mixture and substrate bias on the (cryogenic) etch rates of Si with SF6/O2 inductively coupled plasmas are experimentally and computationally investigated. The etch rates are measured in situ with double-point reflectometry and a hybrid computational Monte Carlo – fluid model is applied to calculate plasma properties. This work allows the reader to obtain a better insight in the effects of wafer temperature on the etch rate and to find operating conditions for successful anisotropic (cryo)etching.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000410773200012 Publication Date 2017-04-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1612-8850 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.846 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 0880.212.840 ; Hercules Foundation; Flemish Government (Department EWI); Universiteit Antwerpen; Approved Most recent IF: 2.846  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:145637 Serial 4708  
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Author Grubova, I.Y.; Surmeneva, M.A.; Huygh, S.; Surmenev, R.A.; Neyts, E.C. doi  openurl
  Title Density functional theory study of interface interactions in hydroxyapatite/rutile composites for biomedical applications Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 121 Issue 29 Pages 15687-15695  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract To gain insight into the nature of the adhesion mechanism between hydroxyapatite (HA) and rutile (rTiO(2)), the mutual affinity between their surfaces was systematically studied using density functional theory (DFT). We calculated both bulk and surface properties of HA and rTiO(2), and explored the interfacial bonding mechanism of amorphous HA (aHA) surface onto amorphous as well as stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric crystalline rTiO(2). Formation energies of bridging and subbridging oxygen vacancies considered in the rTiO(2)(110) surface were evaluated and compared with other theoretical and experimental results. The interfacial interaction was evaluated through the work of adhesion. For the aHA/rTiO(2)(110) interfaces, the work of adhesion is found to depend strongly on the chemical environment of the rTiO(2)(110) surface. Electronic analysis indicates that the charge transfer is very small in the case of interface formation between aHA and crystalline rTiO(2)(110). In contrast, significant charge transfer occurs between aHA and amorphous rTiO(2) (aTiO(2)) slabs during the formation of the interface. Charge density difference (CDD) analysis indicates that the dominant interactions in the interface have significant covalent character, and in particular the Ti-O and Ca-O bonds. Thus, the obtained results reveal that the aHA/aTiO(2) interface shows a more preferable interaction and is thermodynamically more stable than other interfaces. These results are particularly important for improving the long-term stability of HA-based implants.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000406726200022 Publication Date 2017-06-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 5 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:145195 Serial 4715  
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Author Vets, C.; Neyts, E.C. doi  openurl
  Title Stabilities of bimetallic nanoparticles for chirality-selective carbon nanotube growth and the effect of carbon interstitials Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 121 Issue 28 Pages 15430-15436  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Bimetallic nanoparticles play a crucial role in various applications. A better understanding of their properties would facilitate these applications and possibly even enable chirality-specific growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We here examine the stabilities of NiFe, NiGa, and FeGa nanoparticles and the effect of carbon dissolved in NiFe nanoparticles through density functional theory (DFT) calculations and Born Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations. We establish that nanoparticles with more Fe in the core and more Ga on the surface are more stable and compare these results with well-known properties such as surface energy and atom size. Furthermore, we find that the nanoparticles become more stable with increasing carbon content, both at 0 K and at 700 K. These results provide a basis for further research into the chirality-specific growth of CNT's.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000406355700050 Publication Date 2017-06-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 2 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:145206 Serial 4725  
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Author Dabaghmanesh, S.; Sarmadian, N.; Neyts, E.C.; Partoens, B. url  doi
openurl 
  Title A first principles study of p-type defects in LaCrO3 Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 19 Issue 34 Pages 22870-22876  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Recently, Sr-doped LaCrO3 has been experimentally introduced as a new p-type transparent conducting oxide. It is demonstrated that substituting Sr for La results in inducing p-type conductivity in LaCrO3. Performing first principles calculations we study the electronic structure and formation energy of various point defects in LaCrO3. Our results for the formation energies show that in addition to Sr, two more divalent defects, Ca and Ba, substituting for La in LaCrO3, behave as shallow acceptors in line with previous experimental reports. We further demonstrate that under oxygen-poor growth conditions, these shallow acceptors will be compensated by intrinsic donor-like defects (an oxygen vacancy and Cr on an oxygen site), but in the oxygen-rich growth regime the shallow acceptors have the lowest formation energies between all considered defects and will lead to p-type conductivity.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Cambridge Editor  
  Language Wos 000408671600026 Publication Date 2017-08-01  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9076; 1463-9084 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.123 Times cited 16 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; This work was supported by SIM vzw, Technologiepark 935, BE-9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium, within the InterPoCo project of the H-INT-S horizontal program. The computational resources and services were provided by the Flemish Supercomputer Center and the HPC infrastructure of the University of Antwerp (CalcUA), both funded by the FWO-Vlaanderen and the Flemish Government. ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.123  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:145621 Serial 4735  
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Author Dabaghmanesh, S.; Neek-Amal, M.; Partoens, B.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The formation of Cr2O3 nanoclusters over graphene sheet and carbon nanotubes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemical physics letters Abbreviated Journal Chem Phys Lett  
  Volume 687 Issue Pages 188-193  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000412453700030 Publication Date 2017-09-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0009-2614 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.815 Times cited 2 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 01.11.2019  
  Notes ; This work was supported by SIM vzw, Technologiepark 935, BE-9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium, within the InterPoCo project of the H-INT-S horizontal program. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the Vlaams Supercomputer Centrum (VSC) and the HPC infrastructure of the University of Antwerp. ; Approved Most recent IF: 1.815  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:146646 Serial 4795  
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Author Bal, K.M.; Huygh, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Effect of plasma-induced surface charging on catalytic processes: application to CO2activation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Plasma sources science and technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T  
  Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 024001  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Understanding the nature and effect of the multitude of plasma–surface interactions in plasma catalysis is a crucial requirement for further process development and improvement. A particularly intriguing and rather unique property of a plasma-catalytic setup is the ability of the plasma to modify the electronic structure, and hence chemical properties, of the catalyst through charging, i.e. the absorption of excess electrons. In this work, we develop a quantum chemical model based on density functional theory to study excess negative surface charges in a heterogeneous catalyst exposed to a plasma. This method is specifically applied to investigate plasma-catalytic CO2 activation on supported M/Al2O3 (M=Ti, Ni, Cu) single atom catalysts. We find that (1) the presence of a negative surface charge dramatically improves the reductive power of the catalyst, strongly promoting the splitting of CO2 to CO and oxygen, and (2) the relative activity of the investigated transition metals is also changed upon charging, suggesting that controlled surface charging is a powerful additional parameter to tune catalyst activity and selectivity. These results strongly point to plasma-induced surface charging of the catalyst as an important factor contributing to the plasma-catalyst synergistic effects frequently reported for plasma catalysis.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000424520100001 Publication Date 2018-02-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1361-6595 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.302 Times cited 19 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes KMB is funded as PhD fellow (aspirant) of the FWO-Flanders (Research Foundation—Flanders), Grant 11V8915N. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the FWO and the Flemish Government— department EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 3.302  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:149285 Serial 4813  
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Author Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasma Technology: An Emerging Technology for Energy Storage Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication ACS energy letters Abbreviated Journal Acs Energy Lett  
  Volume 3 Issue 4 Pages 1013-1027  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma technology is gaining increasing interest for gas conversion applications, such as CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals or renewable fuels, and N2 fixation from the air, to be used for the production of small building blocks for, e.g., mineral fertilizers. Plasma is generated by electric power and can easily be switched on/off, making it, in principle, suitable for using intermittent renewable electricity. In this Perspective article, we explain why plasma might be promising for this application. We briefly present the most common types of plasma reactors with their characteristic features, illustrating why some plasma types exhibit better energy efficiency than others. We also highlight current research in the fields of CO2 conversion (including the combined conversion of CO2 with CH4, H2O, or H2) as well as N2 fixation (for NH3 or NOx synthesis). Finally, we discuss the major limitations and steps to be taken for further improvement.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000430369600035 Publication Date 2018-04-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2380-8195 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 56 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Universiteit Antwerpen, TOP research project 32249 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0217.14N G.0254.14N G.0383.16N ; Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:150358 Serial 4919  
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Author Razzokov, J.; Yusupov, M.; Vanuytsel, S.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Phosphatidylserine flip-flop induced by oxidation of the plasma membrane: a better insight by atomic scale modeling Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Plasma processes and polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym  
  Volume 14 Issue 10 Pages 1700013  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We perform molecular dynamics simulations to study the flip-flop motion of phosphatidylserine (PS) across the plasma membrane upon increasing oxidation degree of the membrane. Our computational results show that an increase of the oxidation degree in the lipids leads to a decrease of the free energy barrier for translocation of PS through the membrane. In other words, oxidation of the lipids facilitates PS flip-flop motion across the membrane, because in native phospholipid bilayers this is only a “rare event” due to the high energy barriers for the translocation of PS. The present study provides an atomic-scale insight into the mechanisms of the PS flip-flop upon oxidation of lipids, as produced for example by cold atmospheric plasma, in living cells.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000413045800010 Publication Date 2017-04-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1612-8850 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.846 Times cited 9 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1200216N ; Approved Most recent IF: 2.846  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:149567 Serial 4910  
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Author Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Modelling molecular adsorption on charged or polarized surfaces: a critical flaw in common approaches Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 20 Issue 13 Pages 8456-8459  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract A number of recent computational material design studies based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations have put forward a new class of materials with electrically switchable chemical characteristics that can be exploited in the development of tunable gas storage and electrocatalytic applications. We find systematic flaws in almost every computational study of gas adsorption on polarized or charged surfaces, stemming from an improper and unreproducible treatment of periodicity, leading to very large errors of up to 3 eV in some cases. Two simple corrective procedures that lead to consistent results are proposed, constituting a crucial course correction to the research in the field.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000428779700007 Publication Date 2018-03-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9076 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.123 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes K. M. B. is funded as PhD fellow (aspirant) of the FWO-Flanders (Research Foundation – Flanders), Grant 11V8915N. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the FWO and the Flemish Government – department EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 4.123  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:150357 Serial 4916  
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Author Heyne, M.H.; de Marneffe, J.-F.; Nuytten, T.; Meersschaut, J.; Conard, T.; Caymax, M.; Radu, I.; Delabie, A.; Neyts, E.C.; De Gendt, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The conversion mechanism of amorphous silicon to stoichiometric WS2 Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal of materials chemistry C : materials for optical and electronic devices Abbreviated Journal J Mater Chem C  
  Volume 6 Issue 15 Pages 4122-4130  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The deposition of ultra-thin tungsten films and their related 2D chalcogen compounds on large area dielectric substrates by gas phase reactions is challenging. The lack of nucleation sites complicates the adsorption of W-related precursors and subsequent sulfurization usually requires high temperatures. We propose here a technique in which a thin solid amorphous silicon film is used as reductant for the gas phase precursor WF6 leading to the conversion to metallic W. The selectivity of the W conversion towards the underlying dielectric surfaces is demonstrated. The role of the Si surface preparation, the conversion temperature, and Si thickness on the formation process is investigated. Further, the in situ conversion of the metallic tungsten into thin stoichiometric WS2 is achieved by a cyclic approach based on WF6 and H2S pulses at the moderate temperature of 450 1C, which is much lower than usual oxide sulfurization processes.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000430538000036 Publication Date 2018-03-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2050-7526 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.256 Times cited 4 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported throughout a strategic fundamental research grant for M. H. by the agency Flanders innovation & entrepreneurship (VLAIO). Approved Most recent IF: 5.256  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:150968 Serial 4921  
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Author Neyts, E.C. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Atomistic simulations of plasma catalytic processes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Abbreviated Journal Front Chem Sci Eng  
  Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 145-154  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract There is currently a growing interest in the realisation and optimization of hybrid plasma/catalyst systems for a multitude of applications, ranging from nanotechnology to environmental chemistry. In spite of this interest, there is, however, a lack in fundamental understanding of the underlying processes in such systems. While a lot of experimental research is already being carried out to gain this understanding, only recently the first simulations have appeared in the literature. In this contribution, an overview is presented on atomic scale simulations of plasma catalytic processes as carried out in our group. In particular, this contribution focusses on plasma-assisted catalyzed carbon nanostructure growth, and plasma catalysis for greenhouse gas conversion. Attention is paid to what can routinely be done, and where challenges persist.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000425156500017 Publication Date 2017-09-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2095-0179 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.712 Times cited 5 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.712  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:149233 Serial 4927  
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Author Nematollahi, P.; Neyts, E.C. doi  openurl
  Title A comparative DFT study on CO oxidation reaction over Si-doped BC2N nanosheet and nanotube Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Applied surface science Abbreviated Journal Appl Surf Sci  
  Volume 439 Issue 439 Pages 934-945  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract In this study, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate different reaction mechanisms of CO oxidation catalyzed by the Si atom embedded defective BC2N nanostructures as well as the analysis of the structural and electronic properties. The structures of all the complexes are optimized and characterized by frequency calculations at the M062X/6-31G* computational level. Also, The electronic structures and thermodynamic parameters of adsorbed CO and O-2 molecules over Si-doped BC2N nanostructures are examined in detail. Moreover, to investigate the curvature effect on the CO oxidation reaction, all the adsorption and CO oxidation reactions on a finite-sized armchair (6,6) Si-BC2NNT are also studied. Our results indicate that there can be two possible pathways for the CO oxidation with O-2 molecule: O-2(g) + CO(g) -> O-2(ads) + CO(ads) -> CO2(g) + O-(ads) and O-(ads) + CO(g) -> CO2(g). The first reaction proceeds via the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) mechanism while the second goes through the Eley-Rideal (ER) mechanism. On the other hand, by increasing the tube diameter, the energy barrier increases due to the strong adsorption energy of the O-2 molecule which is related to its dissociation over the tube surface. Our calculations indicate that the two step energy barrier of the oxidation reaction over Si-BC2NNS is less than that over the Si-BC2NNT. Hence, Si-BC2NNS may serve as an efficient and highly activated substrate to CO oxidation rather than (4,4) Si-BC2NNT. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000427457100112 Publication Date 2018-01-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0169-4332 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.387 Times cited 8 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 3.387  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:150745 Serial 4960  
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Author Wang, Z.; Zhang, Y.; Neyts, E.C.; Cao, X.; Zhang, X.; Jang, B.W.-L.; Liu, C.-jun doi  openurl
  Title Catalyst preparation with plasmas : how does it work? Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication ACS catalysis Abbreviated Journal Acs Catal  
  Volume 8 Issue 3 Pages 2093-2110  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Catalyst preparation with plasmas is increasingly attracting interest. A plasma is a partially ionized gas, consisting of electrons, ions, molecules, radicals, photons, and excited species, which are all active species for catalyst preparation and treatment. Under the influence of plasma, nucleation and crystal growth in catalyst preparation can be very different from those in the conventional thermal approach. Some thermodynamically unfavorable reactions can easily take place with plasmas. Compounds such as sulfides, nitrides, and phosphides that are produced under harsh conditions can be synthesized by plasma under mild conditions. Plasmas can produce catalysts with smaller particle sizes and controllable structure. Plasma is also a facile tool for reduction, oxidation, doping, etching, coating, alloy formation, surface treatment, and surface cleaning in a simple and direct way. A rapid and convenient plasma template removal has thus been established for zeolite synthesis. It can operate at room temperature and allows the catalyst preparation on temperature-sensitive supporting materials. Plasma is typically effective for the production of various catalysts on metallic substrates. In addition, plasma-prepared transition-metal catalysts show enhanced low-temperature activity with improved stability. This provides a useful model catalyst for further improvement of industrial catalysts. In this review, we aim to summarize the recent advances in catalyst preparation with plasmas. The present understanding of plasma-based catalyst preparation is discussed. The challenges and future development are addressed.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Amer chemical soc Place of Publication Washington Editor  
  Language Wos 000426804100055 Publication Date 2018-01-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 10.614 Times cited 81 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 10.614  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:150880 Serial 4963  
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Author Aussems, D.U.B.; Bal, K.M.; Morgan, T.W.; van de Sanden, M.C.M.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Mechanisms of elementary hydrogen ion-surface interactions during multilayer graphene etching at high surface temperature as a function of flux Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Carbon Abbreviated Journal Carbon  
  Volume 137 Issue Pages 527-532  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract In order to optimize the plasma-synthesis and modification process of carbon nanomaterials for applications such as nanoelectronics and energy storage, a deeper understanding of fundamental hydrogengraphite/graphene interactions is required. Atomistic simulations by Molecular Dynamics have proven to be indispensable to illuminate these phenomena. However, severe time-scale limitations restrict them to very fast processes such as reflection, while slow thermal processes such as surface diffusion and molecular desorption are commonly inaccessible. In this work, we could however reach these thermal processes for the first time at time-scales and surface temperatures (1000 K) similar to high-flux plasma exposure experiments during the simulation of multilayer graphene etching by 5 eV H ions. This was achieved by applying the Collective Variable-Driven Hyperdynamics biasing technique, which extended the inter-impact time over a range of six orders of magnitude, down to a more realistic ion-flux of 1023m2s1. The results show that this not only causes a strong shift from predominant ion-to thermally induced interactions, but also significantly affects the hydrogen uptake and surface evolution. This study thus elucidates H ion-graphite/graphene interaction mechanisms and stresses the importance of including long time-scales in atomistic simulations at high surface temperatures to understand the dynamics of the ion-surface system.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000440661700056 Publication Date 2018-05-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0008-6223 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.337 Times cited 4 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 25.05.2020  
  Notes DIFFER is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). K.M.B. is funded as PhD fellow (aspirant) of the FWO-Flanders (Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders), Grant 11V8915N. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the FWO and the Flemish Government e department EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 6.337  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:152172 Serial 4993  
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Author Zhang, Y.-R.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Enhancement of plasma generation in catalyst pores with different shapes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Plasma sources science and technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T  
  Volume 27 Issue 5 Pages 055008  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma generation inside catalyst pores is of utmost importance for plasma catalysis, as the existence of plasma species inside the pores affects the active surface area of the catalyst available to the plasma species for catalytic reactions. In this paper, the electric field enhancement, and thus the plasma production inside catalyst pores with different pore shapes is studied with a two-dimensional fluid model. The results indicate that the electric field will be significantly enhanced near tip-like structures. In a conical pore with small opening, the strongest electric field appears at the opening and bottom corners of the pore, giving rise to a prominent ionization rate throughout the pore. For a cylindrical pore, the electric field is only enhanced at the bottom corners of the pore, with lower absolute value, and thus the ionization rate inside the pore is only slightly enhanced. Finally, in a conical pore with large opening, the electric field is characterized by a maximum at the bottom of the pore, yielding a similar behavior for the ionization rate. These results demonstrate that the shape of the pore has a significantly influence on the electric field enhancement, and thus modifies the plasma properties.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000432351700002 Publication Date 2018-05-15  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1361-6595 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.302 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO) (Grant No. G.0217.14N) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. DUT17LK52). Approved Most recent IF: 3.302  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:151546 Serial 4998  
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Author Huygh, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title High Coke Resistance of a TiO2Anatase (001) Catalyst Surface during Dry Reforming of Methane Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 122 Issue 17 Pages 9389-9396  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;  
  Abstract The resistance of a TiO2 anatase (001) surface to coke formation was studied in the context of dry reforming of methane using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. As carbon atoms act as precursors for coke formation, the resistance to coke formation can be measured by the carbon coverage of the surface. This is related to the stability of different CHx (x = 0−3) species and their rate of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation on the TiO2 surface. Therefore, we studied the reaction mechanisms and their corresponding rates as a function of the temperature for the dehydrogenation of the species on the surface. We found that the stabilities of C and CH are significantly lower than those of CH3 and CH2. The hydrogenation rates of the different species are significantly higher than the dehydrogenation rates in a temperature range of 300−1000 K. Furthermore, we found that dehydrogenation of CH3, CH2, and CH will only occur at appreciable rates starting from 600, 900, and 900 K, respectively. On the basis of these results, it is clear that the anatase (001) surface has a high coke resistance, and it is thus not likely that the surface will become poisoned by coke during dry reforming of methane. As the rate limiting step in dry reforming is the dissociative adsorption of CH4, we studied an alternative approach to thermal catalysis. We found that the temperature threshold for dry reforming is at least 700 K. This threshold temperature may be lowered by the use of plasma-catalysis, where the appreciable rates of adsorption of plasma-generated CHx radicals result in bypassing the rate limiting step of the reaction.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000431723700014 Publication Date 2018-05-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, IAP/7 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0217.14N ; Onderzoeksfonds, Universiteit Antwerpen, 32249 ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:151529c:irua:152816 Serial 5000  
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Author Amini, M.N.; Altantzis, T.; Lobato, I.; Grzelczak, M.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Van Aert, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Partoens, B.; Bals, S.; Neyts, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Understanding the Effect of Iodide Ions on the Morphology of Gold Nanorods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Particle and particle systems characterization Abbreviated Journal Part Part Syst Char  
  Volume 35 Issue 35 Pages 1800051  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The presence of iodide ions during the growth of gold nanorods strongly affects the shape of the final products, which is proposed to be due to selective iodide adsorption on certain crystallographic facets. Therefore, a detailed structural and morphological characterization of the starting rods is crucial toward understanding this effect. Electron tomography is used to determine the crystallographic indices of the lateral facets of gold nanorods, as well as those present at the tips. Based on this information, density functional theory calculations are used to determine the surface and interface energies of the observed facets and provide insight into the relationship between the amount of iodide ions in the growth solution and the final morphology of anisotropic gold nanoparticles.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000441893400002 Publication Date 2018-06-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0934-0866 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.474 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (grant 335078 COLOURATOM to S.B.). T.A., S.V.A. S.B. and E.C.N., acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium), through project funding (G.0218.14N and G.0369.15N) and a postdoctoral grant to T.A. L.M.L.-M. and M.G. acknowledge funding from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (grant MAT2013-46101-R). Mozhgan N. Amini and Thomas Altantzis contributed equally to this work. (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.474  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:152998UA @ admin @ c:irua:152998 Serial 5010  
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Author Nematollahi, P.; Esrafili, M.D.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The role of healed N-vacancy defective BC2N sheet and nanotube by NO molecule in oxidation of NO and CO gas molecules Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Surface science : a journal devoted to the physics and chemistry of interfaces Abbreviated Journal Surf Sci  
  Volume 672-673 Issue 672-673 Pages 39-46  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract In this study, the healing of N-vacancy boron carbonitride nanosheet (NV-BC2NNS) and nanotube (NV-BC2NNT) by NO molecule is studied by means of density functional theory calculations. Two different N-vacancies are considered in each of these structures in which the vacancy site is surrounded by either three B-atoms (NB) or by two B- and one C-atom (NBC). By means of the healed BC2NNS and BC2NNT as a support, the removal of two toxic gas molecules (NO and CO) are applicable. It should be noted that the obtained energy barriers of both healing and oxidizing processes are significantly lower than those of graphene, carbon nanotubes or boron nitride nanostructures. Also, at the end of the oxidation process, the pure BC2NNS or BC2NNT is obtained without any additional defects. Therefore, by using this method, we can considerably purify the defective BC2NNS/BC2NNT. Moreover, according to the thermochemistry calculations we can further confirm that the healing process of the NV-BC2NNS and NV-BC2NNT by NO are feasible at room temperature. So, we can claim that this study could be very helpful in both purifying the defective BC2NNS/BC2NNT while in the same effort removing toxic NO and CO gases.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000432614700007 Publication Date 2018-03-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0039-6028 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.062 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.062  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:151478 Serial 5044  
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Author Heyne, M.H.; de Marneffe, J.-F.; Radu, I.; Neyts, E.C.; De Gendt, S. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Thermal recrystallization of short-range ordered WS2 films Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal of vacuum science and technology: A: vacuum surfaces and films Abbreviated Journal J Vac Sci Technol A  
  Volume 36 Issue 5 Pages 05g501  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The integration of van der Waals materials in nanoelectronic devices requires the deposition of few-layered MX2 films with excellent quality crystals covering a large area. In recent years, astonishing progress in the monolayer growth of WS2 and MoS2 was demonstrated, but multilayer growth resulted often in separated triangular or hexagonal islands. These polycrystalline films cannot fully employ the specific MX2 properties since they are not connected in-plane to the other domains. To coalesce separated islands, ultrahigh-temperature postdeposition anneals in H2S are applied, which are not compatible with bare silicon substrates. Starting from the deposition of stoichiometric short-ordered films, the present work studies different options for subsequent high-temperature annealing in an inert atmosphere to form crystalline films with large grains from stoichiometric films with small grains. The rapid thermal annealing, performed over a few seconds, is compared to excimer laser annealing in the nanosecond range, which are both able to crystallize the thin WS2. The WS2 recrystallization temperature can be lowered using metallic crystallization promoters (Co and Ni). The best result is obtained using a Co cap, due to the circumvention of Co and S binary phase formation below the eutectic temperature. The recrystallization above a critical temperature is accompanied by sulfur loss and 3D regrowth. These undesired effects can be suppressed by the application of a dielectric capping layer prior to annealing. A SiO2 cap can suppress the sulfur loss successfully during annealing and reveals improved material quality in comparison to noncapped films Published by the AVS.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor  
  Language Wos 000444033200002 Publication Date 2018-07-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0734-2101 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.374 Times cited 2 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.374  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:153671 Serial 5134  
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Author Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Overcoming Old Scaling Relations and Establishing New Correlations in Catalytic Surface Chemistry: Combined Effect of Charging and Doping Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 123 Issue 10 Pages 6141-6147  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Optimization of catalytic materials for a given application is greatly constrained by linear scaling relations. Recently, however, it has been demonstrated that it is possible to reversibly modulate the chemisorption of molecules on nanomaterials by charging (i.e., injection or removal of electrons) and hence reversibly and selectively modify catalytic activity beyond structure−activity correlations. The fundamental physical relation between the properties of the material, the charging process, and the chemisorption energy, however, remains unclear, and a systematic exploration and optimization of charge-switchable sorbent materials is not yet possible. Using hybrid DFT calculations of CO2 chemisorption on hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets with several types of defects and dopants, we here reveal the existence of fundamental correlations between the electron affinity of a material and charge-induced chemisorption, show how defect engineering can be used to modulate the strength and efficiency of the adsorption process, and demonstrate that excess electrons stabilize many topological defects. We then show how these insights could be exploited in the development of new electrocatalytic materials and the synthesis of doped nanomaterials. Moreover, we demonstrate that calculated chemical properties of charged materials are highly sensitive to the employed computational methodology because of the self-interaction error, which underlines the theoretical challenge posed by such systems.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000461537400035 Publication Date 2019-03-14  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 5 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 21.02.2020  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 11V8915N ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @UA @ admin @ c:irua:158117 Serial 5160  
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Author Khalilov, U.; Vets, C.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Molecular evidence for feedstock-dependent nucleation mechanisms of CNTs Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Nanoscale Horizons Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale Horiz.  
  Volume 4 Issue 3 Pages 674-682  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Atomic scale simulations have been shown to be a powerful tool for elucidating the growth mechanisms of carbon nanotubes. The growth picture is however not entirely clear yet due to the gap between current simulations and real experiments. We here simulate for the first time the nucleation and subsequent growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) from oxygen-containing hydrocarbon feedstocks using the hybrid Molecular Dynamics/Monte Carlo technique. The underlying nucleation mechanisms of Ni-catalysed SWNT growth are discussed in detail. Specifically, we find that as a function of the feedstock, different carbon fractions may emerge as the main growth species, due to a competition between the feedstock decomposition, its rehydroxylation and its contribution to etching of the growing SWNT. This study provides a further understanding of the feedstock effects in SWNT growth in comparison with available experimental evidence as well as with<italic>ab initio</italic>and other simulation data, thereby reducing the simulation–experiment gap.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis (up)  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000471816500011 Publication Date 2019-01-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2055-6756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 1 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 03.01.2020  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 12M1318N 1S22516N ; The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), Belgium (Grant numbers 12M1318N and 1S22516N). The work was carried out in part using the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Centre VSC, funded by FWO and the Flemish Government (Department EWI). We thank Prof. A. C. T. van Duin for sharing the reax-code and forcefield parameters. Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @UA @ admin @ c:irua:159658 Serial 5169  
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