toggle visibility
Search within Results:
Display Options:

Select All    Deselect All
 |   | 
Details
   print
  Records Links
Author Jia, W.-Z.; Zhang, Q.-Z.; Wang, X.-F.; Song, Y.-H.; Zhang, Y.-Y.; Wang, Y.-N. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Effect of dust particle size on the plasma characteristics in a radio frequency capacitively coupled silane plasma Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Journal of physics: D: applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Phys D Appl Phys  
  Volume 52 Issue 1 Pages 015206  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Compared with dust-free plasmas, the existence of dust particles in plasmas may greatly influence the plasma properties. such as the plasma density, electron temperature, sheath properties, electron energy distribution function (EEDF) as well as the heating mechanism. In this work, a 1D hybrid fluid/MC model has been developed to investigate the interaction between dust and plasma in a low-pressure silane discharge sustained in a radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma, in which we assume spherical dust particles with a given radius are generated by taking the sum of the production rate of Si2H4- and Si2H5- as the nucleation rate. From our simulation, the plasma may experience definite perturbation by dust particles with a certain radius (more than 50nm) with an increase in electron temperature first, which further induces a rapid rise in the positive and negative ion densities. Then, the densities begin to decline due to the gradual lack of sufficient seed electrons. In addition, as the dust radius increases, the high energy tails of the EEDFs will be enhanced for discharge maintenance, accompanied by a decline in the population of low-energy electrons in comparison with those of pristine plasma. Furthermore, an obvious bulk heating is observed apart from the a-mode and local field reversal heating. This may contribute to the enhanced bulk electric field (also called the drift field) as a result of electron depletion via the dust. In addition, large-sized dust particles that accumulate near the sheaths tend to form two stable density peaks with their positions largely influenced by the time-averaged sheath thickness. A detailed study of the effects of the external parameters, including pressure, voltage and frequency, on the spatial distribution of dust particles is also conducted.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000448423800002 Publication Date 2018-10-02  
  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 (up) Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.588  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:155361 Serial 5271  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Dhayalan, S.K.; Nuytten, T.; Pourtois, G.; Simoen, E.; Pezzoli, F.; Cinquanta, E.; Bonera, E.; Loo, R.; Rosseel, E.; Hikavyy, A.; Shimura, Y.; Vandervorst, W. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Insights into the C Distribution in Si:C/Si:C:P and the Annealing Behavior of Si:C Layers Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication ECS journal of solid state science and technology Abbreviated Journal Ecs J Solid State Sc  
  Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages P209-P216  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Si:C and Si:C:P alloys are potential candidates for source-drain stressor applications in n-type Fin Field Effect Transistors (FinFETs). Increasing the C content to achieve high strain results in the arrangement of C atoms as third nearest neighbors (3nn) in the Si: C lattice. During thermal annealing, the presence of C atoms as 3nn may promote clustering at the interstitial sites, causing loss of stress. The concentration of C atoms as 3nn is reduced by the incorporation of a small amount of Ge atoms during the growth, whereas in-situ P doping does not influence this 3nn distribution [J Solid State Sci. Technol vol 6, p 755, 2017]. Small amounts of Ge are provided during low temperature selective epitaxial growth scheme, which are based on cyclic deposition and etching (CDE). In this work, we aim to provide physical insights into the aforementioned phenomena, to understand the behavior of 3nn C atoms and the types of defects that are formed in the annealed Si: C films. Using ab-initio simulations, the Ge-C interaction in the Si matrix is investigated and this insight is used to explain how the Ge incorporation leads to a reduced 3nn distribution of the C atoms. The interaction between C and P in the Si: C: P films is also investigated to explain why the P incorporation has not led to a reduction in the 3nn distribution. We then report on the Raman characterization of Si: C layers subjected to post epi annealing. As the penetration depth of the laser is dependent on the wavelength, Raman measurements at two different wavelengths enable us to probe the depth distribution of 3nn C atoms after applying different annealing conditions. We observed a homogeneous loss in 3nn C throughout the layer. Whereas in the kinematic modeling of high resolution X-ray diffraction spectra, a gradient in the substitutional C loss was observed close to the epitaxial layer/substrate interface. This gradient can be due to the out diffusion of C atoms into the Si substrate or to the formation of interstitial C clusters, which cannot be distinguished in HR-XRD. Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy indicated that the prominent out-diffusing species was interstitial CO complex while the interstitial C defects were also prevalent in the epi layer. (c) 2019 The Electrochemical Society.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000465069200001 Publication Date 2019-04-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2162-8769; 2162-8777 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 1.787 Times cited (up) Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.787  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:160399 Serial 5275  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Neyts, E.C. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Special Issue on future directions in plasma nanoscience Type Editorial
  Year 2019 Publication Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Abbreviated Journal Front Chem Sci Eng  
  Volume 13 Issue 2 Pages 199-200  
  Keywords Editorial; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000468848400001 Publication Date 2019-05-14  
  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 (up) Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.712  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:160277 Serial 5280  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Gorbanev, Y.; Golda, J.; Gathen, V.S.; Bogaerts, A url  doi
openurl 
  Title Applications of the COST Plasma Jet: More than a Reference Standard Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Plasma Abbreviated Journal Plasma  
  Volume 2 Issue 3 Pages 316-327  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The rapid advances in the field of cold plasma research led to the development of many plasma jets for various purposes. The COST plasma jet was created to set a comparison standard between different groups in Europe and the world. Its physical and chemical properties are well studied, and diagnostics procedures are developed and benchmarked using this jet. In recent years, it has been used for various research purposes. Here, we present a brief overview of the reported applications of the COST plasma jet. Additionally, we discuss the chemistry of the plasma-liquid systems with this plasma jet, and the properties that make it an indispensable system for plasma research.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2019-07-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2571-6182 ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes We would like to thank Deborah O’Connell (York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, United Kingdom) and Angela Privat-Maldonado (PLASMANT, University of Antwerp) for useful discussions. Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:161628 Serial 5287  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ghasemitarei, M.; Yusupov, M.; Razzokov, J.; Shokri, B.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Effect of oxidative stress on cystine transportation by xC‾ antiporter Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Archives of biochemistry and biophysics Abbreviated Journal Arch Biochem Biophys  
  Volume 674 Issue Pages 108114  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We performed computer simulations to investigate the effect of oxidation on the extracellular cystine (CYC) uptake by the xC− antiporter. The latter is important for killing of cancer cells. Specifically, applying molecular dynamics (MD) simulations we studied the transport of CYC across xCT, i.e., the light subunit of the xC− antiporter, in charge of bidirectional transport of CYC and glutamate. We considered the outward facing (OF) configuration of xCT, and to study the effect of oxidation, we modified the Cys327 residue, located in the vicinity of the extracellular milieu, to cysteic acid (CYO327). Our computational results showed that oxidation of Cys327 results in a free energy barrier for CYC translocation, thereby blocking the access of CYC to the substrate binding site of the OF system. The formation of the energy barrier was found to be due to the conformational changes in the channel. Analysis of the MD trajectories revealed that the reorganization of the side chains of the Tyr244 and CYO327 residues play a critical role in the OF channel blocking. Indeed, the calculated distance between Tyr244 and either Cys327 or CYO327 showed a narrowing of the channel after oxidation. The obtained free energy barrier for CYC translocation was found to be 33.9kJmol−1, indicating that oxidation of Cys327, by e.g., cold atmospheric plasma, is more effective in inhibiting the xC− antiporter than in the mutation of this amino acid to Ala (yielding a barrier of 32.4kJmol−1). The inhibition of the xC− antiporter may lead to Cys starvation in some cancer cells, eventually resulting in cancer cell death.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000525439700011 Publication Date 2019-09-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-9861 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.165 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of Iran; University of Antwerp; Research Foundation − Flanders, 1200219N ; Universiteit Antwerpen; Hercules Foundation; Flemish Government; UA; M. G. acknowledges funding from the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of Iran and from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. M. Y. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation − Flanders (FWO), grant number 1200219N. 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. Finally, we thank A. S. Mashayekh Esfehan and A. Mohseni for their important comments on the manuscript. Approved Most recent IF: 3.165  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:163474 Serial 5372  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Privat-Maldonado, A.; Schmidt, A.; Lin, A.; Weltmann, K.-D.; Wende, K.; Bogaerts, A.; Bekeschus, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title ROS from Physical Plasmas: Redox Chemistry for Biomedical Therapy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity Abbreviated Journal Oxid Med Cell Longev  
  Volume 2019 Issue Pages 1-29  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Physical plasmas generate unique mixes of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS or ROS). Only a bit more than a decade ago, these plasmas, operating at body temperature, started to be considered for medical therapy with considerably little mechanistic redox chemistry or biomedical research existing on that topic at that time. Today, a vast body of evidence is available on physical plasma-derived ROS, from their spatiotemporal resolution in the plasma gas phase to sophisticated chemical and biochemical analysis of these species once dissolved in liquids. Data from<italic>in silico</italic>analysis dissected potential reaction pathways of plasma-derived reactive species with biological membranes, and<italic>in vitro</italic>and<italic>in vivo</italic>experiments in cell and animal disease models identified molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic benefits of physical plasmas. In 2013, the first medical plasma systems entered the European market as class IIa devices and have proven to be a valuable resource in dermatology, especially for supporting the healing of chronic wounds. The first results in cancer patients treated with plasma are promising, too. Due to the many potentials of this blooming new field ahead, there is a need to highlight the main concepts distilled from plasma research in chemistry and biology that serve as a mechanistic link between plasma physics (how and which plasma-derived ROS are produced) and therapy (what is the medical benefit). This inevitably puts cellular membranes in focus, as these are the natural interphase between ROS produced by plasmas and translation of their chemical reactivity into distinct biological responses.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000493001000003 Publication Date 2019-10-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1942-0900 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.593 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes KW and SB acknowledge funding by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant numbers 03Z22DN11 and 03Z22DN12). The work of SB is further supported by the European Social Fund (grant number ESF/14-BM-A55-0006). APM and AB acknowledge funding by the Methusalem Project. AL acknowledges funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (grant number 12S9218N). APM thanks Yury Gorbanev for his assistance with the preparation of this review. Approved Most recent IF: 4.593  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:163476 Serial 5373  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Oliveira, M.C.; Yusupov, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Cordeiro, R.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Molecular dynamics simulations of mechanical stress on oxidized membranes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Biophysical chemistry Abbreviated Journal Biophys Chem  
  Volume 254 Issue Pages 106266  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Biomembranes are under constant attack of free radicals that may lead to lipid oxidation in conditions of oxidative stress. The products generated during lipid oxidation are responsible for structural and dynamical changes which may jeopardize the membrane function. For instance, the local rearrangements of oxidized lipid molecules may induce membrane rupture. In this study, we investigated the effects of mechanical stress on oxidized phospholipid bilayers (PLBs). Model bilayers were stretched until pore formation (or poration) using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. We studied single-component homogeneous membranes composed of lipid oxidation products, as well as two-component heterogeneous membranes with coexisting native and oxidized domains. In homogeneous membranes, the oxidation products with —OH and —OOH groups reduced the areal strain required for pore formation, whereas the oxidation product with ]O group behaved similarly to the native membrane. In heterogeneous membranes composed of oxidized and non-oxidized domains, we tested the hypothesis according to which poration may be facilitated at the domain interface region. However, results were inconclusive due to their large statistical variance and sensitivity to simulation setup parameters. We pointed out important technical issues that need to be considered in future simulations of mechanically-induced poration of heterogeneous membranes. This research is of interest for photodynamic therapy and plasma medicine, because ruptured and intact plasma membranes are experimentally considered hallmarks of necrotic and apoptotic cell death.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000502890900015 Publication Date 2019-09-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0301-4622 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.402 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes São Paulo Research Foundation, 2012/50680-5 ; National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development, 459270/2014-1 ; We are thankful for the financial support received from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (grant no. 2012/50680-5) and from the National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) (grant no. 459270/2014-1). MCO acknowledges UFABC for the Master's scholarship granted. Approved Most recent IF: 2.402  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:163477 Serial 5374  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kang, T.-Y.; Kwon, J.-S.; Kumar, N.; Choi, E.; Kim, K.-M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Effects of a Non-Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet with Different Gas Sources and Modes of Treatment on the Fate of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Applied Sciences Abbreviated Journal Appl Sci-Basel  
  Volume 9 Issue 22 Pages 4819  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Despite numerous attempts to use human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in the field of tissue engineering, the control of their differentiation remains challenging. Here, we investigated possible applications of a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet (NTAPPJ) to control the differentiation of hMSCs. An air- or nitrogen-based NTAPPJ was applied to hMSCs in culture media, either directly or by media treatment in which the cells were plated after the medium was exposed to the NTAPPJ. The durations of exposure were 1, 2, and 4 min, and the control was not exposed to the NTAPPJ. The initial attachment of the cells was assessed by a water-soluble tetrazolium assay, and the gene expression in the cells was assessed through reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that the gene expression in the hMSCs was generally increased by the NTAPPJ exposure, but the enhancement was dependent on the conditions of the exposure, such as the source of the gas and the treatment method used. These results were attributed to the chemicals in the extracellular environment and the reactive oxygen species generated by the plasma. Hence, it was concluded that by applying the best conditions for the NTAPPJ exposure of hMSCs, the control of hMSC differentiation was possible, and therefore, exposure to an NTAPPJ is a promising method for tissue engineering.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000502570800096 Publication Date 2019-11-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2076-3417 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.679 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes The plasma source was kindly provided by the Plasma Bioscience Research Center, Kwangwoon University. Approved Most recent IF: 1.679  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:164893 Serial 5435  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Privat-Maldonado, A.; Bengtson, C.; Razzokov, J.; Smits, E.; Bogaerts, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Modifying the Tumour Microenvironment: Challenges and Future Perspectives for Anticancer Plasma Treatments Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Cancers Abbreviated Journal Cancers  
  Volume 11 Issue 12 Pages 1920  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Center for Oncological Research (CORE)  
  Abstract Tumours are complex systems formed by cellular (malignant, immune, and endothelial cells, fibroblasts) and acellular components (extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents and secreted factors). A close interplay between these factors, collectively called the tumour microenvironment, is required to respond appropriately to external cues and to determine the treatment outcome. Cold plasma (here referred as ‘plasma’) is an emerging anticancer technology that generates a unique cocktail of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species to eliminate cancerous cells via multiple mechanisms of action. While plasma is currently regarded as a local therapy, it can also modulate the mechanisms of cell-to-cell and cell-to-ECM communication, which could facilitate the propagation of its effect in tissue and distant sites. However, it is still largely unknown how the physical interactions occurring between cells and/or the ECM in the tumour microenvironment affect the plasma therapy outcome. In this review, we discuss the effect of plasma on cell-to-cell and cell-to-ECM communication in the context of the tumour microenvironment and suggest new avenues of research to advance our knowledge in the field. Furthermore, we revise the relevant state-of-the-art in three-dimensional in vitro models that could be used to analyse cell-to-cell and cell-to-ECM communication and further strengthen our understanding of the effect of plasma in solid tumours.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000507382100097 Publication Date 2019-12-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2072-6694 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Figure 4 was created using resources from the ‘Mind the Graph’ platform, free trial version. Spheroid image obtained in collaboration with Sander Bekeschus (INP Greifswald, Germany); organoid image kindly provided by Christophe Deben (Center for Oncological Research, University of Antwerp, Belgium). Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:164892 Serial 5437  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Bal, K.M.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Ensemble-Based Molecular Simulation of Chemical Reactions under Vibrational Nonequilibrium Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry Letters Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem Lett  
  Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 401-406  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We present an approach to incorporate the effect of vibrational nonequilibrium in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A perturbed canonical ensemble, in which selected modes are excited to higher temperature while all others remain equilibrated at low temperature, is simulated by applying a specifically tailored bias potential. Our method can be readily applied to any (classical or quantum mechanical) MD setup at virtually no additional computational cost and allows the study of reactions of vibrationally excited molecules in nonequilibrium environments such as plasmas. In combination with enhanced sampling methods, the vibrational efficacy and mode selectivity of vibrationally stimulated reactions can then be quantified in terms of chemically relevant observables, such as reaction rates and apparent free energy barriers. We first validate our method for the prototypical hydrogen exchange reaction and then show how it can capture the effect of vibrational excitation on a symmetric SN2 reaction and radical addition on CO2.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000508473400008 Publication Date 2020-01-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1948-7185 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.7 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Universiteit Antwerpen; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 12ZI420N ; Departement Economie, Wetenschap en Innovatie van de Vlaamse Overheid; K.M.B. was funded as a junior postdoctoral fellow of the FWO (Research Foundation − Flanders), Grant 12ZI420N, and through a TOP-BOF research project of the University of Antwerp. 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: 5.7; 2020 IF: 9.353  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:165587 Serial 5442  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Van Alphen, S.; Vermeiren, V.; Butterworth, T.; van den Bekerom, D.C.M.; van Rooij, G.J.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Power Pulsing To Maximize Vibrational Excitation Efficiency in N2Microwave Plasma: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 124 Issue 3 Pages 1765-1779  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma is gaining increasing interest for N2 fixation, being a flexible, electricity-driven alternative for the current conventional fossil fuel-based N2 fixation processes. As the vibrational-induced dissociation of N2 is found to be an energy-efficient pathway to acquire atomic N for the fixation processes, plasmas that are in vibrational nonequilibrium seem promising for this application. However, an important challenge in using nonequilibrium plasmas lies in preventing vibrational−translational (VT) relaxation processes, in which vibrational energy crucial for N2 dissociation is lost to gas heating. We present here both experimental and modeling results for the vibrational and gas temperature in a microsecond-pulsed microwave (MW) N2 plasma, showing how power pulsing can suppress this unfavorable VT relaxation and achieve a maximal vibrational nonequilibrium. By means of our kinetic model, we demonstrate that pulsed plasmas take advantage of the long time scale on which VT processes occur, yielding a very pronounced nonequilibrium over the whole N2 vibrational ladder. Additionally, the effect of pulse parameters like the pulse frequency and pulse width are investigated, demonstrating that the advantage of pulsing to inhibit VT relaxation diminishes for high pulse frequencies (around 7000 kHz) and long power pulses (above 400 μs). Nevertheless, all regimes studied here demonstrate a clear vibrational nonequilibrium while only requiring a limited power-on time, and thus, we may conclude that a pulsed plasma seems very interesting for energyefficient vibrational excitation.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000509438600001 Publication Date 2020-01-23  
  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 3.7 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 30505023 GoF9618n ; This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO Grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UAntwerpen. Approved Most recent IF: 3.7; 2020 IF: 4.536  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:165586 Serial 5443  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Attri, P.; Razzokov, J.; Yusupov, M.; Koga, K.; Shiratani, M.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Influence of osmolytes and ionic liquids on the Bacteriorhodopsin structure in the absence and presence of oxidative stress: A combined experimental and computational study Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication International Journal Of Biological Macromolecules Abbreviated Journal Int J Biol Macromol  
  Volume 148 Issue Pages 657-665  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Understanding the folding and stability of membrane proteins is of great importance in protein science. Recently, osmolytes and ionic liquids (ILs) are increasingly being used as drug delivery systems in the biopharmaceutical industry. However, the stability of membrane proteins in the presence of osmolytes and ILs is not yet fully understood. Besides, the effect of oxidative stress on membrane proteins with osmolytes or ILs has not been investigated. Therefore, we studied the influence of osmolytes and ILs as co-solvents on the stability of a model membrane protein (i.e., Bacteriorhodopsin in purple membrane of Halobacterium salinarum), using UV–Vis spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The MD simulations allowed us to determine the flexibility and solvent accessible surface area (SASA) of Bacteriorhodopsin protein in the presence and/or absence of cosolvents, as well as to carry out principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the most important movements in this protein. In addition, by means of UV–Vis spectroscopy we studied the effect of oxidative stress generated by cold atmospheric plasma on the stability of Bacteriorhodopsin in the presence and/or absence of co-solvents. This study is important for a better understanding of the stability of proteins in the presence of oxidative stress.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000522094600066 Publication Date 2020-01-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0141-8130 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.2 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Horizon2020, 743546 ; JSPS, 19H05462 16H03895 ; Nagoya University; We gratefully acknowledge the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship “Anticancer-PAM” within Horizon2020 (grant number 743546). This work was also supported by JSPS-KAKENHI 19H05462 and 16H03895, the joint usage/research program of Center for Low-temperature Plasma Science, Nagoya University and also supported by JSPS and RCL under the Japan-Lithuania Research Cooperative Program. 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. Approved Most recent IF: 8.2; 2020 IF: 3.671  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:165585 Serial 5444  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Van der Paal, J.; Fridman, G.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Ceramide cross-linking leads to pore formation: Potential mechanism behind CAP enhancement of transdermal drug delivery Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Plasma processes and polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym  
  Volume 16 Issue 16 Pages 1900122  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract In recent years, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has been proposed as a novel method to enhance transdermal drug delivery, while avoiding tissue damage. However, the underlying mechanism for the increasing skin permeability upon CAP treatment is still undefined. We propose a mechanism in which CAP-generated reactive species induce cross-linking of skin lipids, leading to the generation of nanopores, thereby facilitating the permeation of drug molecules. Molecular dynamics simulations support this proposed mechanism. Furthermore, our results indicate that to achieve maximum enhancement of the permeability, the optimal treatment will depend on the exact lipid composition of the skin, as well as on the CAP source used.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000479747500001 Publication Date 2019-07-30  
  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 (up) Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.846  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:161874 Serial 6287  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Fukuhara, S.; Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C.; Shibuta, Y. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Accelerated molecular dynamics simulation of large systems with parallel collective variable-driven hyperdynamics Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Computational Materials Science Abbreviated Journal Comp Mater Sci  
  Volume 177 Issue Pages 109581  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The limitation in time and length scale is a major issue of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Although several methods have been developed to extend the MD time scale, their performance usually deteriorates with increasing system size. Therefore, an acceleration method which is applicable to large systems is required to bridge the gap between the MD simulations and target phenomena. In this study, an accelerated MD method for large system is developed based on the collective variable-driven hyperdynamics (CVHD) method [K.M. Bal and E.C. Neyts, 2015]. The key idea is to run CVHD in parallel with rate control and accelerate multiple possible events simultaneously. Using this novel method, carbon diffusion in bcc-iron bicrystal with grain boundary is examined as an application for practical materials. Carbon atoms reaching at the grain boundary are trapped whereas carbon atoms in the bulk region diffuse randomly, and both dynamic regimes can be simultaneously accelerated with the parallel CVHD technique.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000519576300001 Publication Date 2020-02-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0927-0256 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.3 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes JSPS, J22727 ; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science; This work was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (No.19H02415) and Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Research Fellow (No.18J22727) from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Japan. S.F. was supported by JSPS through the Program for Leading Graduate Schools (MERIT). Data availability The data required to reproduce these findings are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request. Approved Most recent IF: 3.3; 2020 IF: 2.292  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:166773 Serial 6333  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Hoffman, B.M.; Lukoyanov, D.; Yang, Z.-Y.; Dean, D.R.; Seefeldt, L.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Mechanism of Nitrogen Fixation by Nitrogenase: The Next Stage Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2014 Publication Chemical Reviews Abbreviated Journal Chem. Rev.  
  Volume 114 Issue 8 Pages 4041-4062  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;  
  Abstract Ammonia is a crucial nutrient used for plant growth and as a building block in pharmaceutical and chemical industry, produced via nitrogen fixation of the ubiquitous atmospheric N2. Current industrial ammonia production relies heavily on fossil resources, but a lot of work is put into developing non-fossil based pathways. Among these is the use of nonequilibrium plasma. In this work, we investigated water vapor as H source for nitrogen fixation into NH3 by non-equilibrium plasma. The highest selectivity towards NH3 was observed with low amounts of added H2O vapor, but the highest production rate was reached at high H2O vapor.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2014-04-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0009-2665 ISBN Additional Links  
  Impact Factor Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes We would like to thank Sylvia Dewilde (Department of Biomedical Sciences) for providing analytical equipment. Approved no  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ Serial 6337  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Sun, S.R.; Wang, H.X.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Chemistry reduction of complex CO2chemical kinetics: application to a gliding arc plasma Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Plasma Sources Science & Technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T  
  Volume 29 Issue 2 Pages 025012  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract A gliding arc (GA) plasma has great potential for CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals, because of its high energy efficiency. To improve the application, a 2D/3D fluid model is needed to investigate the CO2 conversion mechanisms in the actual discharge geometry. Therefore, the complex CO2 chemical kinetics description must be reduced due to the huge computational cost associated with 2D/3D models. This paper presents a chemistry reduction method for CO2 plasmas, based on the so-called directed relation graph method. Depending on the defined threshold values, some marginal species are identified. By means of a sensitivity analysis, we can further reduce the chemistry set by removing one by one the marginal species. Based on the socalled flux-sensitivity coupling, we obtain a reduced CO2 kinetics model, consisting of 36 or 15 species (depending on whether the 21 asymmetric mode vibrational states of CO2 are explicitly included or lumped into one group), which is applied to a GA discharge. The results are compared with those predicted with the full chemistry set, and very good agreement is reached. Moreover, the range of validity of the reduced CO2 chemistry set is checked, telling us that this reduced set is suitable for low power GA discharges. Finally, the time and spatial evolution of the CO2 plasma characteristics are presented, based on a 2D model with the reduced kinetics.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000525600600001 Publication Date 2020-02-11  
  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 3.8 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes We acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO; Grant No. G.0383.16 N). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UAntwerpen. This work was also supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. (Grant Nos. 11735004, 11575019). SR Sun thanks the financial support from the National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (BX20180029). Approved Most recent IF: 3.8; 2020 IF: 3.302  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:167135 Serial 6338  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Slaets, J.; Aghaei, M.; Ceulemans, S.; Van Alphen, S.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title CO2and CH4conversion in “real” gas mixtures in a gliding arc plasmatron: how do N2and O2affect the performance? Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Green Chemistry Abbreviated Journal Green Chem  
  Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 1366-1377  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract In this paper we study dry reforming of methane (DRM) in a gliding arc plasmatron (GAP) in the presence of N<sub>2</sub>and O<sub>2</sub>. N<sub>2</sub>is added to create a stable plasma at equal fractions of CO<sub>2</sub>and CH<sub>4</sub>, and because emissions from industrial plants typically contain N<sub>2</sub>, while O<sub>2</sub>is added to enhance the process. We test different gas mixing ratios to evaluate the conversion and energy cost. We obtain conversions between 31 and 52% for CO<sub>2</sub>and between 55 and 99% for CH<sub>4</sub>, with total energy costs between 3.4 and 5.0 eV per molecule, depending on the gas mixture. This is very competitive when benchmarked with the literature. In addition, we present a chemical kinetics model to obtain deeper insight in the underlying plasma chemistry. This allows determination of the major reaction pathways to convert CO<sub>2</sub>and CH<sub>4</sub>, in the presence of O<sub>2</sub>and N<sub>2</sub>, into CO and H<sub>2</sub>. We show that N<sub>2</sub>assists in the CO<sub>2</sub>conversion, but part of the applied energy is also wasted in N<sub>2</sub>excitation. Adding O<sub>2</sub>enhances the CH<sub>4</sub>conversion, and lowers the energy cost, while the CO<sub>2</sub>conversion remains constant, and only slightly drops at the highest O<sub>2</sub>fractions studied, when CH<sub>4</sub>is fully oxidized into CO<sub>2</sub>.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000518034000032 Publication Date 2020-01-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9262 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.8 Times cited (up) Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes H2020 European Research Council, 810182 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, GoF9618n 12M7118N ; We acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project), the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), and the FWO postdoctoral fellowship of M. A. (Grant number 12M7118N). This work was carried out in part 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 University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 9.8; 2020 IF: 9.125  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:167136 Serial 6339  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Cordeiro, R.M.; Yusupov, M.; Razzokov, J.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Parametrization and Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Nitrogen Oxyanions and Oxyacids for Applications in Atmospheric and Biomolecular Sciences Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry B Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem B  
  Volume 124 Issue 6 Pages 1082-1089  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Nitrogen oxyanions and oxyacids are important agents in atmospheric chemistry and medical biology. Although their chemical behavior in solution is relatively well understood, they may behave very differently at the water/air interface of atmospheric aerosols or at the membrane/water interface of cells. Here, we developed a fully classical model for molecular dynamics simulations of NO3−, NO2−, HNO3, and HNO2 in the framework of the GROMOS 53A6 and 54A7 force field versions. The model successfully accounted for the poorly structured solvation shell and ion pairing tendency of NO3−. Accurate pure-liquid properties and hydration free energies were obtained for the oxyacids. Simulations at the water/air interface showed a local enrichment of HNO3 and depletion of NO3−. The effect was discussed in light of earlier spectroscopic data and ab initio calculations, suggesting that HNO3 behaves as a weaker acid at the surface of water. Our model will hopefully allow for efficient and accurate simulations of nitrogen oxyanions and oxyacids in solution and at microheterogeneous interface environments.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000512222500015 Publication Date 2020-02-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1520-6106 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.3 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes We thank Universidade Federal do ABC for providing the computational resources needed for completion of this work. This study was financed in part by the Coordenaçaõ de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nı ́vel Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001. Approved Most recent IF: 3.3; 2020 IF: 3.177  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:166488 Serial 6340  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Trenchev, G.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Dual-vortex plasmatron: A novel plasma source for CO2 conversion Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Co2 Utilization Abbreviated Journal J Co2 Util  
  Volume 39 Issue Pages 101152  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Atmospheric pressure gliding arc (GA) discharges are gaining increasing interest for CO2 conversion and other gas conversion applications, due to their simplicity and high energy efficiency. However, they are characterized by some drawbacks, such as non-uniform gas treatment, limiting the conversion, as well as the development of a hot cathode spot, resulting in severe electrode degradation. In this work, we built a dual-vortex plasmatron, which is a GA plasma reactor with innovative electrode configuration, to solve the above problems. The design aims to improve the CO2 conversion capability of the GA reactor by elongating the arc in two directions, to increase the residence time of the gas inside the arc, and to actively cool the cathode spot by rotation of the arc and gas convection. The measured CO2 conversion and corresponding energy efficiency indeed look very promising. In addition, we developed a fluid dynamics non-thermal plasma model with argon chemistry, to study the arc behavior in the reactor and to explain the experimental results.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000546648400008 Publication Date 2020-03-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2212-9820 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.7 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Fund for Scientific Research – Flanders, G.0383.16N 11U53.16N ; Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government; UAntwerpen; We acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research – Flanders (FWO); grant numbers G.0383.16N and 11U53.16N. The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI), and the UAntwerpen. We would also like to thank G. Van Loon from the University of Antwerp for building the DVP reactor. Approved Most recent IF: 7.7; 2020 IF: 4.292  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:167593 Serial 6356  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Heijkers, S.; Aghaei, M.; Bogaerts, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasma-Based CH4Conversion into Higher Hydrocarbons and H2: Modeling to Reveal the Reaction Mechanisms of Different Plasma Sources Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 124 Issue 13 Pages 7016-7030  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma is gaining interest for CH4 conversion into higher hydrocarbons and H2. However, the performance in terms of conversion and selectivity toward different hydrocarbons is different for different plasma types, and the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Therefore, we study here these mechanisms in different plasma sources, by means of a chemical kinetics model. The model is first validated by comparing the calculated conversions and hydrocarbon/H2 selectivities with experimental results in these different plasma types and over a wide range of specific energy input (SEI) values. Our model predicts that vibrational−translational nonequilibrium is negligible in all CH4 plasmas investigated, and instead, thermal conversion is important. Higher gas temperatures also lead to a more selective production of unsaturated hydrocarbons (mainly C2H2) due to neutral dissociation of CH4 and subsequent dehydrogenation processes, while three-body recombination reactions into saturated hydrocarbons (mainly C2H6, but also higher hydrocarbons) are dominant in low temperature plasmas.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000526328500007 Publication Date 2020-04-02  
  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 3.7 Times cited (up) Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Universiteit Antwerpen; Vlaamse regering; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0383.16N ; H2020 European Research Council, 810182 ; We acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research, Flanders (FWO; Grant No. G.0383.16N), the Methusalem Grant, and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 810182 − SCOPE ERC Synergy project). This work was carried out in part 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 University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 3.7; 2020 IF: 4.536  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:168096 Serial 6358  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author van ‘t Veer, K.; Reniers, F.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Zero-dimensional modeling of unpacked and packed bed dielectric barrier discharges: the role of vibrational kinetics in ammonia synthesis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Plasma Sources Science & Technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T  
  Volume 29 Issue 4 Pages 045020  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We present a zero-dimensional plasma kinetics model, including both surface and gas phase kinetics, to determine the role of vibrationally excited states in plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis. We defined a new method to systematically capture the conditions of dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs), including those found in packed bed DBDs. We included the spatial and temporal nature of such discharges by special consideration of the number of micro-discharges in the model. We introduce a parameter that assigns only a part of the plasma power to the microdischarges, to scale the model conditions from filamentary to uniform plasma. Because of the spatial and temporal behaviour of the micro-discharges, not all micro-discharges occurring in the plasma reactor during a certain gas residence time are affecting the molecules. The fraction of power considered in the model ranges from 0.005 %, for filamentary plasma, to 100 %, for uniform plasma. If vibrational excitation is included in the plasma chemistry, these different conditions, however, yield an ammonia density that is only varying within one order of magnitude. At only 0.05 % of the power put into the uniform plasma component, a model neglecting vibrational excitation clearly does not result in adequate amounts of ammonia. Thus, our new model, which accounts for the concept in which not all the power is deposited by the micro-discharges, but some part may also be distributed in between them, suggests that vibrational kinetic processes are really important in (packed bed) DBDs. Indeed, vibrational excitation takes place in both the uniform plasma between the micro-discharges and in the strong micro-discharges, and is responsible for an increased N2 dissociation rate. This is shown here for plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis, but might also be valid for other gas conversion applications.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000570241500001 Publication Date 2020-04-09  
  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 3.8 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UAntwerpen. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Fatme Jardali for the discussions on plasma kinetic modelling and Dr. Jungmi Hong and Dr. Anthony B. Murphy for their aid in the calculation of the diffusion coefficients. Approved Most recent IF: 3.8; 2020 IF: 3.302  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:168097 Serial 6359  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zhang, H.; Zhang, H.; Trenchev, G.; Li, X.; Wu, Y.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Multi-dimensional modelling of a magnetically stabilized gliding arc plasma in argon and CO2 Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Plasma Sources Science & Technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T  
  Volume 29 Issue 4 Pages 045019  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract This study focuses on a magnetically stabilized gliding arc (MGA) plasma. Two fully coupled flow-plasma models (in 3D and 2D) are presented. The 3D model is applied to compare the arc dynamics of the MGA with a traditional gas-driven gliding arc. The 2D model is used for a detailed parametric study on the effect of the external magnetic field. The results show that the relative velocity between the plasma and feed gas is generated due to the Lorentz force, which can increase the plasma-treated gas fraction. The magnetic field also helps to decrease the gas temperature by enhancing heat transfer and to increase the electron number density. This work shows the potential of an external magnetic field to control the gliding arc behavior, for enhanced gas conversion at low gas flow rates.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000570241800001 Publication Date 2020-04-09  
  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 3.8 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0383.16N ; National Natural Science Foundation of China, 51706204 51707144 ; State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, EIPE19302 ; The authors acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research—Flanders (FWO; Grant G.0383.16 N), National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 51706204, 51707144, and State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment (EIPE19302). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (Department EWI), and Universiteit Antwerpen. Finally, Hantian Zhang acknowledges financial support from the China Scholarship Council. Approved Most recent IF: 3.8; 2020 IF: 3.302  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:169218 Serial 6360  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Jafarzadeh, A.; Bal, K.M.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Activation of CO2on Copper Surfaces: The Synergy between Electric Field, Surface Morphology, and Excess Electrons Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 124 Issue 12 Pages 6747-6755  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract In this work, we use density functional theory calculations to study the combined effect of external electric fields, surface morphology, and surface charge on CO2 activation over Cu(111), Cu(211), Cu(110), and Cu(001) surfaces. We observe that the binding energy of the CO2 molecule on Cu surfaces increases significantly upon increasing the applied electric field strength. In addition, rougher surfaces respond more effectively to the presence of the external electric field toward facilitating the formation of a carbonate-like CO2 structure and the transformation of the most stable adsorption mode from physisorption to chemisorption. The presence of surface charges further strengthens the electric field effect and consequently causes an improved bending of the CO2 molecule and C−O bond length elongation. On the other hand, a net charge in the absence of an externally applied electric field shows only a marginal effect on CO2 binding. The chemisorbed CO2 is more stable and further activated when the effects of an external electric field, rough surface, and surface charge are combined. These results can help to elucidate the underlying factors that control CO2 activation in heterogeneous and plasma catalysis, as well as in electrochemical processes.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000526396900030 Publication Date 2020-03-26  
  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 3.7 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds, 32249 ; The financial support from the TOP research project of the Research Fund of the University of Antwerp (grant ID: 32249) is highly acknowledged by the authors. The computational resources used in this study were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the FWO and the Flemish Governmentdepartment EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 3.7; 2020 IF: 4.536  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:168606 Serial 6361  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Uytdenhouwen, Y.; Meynen, V.; Cool, P.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The Potential Use of Core-Shell Structured Spheres in a Packed-Bed DBD Plasma Reactor for CO2 Conversion Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Catalysts Abbreviated Journal Catalysts  
  Volume 10 Issue 5 Pages 530  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract This work proposes to use core-shell structured spheres to evaluate whether it allows to individually optimize bulk and surface effects of a packing material, in order to optimize conversion and energy efficiency. Different core-shell materials have been prepared by spray coating, using dense spheres (as core) and powders (as shell) of SiO2, Al2O3, and BaTiO3. The materials are investigated for their performance in CO2 dissociation and compared against a benchmark consisting of a packed-bed reactor with the pure dense spheres, as well as an empty reactor. The results in terms of CO2 conversion and energy efficiency show various interactions between the core and shell material, depending on their combination. Al2O3 was found as the best core material under the applied conditions here, followed by BaTiO3 and SiO2, in agreement with their behaviour for the pure spheres. Applying a thin shell layer on the cores showed equal performance between the different shell materials. Increasing the layer thickness shifts this behaviour, and strong combination effects were observed depending on the specific material. Therefore, this method of core-shell spheres has the potential to allow tuning of the packing properties more closely to the application by designing an optimal combination of core and shell.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000546007000092 Publication Date 2020-05-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2073-4344 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.9 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Interreg, Project EnOp ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0254.14N ; Universiteit Antwerpen, Project SynCO2Chem ; We want to thank Jasper Lefevre (VITO) for assistance in the development of the coating suspension for the core-shell spheres. Approved Most recent IF: 3.9; 2020 IF: 3.082  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:169222 Serial 6364  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Marimuthu, P.; Razzokov, J.; Eshonqulov, G. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Disruption of conserved polar interactions causes a sequential release of Bim mutants from the canonical binding groove of Mcl1 Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication International Journal Of Biological Macromolecules Abbreviated Journal Int J Biol Macromol  
  Volume 158 Issue Pages 364-374  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Mcl1 is an important anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl2 family proteins that are upregulated in several cancer malignancies. The canonical binding groove (CBG) located at the surface of Mcl1 exhibits a critical role in binding partners selectively via the BH3-domain of pro-apoptotic Bcl2 family members that trigger the downregulation of Mcl1 function. There are several crystal structures of point-mutated pro-apoptotic Bim peptides in complex with Mcl1. However, the mechanistic effects of such point-mutations towards peptide binding and complex stability still remain unexplored. Here, the effects of the reported point mutations in Bim peptides and their binding mechanisms to Mcl1 were computationally evaluated using atomistic-level steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations. A range of external-forces and constant-velocities were applied to the Bim peptides to uncover the mechanistic basis of peptide dissociation from the CBG of Mcl1. Although the peptides showed similarities in their dissociation pathways, the peak rupture forces varied significantly. According to simulations results, the disruption of the conserved polar contacts at the complex interface causes a sequential release of the peptides from the CBG of Mcl1. Overall, the results obtained from the current study may provide valuable insights for the development of novel anti-cancer peptide-inhibitors that can downregulate Mcl1’s function.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000564486400010 Publication Date 2020-05-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0141-8130 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.2 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes P.M. gratefully acknowledges the Sigrid Jusélius Foundation, Joe, Pentti and Tor Borg Memorial Fund for computational and laboratory infrastructure, the Bioinformatics infrastructure facility supported by Biocenter Finland, CSC-IT Center for Science (Project: 2000461) for the high performance computational facility; Prof. Outi Salo-Ahen, SBL, Pharmacy, Åbo Akademi University and Prof. Olli Pentikäinen, MedChem, University of Turku for valuable discussion; Dr. Jukka Lehtonen for the IT support; and specially thanks Prof. Mark Johnson, SBL, Åbo Akademi University, for providing the lab facility. Approved Most recent IF: 8.2; 2020 IF: 3.671  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:169231 Serial 6365  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Engelmann, Y.; Mehta, P.; Neyts, E.C.; Schneider, W.F.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Predicted Influence of Plasma Activation on Nonoxidative Coupling of Methane on Transition Metal Catalysts Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Abbreviated Journal Acs Sustain Chem Eng  
  Volume 8 Issue 15 Pages 6043-6054  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Movement Antwerp (MOVANT)  
  Abstract The combination of catalysis and nonthermal plasma holds promise for enabling difficult chemical conversions. The possible synergy between both depends strongly on the nature of the reactive plasma species and the catalyst material. In this paper, we show how vibrationally excited species and plasma-generated radicals interact with transition metal catalysts and how changing the catalyst material can improve the conversion rates and product selectivity. We developed a microkinetic model to investigate the impact of vibrational excitations and plasma-generated radicals on the nonoxidative coupling of methane over transition metal surfaces. We predict a significant increase in ethylene formation for vibrationally excited methane. Plasma-generated radicals have a stronger impact on the turnover frequencies with high selectivity toward ethylene on noble catalysts and mixed selectivity on non-noble catalysts. In general, we show how the optimal catalyst material depends on the desired products as well as the plasma conditions.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000526884000025 Publication Date 2020-04-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2168-0485 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.4 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes Herculesstichting; University of Notre Dame; Universiteit Antwerpen; Division of Engineering Education and Centers, EEC-1647722 ; We would like to thank Tom Butterworth for his work on methane vibrational distribution functions (VDF) and for sharing his thoughts and experiences on this matter, specifically regarding the VDF of the degenerate modes of methane. We ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering pubs.acs.org/journal/ascecg Research Article https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c00906 ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 6043−6054 6052 also acknowledge financial support from the DOC-PRO3 and the TOP-BOF projects of the University of Antwerp. This work was carried out in part 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 University of Antwerp. Support for W.F.S. was provided by the National Science Foundation under cooperative agreement no. EEC-1647722, an Engineering Research Center for the Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources (CISTAR). P.M. acknowledges support through the Eilers Graduate Fellowship of the University of Notre Dame. Approved Most recent IF: 8.4; 2020 IF: 5.951  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:169228 Serial 6366  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Duan, J.; Ma, M.; Yusupov, M.; Cordeiro, R.M.; Lu, X.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The penetration of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species across the stratum corneum Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Plasma Processes And Polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The penetration of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) across the stratum corneum (SC) is a necessary and crucial process in many skin‐related plasma medical applications. To gain more insights into this penetration behavior, we combined experimental measurements of the permeability of dry and moist SC layers with computer simulations of model lipid membranes. We measured the permeation of relatively stable molecules, which are typically generated by plasma, namely H2O2, NO3−, and NO2−. Furthermore, we calculated the permeation free energy profiles of the major plasma‐generated RONS and their derivatives (i.e., H2O2, OH, HO2, O2, O3, NO, NO2, N2O4, HNO2, HNO3, NO2−, and NO3−) across native and oxidized SC lipid bilayers, to understand the mechanisms of RONS permeation across the SC. Our results indicate that hydrophobic RONS (i.e., NO, NO2, O2, O3, and N2O4) can translocate more easily across the SC lipid bilayer than hydrophilic RONS (i.e., H2O2, OH, HO2, HNO2, and HNO3) and ions (i.e., NO2− and NO3−) that experience much higher permeation barriers. The permeability of RONS through the SC skin lipids is enhanced when the skin is moist and the lipids are oxidized. These findings may help to understand the underlying mechanisms of plasma interaction with a biomaterial and to optimize the environmental parameters in practice in plasma medical applications.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000536892900001 Publication Date 2020-06-02  
  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 3.5 Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes National Natural Science Foundation of China, 51625701 51977096 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1200219N ; China Scholarship Council, 201806160128 ; M. Y. acknowledges the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) for financial support (Grant No. 1200219N). This study was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No: 51625701 and 51977096) and the China Scholarship Council (Grant No: 201806160128). All computational work was performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA Core Facility of the University of Antwerp (UA), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI), and the UA. Approved Most recent IF: 3.5; 2020 IF: 2.846  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:169709 Serial 6372  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Bogaerts, A.; Centi, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasma Technology for CO2 Conversion: A Personal Perspective on Prospects and Gaps Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Frontiers in energy research Abbreviated Journal Front. Energy Res.  
  Volume 8 Issue Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract There is increasing interest in plasma technology for CO2 conversion because it can operate at mild conditions and it can store fluctuating renewable electricity into

value-added compounds and renewable fuels. This perspective paper aims to provide a view on the future for non-specialists who want to understand the role of plasma

technology in the new scenario for sustainable and low-carbon energy and chemistry. Thus, it is prepared to give a personal view on future opportunities and challenges. First, we introduce the current state-of-the-art and the potential of plasma-based CO2 conversion. Subsequently, we discuss the challenges to overcome the current limitations and to apply plasma technology on a large scale. The final section discusses the general context and the potential benefits of plasma-based CO2 conversion for our life and the impact on climate change. It also includes a brief analysis on the future scenario for energy and chemical production, and how plasma technology may realize new paths for CO2 utilization.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000553392300001 Publication Date 2020-07-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2296-598X ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.4 Times cited (up) Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project). We thank A. Berthelot, M. Ramakers, R. Snoeckx, G. Trenchev, and V. Vermeiren for providing the figures used in this article. Approved Most recent IF: 3.4; 2020 IF: NA  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:170136 Serial 6390  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vervloessem, E.; Aghaei, M.; Jardali, F.; Hafezkhiabani, N.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasma-Based N2Fixation into NOx: Insights from Modeling toward Optimum Yields and Energy Costs in a Gliding Arc Plasmatron Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Abbreviated Journal Acs Sustain Chem Eng  
  Volume 8 Issue 26 Pages 9711-9720  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma technology provides a sustainable, fossil-free method for N2 fixation, i.e., the conversion of inert atmospheric N2 into valuable substances, such as NOx or ammonia. In this work, we present a novel gliding arc plasmatron at atmospheric pressure for NOx production at different N2/O2 gas feed ratios, offering a promising NOx yield of 1.5% with an energy cost of 3.6 MJ/mol NOx produced. To explain the underlying mechanisms, we present a chemical kinetics model, validated by experiments, which provides insight into the NOx formation pathways and into the ambivalent role of the vibrational kinetics. This allows us to pinpoint the factors limiting the yield and energy cost, which can help to further improve the process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000548456600013 Publication Date 2020-07-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2168-0485 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.4 Times cited (up) Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Herculesstichting; Universiteit Antwerpen; Vlaamse regering; H2020 European Research Council, 810182 ; N2 Applied; Excellence of Science FWO – FNRS project, 30505023 GoF9618n ; Approved Most recent IF: 8.4; 2020 IF: 5.951  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:170138 Serial 6392  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Marimuthu, P.; Razzokov, J.; Singaravelu, K.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Predicted Hotspot Residues Involved in Allosteric Signal Transmission in Pro-Apoptotic Peptide—Mcl1 Complexes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Biomolecules Abbreviated Journal Biomolecules  
  Volume 10 Issue 8 Pages 1114  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Mcl1 is a primary member of the Bcl–2 family—anti–apoptotic proteins (AAP)—that is overexpressed in several cancer pathologies. The apoptotic regulation is mediated through the binding of pro-apoptotic peptides (PAPs) (e.g., Bak and Bid) at the canonical hydrophobic binding groove (CBG) of Mcl1. Although all PAPs form amphipathic α-helices, their amino acid sequences vary to different degree. This sequence variation exhibits a central role in the binding partner selectivity towards different AAPs. Thus, constructing a novel peptide or small organic molecule with the ability to mimic the natural regulatory process of PAP is essential to inhibit various AAPs. Previously reported experimental binding free energies (BFEs) were utilized in the current investigation aimed to understand the mechanistic basis of different PAPs targeted to mMcl1. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations used to estimate BFEs between mMcl1—PAP complexes using Molecular Mechanics-Generalized Born Solvent Accessible (MMGBSA) approach with multiple parameters. Predicted BFE values showed an excellent agreement with the experiment (R2 = 0.92). The van–der Waals (ΔGvdw) and electrostatic (ΔGele) energy terms found to be the main energy components that drive heterodimerization of mMcl1—PAP complexes. Finally, the dynamic network analysis predicted the allosteric signal transmission pathway involves more favorable energy contributing residues. In total, the results obtained from the current investigation may provide valuable insights for the synthesis of a novel peptide or small organic inhibitor targeting Mcl1.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000578895600001 Publication Date 2020-07-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2218-273X ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited (up) Open Access  
  Notes P.M. gratefully acknowledges the use of the bioinformatics infrastructure facility supported by Biocenter Finland and the CSC-IT Center for Science (Project: 2000461) for the computational facility; Jukka Lehtonen for the IT support; Mark Johnson (SBL) Åbo Akademi University for providing the lab support and Outi Salo-Ahen (Pharmacy) Åbo Akademi University and Olli T. Pentikäinen (Institute of Biomedicine) University of Turku, for their valuable support and discussion. Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:170486 Serial 6396  
Permanent link to this record
Select All    Deselect All
 |   | 
Details
   print

Save Citations:
Export Records: