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Author Kerkhofs, S.; Leroux, F.; Allouche, L.; Mellaerts, R.; Jammaer, J.; Aerts, A.; Kirschhock, C.E.A.; Magusin, P.C.M.M.; Taulelle, F.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Martens, J.A.;
Title Single-step alcohol-free synthesis of coreshell nanoparticles of \gamma-casein micelles and silica Type A1 Journal article
Year 2014 Publication RSC advances Abbreviated Journal (up) Rsc Adv
Volume 4 Issue 49 Pages 25650-25657
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract A new, single-step protocol for wrapping individual nanosized β-casein micelles with silica is presented. This biomolecule-friendly synthesis proceeds at low protein concentration at almost neutral pH, and makes use of sodium silicate instead of the common silicon alkoxides. This way, formation of potentially protein-denaturizing alcohols can be avoided. The pH of the citrate-buffered synthesis medium is close to the isoelectric point of β-casein, which favours micelle formation. A limited amount of sodium silicate is added to the protein micelle suspension, to form a thin silica coating around the β-casein micelles. The size distribution of the resulting proteinsilica structures was characterized using DLS and SAXS, as well as 1H NMR DOSY with a dedicated pulsed-field gradient cryo-probehead to cope with the low protein concentration. The degree of silica-condensation was investigated by 29Si MAS NMR, and the nanostructure was revealed by advanced electron microscopy techniques such as ESEM and HAADF-STEM. As indicated by the combined characterization results, a silica shell of 2 nm is formed around individual β-casein micelles giving rise to separate protein coresilica shell nanoparticles of 17 nm diameter. This alcohol-free method at mild temperature and pH is potentially suited for packing protein molecules into bio-compatible silica nanocapsules for a variety of applications in biosensing, therapeutic protein delivery and biocatalysis.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000338434500025 Publication Date 2014-05-29
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2046-2069; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 3.108 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes Fwo; 262348 Esmi; 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); Approved Most recent IF: 3.108; 2014 IF: 3.840
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:125382 Serial 3027
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Author Reclusa, P.; Verstraelen, P.; Taverna, S.; Gunasekaran, M.; Pucci, M.; Pintelon, I.; Claes, N.; de Miguel-Pérez, D.; Alessandro, R.; Bals, S.; Kaushal, S.; Rolfo, C.
Title Improving extracellular vesicles visualization: From static to motion Type A1 Journal article
Year 2020 Publication Scientific Reports Abbreviated Journal (up) Sci Rep-Uk
Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 6494
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract In the last decade extracellular vesicles (EVs) have become a hot topic. The findings on EVs content and effects have made them a major field of interest in cancer research. EVs, are able to be internalized through integrins expressed in parental cells, in a tissue specific manner, as a key step of cancer progression and pre-metastatic niche formation. However, this specificity might lead to new opportunities in cancer treatment by using EVs as devices for drug delivery. For future applications of EVs in cancer, improved protocols and methods for EVs isolation and visualization are required. Our group has put efforts on developing a protocol, able to track the EVs for in vivo internalization analysis. We showed, for the first time, the videos of labeled EVs uptake by living lung cancer cells.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000562145000002 Publication Date 2020-04-16
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 4.6 Times cited 25 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes Marzia Pucci is supported by a “AIRC” (Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro) fellowship. “The Leica SP 8 (Hercules grant AUHA.15.12) microscope was funded by the Hercules Foundation of the Flemish Government.” DdM-P is funded by the University of Granada PhD grant and University of Granada international mobility grant 2018/19. Approved Most recent IF: 4.6; 2020 IF: 4.259
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:169234 Serial 6362
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Author Borah, R.; Ninakanti, R.; Bals, S.; Verbruggen, S.W.
Title Plasmon resonance of gold and silver nanoparticle arrays in the Kretschmann (attenuated total reflectance) vs. direct incidence configuration Type A1 Journal article
Year 2022 Publication Scientific reports Abbreviated Journal (up) Sci Rep-Uk
Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 15738-19
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
Abstract While the behaviour of plasmonic solid thin films in the Kretschmann (also known as Attenuated Total Reflection, ATR) configuration is well-understood, the use of discrete nanoparticle arrays in this optical configuration is not thoroughly explored. It is important to do so, since close packed plasmonic nanoparticle arrays exhibit exceptionally strong light-matter interactions by plasmonic coupling. The present work elucidates the optical properties of plasmonic Au and Ag nanoparticle arrays in both the direct normal incidence and Kretschmann configuration by numerical models, that are validated experimentally. First, hexagonal close packed Au and Ag nanoparticle films/arrays are obtained by air–liquid interfacial assembly. The numerical models for the rigorous solution of the Maxwell’s equations are validated using experimental optical spectra of these films before systematically investigating various parameters. The individual far-field/near-field optical properties, as well as the plasmon relaxation mechanism of the nanoparticles, vary strongly as the packing density of the array increases. In the Kretschmann configuration, the evanescent fields arising from p – and s -polarized (or TM and TE polarized) incidence have different directional components. The local evanescent field intensity and direction depends on the polarization, angle of incidence and the wavelength of incidence. These factors in the Kretschmann configuration give rise to interesting far-field as well as near-field optical properties. Overall, it is shown that plasmonic nanoparticle arrays in the Kretschmann configuration facilitate strong broadband absorptance without transmission losses, and strong near-field enhancement. The results reported herein elucidate the optical properties of self-assembled nanoparticle films, pinpointing the ideal conditions under which the normal and the Kretschmann configuration can be exploited in multiple light-driven applications.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000858344700048 Publication Date 2022-09-21
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 4.6 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes R.B. acknowledges financial support from the University of Antwerp Special Research Fund (BOF) for a DOCPRO4 doctoral scholarship (Grant FN541100001). Approved Most recent IF: 4.6
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:190864 Serial 7194
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Author Boneschanscher, M.P.; Evers, W.H.; Geuchies, J.J.; Altantzis, T.; Goris, B.; Rabouw, F.T.; van Rossum, S.A.P.; van der Zant, H.S.J.; Siebbeles, L.D.A.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Swart, I.; Hilhorst, J.; Petukhov, A.V.; Bals, S.; Vanmaekelbergh, D.;
Title Long-range orientation and atomic attachment of nanocrystals in 2D honeycomb superlattices Type A1 Journal article
Year 2014 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal (up) Science
Volume 344 Issue 6190 Pages 1377-1380
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Oriented attachment of synthetic semiconductor nanocrystals is emerging as a route for obtaining new semiconductors that can have Dirac-type electronic bands like graphene, but also strong spin-orbit coupling. The two-dimensional assembly geometry will require both atomic coherence and long-range periodicity of the superlattices. We show how the interfacial self-assembly and oriented attachment of nanocrystals results in two-dimensional (2D) metal chalcogenide semiconductors with a honeycomb superlattice. We present an extensive atomic and nanoscale characterization of these systems using direct imaging and wave scattering methods. The honeycomb superlattices are atomically coherent, and have an octahedral symmetry that is buckled; the nanocrystals occupy two parallel planes. Considerable necking and large-scale atomic motion occurred during the attachment process.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000337531700035 Publication Date 2014-05-30
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0036-8075;1095-9203; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 37.205 Times cited 304 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes Fwo; 262348 Esmi; 246791 Countatoms; 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 37.205; 2014 IF: 33.611
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:117095 Serial 1840
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Author Udayabhaskararao, T.; Altantzis, T.; Houben, L.; Coronado-Puchau, M.; Langer, J.; Popovitz-Biro, R.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Vuković, L.; Král, P.; Bals, S.; Klajn, R.
Title Tunable porous nanoallotropes prepared by post-assembly etching of binary nanoparticle superlattices Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal (up) Science
Volume 358 Issue 358 Pages 514-518
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Self-assembly of inorganic nanoparticles has been used to prepare hundreds of different colloidal crystals, but almost invariably with the restriction that the particles must be densely packed. Here,we show that non–close-packed nanoparticle arrays can be fabricated through the selective removal of one of two components comprising binary nanoparticle superlattices. First, a variety of binary nanoparticle superlattices were prepared at the liquid-air interface, including several arrangements that were previously unknown. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the particular role of the liquid in templating the formation of superlattices not achievable through self-assembly in bulk solution. Second, upon stabilization, all of these binary superlattices could be transformed into distinct “nanoallotropes”—nanoporous materials having the same chemical composition but differing in their nanoscale architectures.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000413757500043 Publication Date 2017-10-27
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0036-8075 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 37.205 Times cited 113 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (grants 336080 CONFINEDCHEM to R.K. and 335078 COLOURATOM to S.B.), the Rothschild Caesarea Foundation (R.K.), the NSF (Division of Materials Research, grant 1506886) (P.K.), the European Commission (grant EUSMI 731019 to L.M.L.-M. and S.B.), and the startup funding from the University of Texas at El Paso (L.V.). L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (grant MAT2013- 46101-R). T.A. acknowledges funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through a postdoctoral grant. The computer support was provided by the Texas Advanced Computing Center. All data are reported in the main text and supplementary materials. ECAS_Sara (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 37.205
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147242UA @ admin @ c:irua:147242 Serial 4770
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Author González-Rubio, G.; Mosquera, J.; Kumar, V.; Pedrazo-Tardajos, A.; Llombart, P.; Solís, D.M.; Lobato, I.; Noya, E.G.; Guerrero-Martínez, A.; Taboada, J.M.; Obelleiro, F.; MacDowell, L.G.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.
Title Micelle-directed chiral seeded growth on anisotropic gold nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
Year 2020 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal (up) Science
Volume 368 Issue 368 Pages 1472-1477
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Surfactant-assisted seeded growth of metal nanoparticles (NPs) can be engineered to produce anisotropic gold nanocrystals with high chiroptical activity through the templating effect of chiral micelles formed in the presence of dissymmetric cosurfactants. Mixed micelles adsorb on gold nanorods, forming quasihelical patterns that direct seeded growth into NPs with pronounced morphological and optical handedness. Sharp chiral wrinkles lead to chiral plasmon modes with high dissymmetry factors (~0.20). Through variation of the dimensions of chiral wrinkles, the chiroptical properties can be tuned within the visible and near-infrared electromagnetic spectrum. The micelle-directed mechanism allows extension to other systems, such as the seeded growth of chiral platinum shells on gold nanorods. This approach provides a reproducible, simple, and scalable method toward the fabrication of NPs with high chiral optical activity.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000545264600040 Publication Date 2020-06-26
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0036-8075 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 56.9 Times cited 187 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC AdG No. 787510). G.G.-R. and J.M. thanks the Spanish MICIU for FPI (BES-2014-068972) and Juan de la Cierva-fellowships (FJCI-2015-25080). S.B., L.M.L.-M., V.K, and A.P.- T. acknowledge financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme by means of the grant agreement No. 731019 (EUSMI) and the ERC Consolidator Grant No. 815128 (REALNANO). J.M.T and F.O acknowledge financial support from the Spanish MICIU (Grants TEC2017-85376-C2-1-R, TEC2017-85376-C2-2-R), as well as from the ERDF and the Galician Regional Government as part of the agreement for funding the Atlantic Research Center for Information and Communication Technologies (AtlantTIC). AG-M acknowledges financial support from the Spanish MICIU (Grant RTI2018-095844-BI00), EGN and LGM acknowledge funds from the Spanish MICIU (Grant No. FIS2017- 89361-C3-2-P), as well as the use of the Mare-Nostrum supercomputer and the technical support provided by Barcelona Supercomputing Center from the Spanish Network of Supercomputing (Grants QCM-2018-3-0039 and QCM-2019-1-0038). This work was performed under the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State 13 Research Agency – Grant No. MDM-2017-0720.; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 56.9; 2020 IF: 37.205
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:170137 Serial 6391
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Author Rehor, I.; Slegerova, J.; Kucka, J.; Proks, V.; Petrakova, V.; Adam, M.P.; Treussart, F.; Turner, S.; Bals, S.; Sacha, P.; Ledvina, M.; Wen, A.M.; Steinmetz, N.F.; Cigler, P.;
Title Fluorescent nanodiamonds embedded in biocompatible translucent shells Type A1 Journal article
Year 2014 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal (up) Small
Volume 10 Issue 6 Pages 1106-1115
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract High pressure high temperature (HPHT) nanodiamonds (NDs) represent extremely promising materials for construction of fluorescent nanoprobes and nanosensors. However, some properties of bare NDs limit their direct use in these applications: they precipitate in biological solutions, only a limited set of bio-orthogonal conjugation techniques is available and the accessible material is greatly polydisperse in shape. In this work, we encapsulate bright 30-nm fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) in 1020-nm thick translucent (i.e., not altering FND fluorescence) silica shells, yielding monodisperse near-spherical particles of mean diameter 66 nm. High yield modification of the shells with PEG chains stabilizes the particles in ionic solutions, making them applicable in biological environments. We further modify the opposite ends of PEG chains with fluorescent dyes or vectoring peptide using click chemistry. High conversion of this bio-orthogonal coupling yielded circa 2000 dye or peptide molecules on a single FND. We demonstrate the superior properties of these particles by in vitro interaction with human prostate cancer cells: while bare nanodiamonds strongly aggregate in the buffer and adsorb onto the cell membrane, the shell encapsulated NDs do not adsorb nonspecifically and they penetrate inside the cells.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor
Language Wos 000333538000012 Publication Date 2014-02-05
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1613-6810; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 79 Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes 262348 ESMI; Hercules; FWO Approved Most recent IF: 8.643; 2014 IF: 8.368
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:115566 Serial 1234
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Author Wang, Y.; Belén Serrano, A.; Sentosun, K.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.
Title Stabilization and encapsulation of gold nanostars mediated by dithiols Type A1 Journal article
Year 2015 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal (up) Small
Volume 11 Issue 11 Pages 4314-4320
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Surface chemistry plays a pivotal role in regulating the morphology of nanoparticles, maintaining colloidal stability, and mediating the interaction with target analytes toward practical applications such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based sensing and imaging. The use of a binary ligand mixture composed of 1,4-benzenedithiol (BDT) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) to provide gold nanostars with long-term stability is reported. This is despite BDT being a bifunctional ligand, which usually leads to bridging and loss of colloidal stability. It is found however that neither BDT nor CTAC alone are able to provide sufficient colloidal and chemical stability. BDT-coated Au nanostars are additionally used as seeds to direct the encapsulation with a gold outer shell, leading to the formation of unusual nanostructures including semishell-coated gold nanostars, which are characterized by high-resolution electron microscopy and electron tomography. Finally, BDT is exploited as a probe to reveal the enhanced local electric fields in the different nanostructures, showing that the semishell configuration provides significantly high SERS signals as compared to other coreshell configurations obtained during seeded growth, including full shells.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor
Language Wos 000360852900009 Publication Date 2015-06-02
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1613-6810; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 36 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes 267867 Plasmaquo; 335078 Colouratom; 262348 Esmi; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 8.643; 2015 IF: 8.368
Call Number c:irua:127571 Serial 3136
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Author Goris, B.; van Huis, M.A.; Bals, S.; Zandbergen, H.W.; Manna, L.; Van Tendeloo, G.
Title Thermally induced structural and morphological changes of CdSe/CdS octapods Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal (up) Small
Volume 8 Issue 6 Pages 937-942
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Branched nanostructures are of great interest because of their promising optical and electronic properties. For successful and reliable integration in applications such as photovoltaic devices, the thermal stability of the nanostructures is of major importance. Here the different domains (CdSe cores, CdS pods) of the heterogeneous octapods are shown to have different thermal stabilities, and heating is shown to induce specific shape changes. The octapods are heated from room temperature to 700 °C, and investigated using (analytical and tomographic) transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At low annealing temperatures, pure Cd segregates in droplets at the outside of the octapods, indicating non-stochiometric composition of the octapods. Furthermore, the tips of the pods lose their faceting and become rounded. Further heating to temperatures just below the sublimation temperature induces growth of the zinc blende core at the expense of the wurtzite pods. At higher temperatures, (500700 °C), sublimation of the octapods is observed in real time in the TEM. Three-dimensional tomographic reconstructions reveal that the four pods pointing into the vacuum have a lower thermal stability than the four pods that are in contact with the support.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor
Language Wos 000301718800021 Publication Date 2012-01-31
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1613-6810; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 20 Open Access
Notes Fwo; Esteem 026019 Approved Most recent IF: 8.643; 2012 IF: 7.823
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:95040 Serial 3633
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Author Li, Y.; Tan, H.; Yang, X.-Y.; Goris, B.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S.; Colson, P.; Cloots, R.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Su, B.-L.
Title Well shaped Mn3O4 nano-octahedra with anomalous magnetic behavior and enhanced photodecomposition properties Type A1 Journal article
Year 2011 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal (up) Small
Volume 7 Issue 4 Pages 475-483
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Very uniform and well shaped Mn3O4 nano-octahedra are synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method under the help of polyethylene glycol (PEG200) as a reductant and shape-directing agent. The nano-octahedra formation mechanism is monitored. The shape and crystal orientation of the nanoparticles is reconstructed by scanning electron microscopy and electron tomography, which reveals that the nano-octahedra only selectively expose {101} facets at the external surfaces. The magnetic testing demonstrates that the Mn3O4 nano-octahedra exhibit anomalous magnetic properties: the Mn3O4 nano-octahedra around 150 nm show a similar Curie temperature and blocking temperature to Mn3O4 nanoparticles with 10 nm size because of the vertical axis of [001] plane and the exposed {101} facets. With these Mn3O4 nano-octahedra as a catalyst, the photodecomposition of rhodamine B is evaluated and it is found that the photodecomposition activity of Mn3O4 nano-octahedra is much superior to that of commercial Mn3O4 powders. The anomalous magnetic properties and high superior photodecomposition activity of well shaped Mn3O4 nano-octahedra should be related to the special shape of the nanoparticles and the abundantly exposed {101} facets at the external surfaces. Therefore, the shape preference can largely broaden the application of the Mn3O4 nano-octahedra.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor
Language Wos 000288080400008 Publication Date 2011-01-21
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1613-6810; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 131 Open Access
Notes This work was realized in the frame of an Interuniversity Attraction Poles Program (Inanomat-P6/17)-Belgian State-Belgian Science Policy and the project “Redugaz”, financially supported by the European community and the Wallon government in the frame of Interreg IV (France-Wallonie). B. L. S. acknowledges the Chinese Central Government for an “Expert of the State” position in the program of “Thousand talents” and the Chinese Ministry of Education for a Changjiang Scholar position at the Wuhan University of Technology. H. T. acknowledges the financial support from FWO-Vlaanderen (Project nr. G.0147.06). J.V. thanks the financial support from the European Union under Framework 6 program for Integrated Infrastructure Initiative, Reference 026019 ESTEEM. Approved Most recent IF: 8.643; 2011 IF: 8.349
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:87908 Serial 3914
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Author Zheng, G.; de Marchi, S.; Lopez-Puente, V.; Sentosun, K.; Polavarapu, L.; Perez-Juste, I.; Hill, E.H.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzan, L.M.; Pastoriza-Santos, I.; Perez-Juste, J.
Title Encapsulation of Single Plasmonic Nanoparticles within ZIF-8 and SERS Analysis of the MOF Flexibility Type A1 Journal article
Year 2016 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal (up) Small
Volume 12 Issue 12 Pages 3935-3943
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Hybrid nanostructures composed of metal nanoparticles and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently received increasing attention toward various applications due to the combination of optical and catalytic properties of nanometals with the large internal surface area, tunable crystal porosity and unique chemical properties of MOFs. Encapsulation of metal nanoparticles of well-defined shapes into porous MOFs in a core-shell type configuration can thus lead to enhanced stability and selectivity in applications such as sensing or catalysis. In this study, the encapsulation of single noble metal nanoparticles with arbitrary shapes within zeolitic imidazolate-based metal organic frameworks (ZIF-8) is demonstrated. The synthetic strategy is based on the enhanced interaction between ZIF-8 nanocrystals and metal nanoparticle surfaces covered by quaternary ammonium surfactants. High resolution electron microscopy and tomography confirm a complete core-shell morphology. Such a well-defined morphology allowed us to study the transport of guest molecules through the ZIF-8 porous shell by means of surface-enhanced Raman scattering by the metal cores. The results demonstrate that even molecules larger than the ZIF-8 aperture and pore size may be able to diffuse through the framework and reach the metal core.
Address Departamento de Quiimica Fisica, Universidade de Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Wos 000383375500006 Publication Date 2016-06-06
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 140 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MAT2013-45168-R) and the Xunta de Galicia/FEDER (Grant No. GPC2013-006; INBIOMED-FEDER “Unha maneira de facer Europa”). L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement No. 312184, SACS). S.B. acknowledges financial support from European Research Council (ERC) (ERC Starting Grant No. 335078-COLOURATOM). The authors thank Prof. Paolo Fornasiero for the nitrogen adsorption measurements. E.H.H. acknowledges the Spanish MINECO for a Juan de la Cierva fellowship. S.D.M. acknowledges the support from CsF/CNPq-Brazil fellowship.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 8.643
Call Number c:irua:133953 Serial 4083
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Author Blommaerts, N.; Vanrompay, H.; Nuti, S.; Lenaerts, S.; Bals, S.; Verbruggen, S.W.
Title Unraveling Structural Information of Turkevich Synthesized Plasmonic Gold-Silver Bimetallic Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
Year 2019 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal (up) Small
Volume 15 Issue 15 Pages 1902791
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
Abstract For the synthesis of gold-silver bimetallic nanoparticles, the Turkevich method has been the state-of-the-art method for several decades. It has been presumed that this procedure results in a homogeneous alloy, although this has been debatable for many years. In this work, it is shown that neither a full alloy, nor a perfect core-shell particle is formed but rather a core-shell-like particle with altering metal composition along the radial direction. In-depth wet-chemical experiments are performed in combination with advanced transmission electron microscopy, including EDX tomography, and Finite Element Method modeling to support the observations. From the electron tomography results, the core-shell structure could be clearly visualized and the spatial distribution of gold and silver atoms could be quantified. Theoretical simulations are performed to demonstrate that even though UV-Vis spectra show only one plasmon band, this still originates from core-shell type structures. The simulations also indicate that the core-shell morphology does not so much affect the location of the plasmon band, but mainly results in significant band broadening. Wet-chemistry experiments provide the evidence that the synthesis pathway starts with gold enriched alloy cores, and later on in the synthesis mainly silver is incorporated to end up with a silver enriched alloy shell.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000482637100001 Publication Date 2019-08-25
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 26 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes Universiteit Antwerpen; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1S32617N G.0369.15N G.0381.16N ; Approved Most recent IF: 8.643
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:161636 Serial 5290
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Author Mychinko, M.; Skorikov, A.; Albrecht, W.; Sánchez‐Iglesias, A.; Zhuo, X.; Kumar, V.; Liz‐Marzán, L.M.; Bals, S.
Title The Influence of Size, Shape, and Twin Boundaries on Heat‐Induced Alloying in Individual Au@Ag Core–Shell Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal (up) Small
Volume Issue Pages 2102348
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Environmental conditions during real-world application of bimetallic core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) often include the use of elevated temperatures, which are known to cause elemental redistribution, in turn significantly altering the properties of these nanomaterials. Therefore, a thorough understanding of such processes is of great importance. The recently developed combination of fast electron tomography with in situ heating holders is a powerful approach to investigate heat-induced processes at the single NP level, with high spatial resolution in 3D. In combination with 3D finite-difference diffusion simulations, this method can be used to disclose the influence of various NP parameters on the diffusion dynamics in Au@Ag core–shell systems. A detailed study of the influence of heating on atomic diffusion and alloying for Au@Ag NPs with varying core morphology and crystallographic details is carried out. Whereas the core shape and aspect ratio of the NPs play a minor role, twin boundaries are found to have a strong influence on the elemental diffusion.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000673326600001 Publication Date 2021-07-14
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes The funding for this project was provided by European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128, REALNANO) and European Commission (grant 731019, EUSMI and grant 26019, ESTEEM). This work was performed under the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Programme-Grant No. MDM-2017-0720, Ministry of Science and Innovation.; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 8.643
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179856 Serial 6804
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Author Hudry, D.; De Backer, A.; Popescu, R.; Busko, D.; Howard, I.A.; Bals, S.; Zhang, Y.; Pedrazo‐Tardajos, A.; Van Aert, S.; Gerthsen, D.; Altantzis, T.; Richards, B.S.
Title Interface Pattern Engineering in Core‐Shell Upconverting Nanocrystals: Shedding Light on Critical Parameters and Consequences for the Photoluminescence Properties Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal (up) Small
Volume Issue Pages 2104441
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Abstract Advances in controlling energy migration pathways in core-shell lanthanide (Ln)-based hetero-nanocrystals (HNCs) have relied heavily on assumptions about how optically active centers are distributed within individual HNCs. In this article, it is demonstrated that different types of interface patterns can be formed depending on shell growth conditions. Such interface patterns are not only identified but also characterized with spatial resolution ranging from the nanometer- to the atomic-scale. In the most favorable cases, atomic-scale resolved maps of individual particles are obtained. It is also demonstrated that, for the same type of core-shell architecture, the interface pattern can be engineered with thicknesses of just 1 nm up to several tens of nanometers. Total alloying between the core and shell domains is also possible when using ultra-small particles as seeds. Finally, with different types of interface patterns (same architecture and chemical composition of the core and shell domains) it is possible to modify the output color (yellow, red, and green-yellow) or change (improvement or degradation) the absolute upconversion quantum yield. The results presented in this article introduce an important paradigm shift and pave the way toward the emergence of a new generation of core-shell Ln-based HNCs with better control over their atomic-scale organization.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000710758000001 Publication Date 2021-10-25
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 17 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Helmholtz Recruitment Initiative Fellowship (B.S.R.) and the Helmholtz Association's Research Field Energy (Materials and Technologies for the Energy Transition program, Topic 1 Photovoltaics and Wind Energy). The authors would like to thank the Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF) for STEM access. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant agreement no. 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A. and Grant agreement no. 815128 REALNANO to S.B.). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through Projects no. G.0502.18N, G.0267.18N, and a postdoctoral grant to A.D.B. T.A. acknowledges funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). This project had received funding (EUSMI proposal #E181100205) from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant agreement no 731019 (EUSMI). D.H. would like to thank “CGFigures” for helpful tutorials on 3D graphics with Blender.; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 8.643
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183285 Serial 6817
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Author Marchetti, A.; Gori, A.; Ferretti, A.M.; Esteban, D.A.; Bals, S.; Pigliacelli, C.; Metrangolo, P.
Title Templated Out‐of‐Equilibrium Self‐Assembly of Branched Au Nanoshells (Small 12/2023) Type A1 Journal Article
Year 2023 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal (up) Small
Volume 19 Issue 12 Pages
Keywords A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ;
Abstract Out-of-equilibrium self-assembly of metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been devised using different

types of strategies and fuels, but the achievement of finite 3D structures with a controlled

morphology through this assembly mode is still rare. Here we used a spherical peptide-gold

superstructure (PAuSS) as a template to control the out-of-equilibrium self-assembly of Au NPs,

obtaining a transient 3D branched Au-nanoshell (BAuNS) stabilized by sodium dodecyl sulphate

(SDS). The BAuNS dismantled upon concentration gradient equilibration over time in the solution,

leading to NPs disassembly. Notably, BAuNS assembly and disassembly favoured temporary

interparticle plasmonic coupling, leading to a remarkable oscillation of their optical properties.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date 2023-03-23
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor 13.3 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes P.M. is grateful to the European Research Council (ERC) for the Starting Grant ERC-2012- StG_20111012 FOLDHALO (Grant Agreement no. 307108) and the Proof-of-Concept Grant ERC-2017-PoC MINIRES (Grant Agreement no.789815). A. M. and P. M. are thankful to the project Hydrogex funded by Cariplo Foundation (grant no. 2018-1720). D.A.E. and S.B. acknowledges financial support from ERC Consolidator Grant Number 815128 REALNANO and Grant Agreement No. 731019 (EUSMI). Approved Most recent IF: 13.3; 2023 IF: 8.643
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:200859 Serial 8960
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Author Arslan Irmak, E.; Liu, P.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S.
Title 3D Atomic Structure of Supported Metallic Nanoparticles Estimated from 2D ADF STEM Images: A Combination of Atom – Counting and a Local Minima Search Algorithm Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Small methods Abbreviated Journal (up) Small Methods
Volume Issue Pages 2101150
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Determining the three-dimensional (3D) atomic structure of nanoparticles (NPs) is critical to understand their structure-dependent properties. It is hereby important to perform such analyses under conditions relevant for the envisioned application. Here, we investigate the 3D structure of supported Au NPs at high temperature, which is of importance to understand their behavior during catalytic reactions. To overcome limitations related to conventional high-resolution electron tomography at high temperature, 3D characterization of NPs with atomic resolution has been performed by applying atom-counting using atomic resolution annular darkfield scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF STEM) images followed by structural relaxation. However, at high temperatures, thermal displacements, which affect the ADF STEM intensities, should be taken into account. Moreover, it is very likely that the structure of a NP investigated at elevated temperature deviates from a ground state configuration, which is difficult to determine using purely computational energy minimization approaches. In this paper, we therefore propose an optimized approach using an iterative local minima search algorithm followed by molecular dynamics (MD) structural relaxation of candidate structures associated with each local minimum. In this manner, it becomes possible to investigate the 3D atomic structure of supported NPs, which may deviate from their ground state configuration.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000716511600001 Publication Date 2021-11-10
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2366-9608 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor Times cited 12 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (Grant 815128 REALNANO to SB, Grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to SVA, Grant 823717 ESTEEM3). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project funding (G.0267.18N, G.0502.18N, G.0346.21N).; sygmaSB; esteem3jra; esteem3reported Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183289 Serial 6820
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Author De Backer, A.; Zhang, Z.; van den Bos, K.H.W.; Bladt, E.; Sánchez‐Iglesias, A.; Liz‐Marzán, L.M.; Nellist, P.D.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S.
Title Element Specific Atom Counting at the Atomic Scale by Combining High Angle Annular Dark Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X‐ray Spectroscopy Type A1 Journal article
Year 2022 Publication Small methods Abbreviated Journal (up) Small Methods
Volume Issue Pages 2200875
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract A new methodology is presented to count the number of atoms in multimetallic nanocrystals by combining energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF STEM). For this purpose, the existence of a linear relationship between the incoherent HAADF STEM and EDX images is exploited. Next to the number of atoms for each element in the atomic columns, the method also allows quantification of the error in the obtained number of atoms, which is of importance given the noisy nature of the acquired EDX signals. Using experimental images of an Au@Ag core–shell nanorod, it is demonstrated that 3D structural information can be extracted at the atomic scale. Furthermore, simulated data of an Au@Pt core–shell nanorod show the prospect to characterize heterogeneous nanostructures with adjacent atomic numbers.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000862072700001 Publication Date 2022-09-30
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2366-9608 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 12.4 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (Grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A., Grant 815128 REALNANO to S.B., and Grant 823717 ESTEEM3). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project fundings (G.0267.18N, G.0502.18N, G.0346.21N) and a postdoctoral grant to A.D.B.; esteem3reported; esteem3JRA Approved Most recent IF: 12.4
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:191570 Serial 7109
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Author Liu, Y.; Claes, N.; Trepka, B.; Bals, S.; Lang, P.R.
Title A combined 3D and 2D light scattering study on aqueous colloidal model systems with tunable interactions Type A1 Journal article
Year 2016 Publication Soft matter Abbreviated Journal (up) Soft Matter
Volume 12 Issue 12 Pages 8485-8494
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract In this article we report on the synthesis and characterization of a system of colloidal spheres suspended in an aqueous solvent which can be refractive index-matched, thus allowing for investigations of the particle near-wall dynamics by evanescent wave dynamic light scattering at concentrations up to the isotropic to ordered transition and beyond. The particles are synthesized by copolymerization of a fluorinated acrylic ester monomer with a polyethylene-glycol (PEG) oligomer by surfactant free emulsion polymerization. Static and dynamic light scattering experiments in combination with cryo transmission electron microscopy reveal that the particles have a core shell structure with a significant enrichment of the PEG chains on the particles surface. In index-matching DMSO/water suspensions the particles arrange in an ordered phase at volume fraction above 7%, if no additional electrolyte is present. The near-wall dynamics at low volume fraction are quantitatively described by the combination of electrostatic repulsion and hydrodynamic interaction between the particles and the wall. At volume fractions close to the isotropic to ordered transition, the near-wall dynamics are more complex and qualitatively reminiscent of the behaviour which was observed in hard sphere suspensions at high concentrations.
Address Forschugszentrum Julich, Institute of Complex Systems ICS-3, Julich, Germany. p.lang@fz-juelich.de and Heinrich-Heine Universitat, Dusseldorf, Germany
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Wos 000386247100004 Publication Date 2016-08-22
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1744-683X ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 3.889 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes The authors thank Prof. J. K. G. Dhont and the ICS-3 group for useful discussions and support. YL would like to thank the Marie Sklodowska Curie Initial Training Network SOMATAI under the EU Grant Agreement No. 316866 for financial support. BT contributed to this work during an internship at Forschungszentrum Ju¨lich supported by the International Helmholtz Research School of Biophysics and Soft Matter (IHRS BioSoft), which is gratefully acknowledged. SB and NC acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant No. 335078-COLOURATOMS).; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 3.889
Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:136166 Serial 4292
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Author D'Olieslaeger, L.; Pfannmöller, M.; Fron, E.; Cardinaletti, I.; Van der Auweraer, M.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Bals, S.; Maes, W.; Vanderzande, D.; Manca, J.; Ethirajan, A.
Title Tuning of PCDTBT : PC71BM blend nanoparticles for eco-friendly processing of polymer solar cells Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication Solar energy materials and solar cells Abbreviated Journal (up) Sol Energ Mat Sol C
Volume 159 Issue 159 Pages 179-188
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract We report the controlled preparation of water processable nanoparticles (NPs) employing the push-pull polymer PCDTBT and the fullerene acceptor PC71BM in order to enable solar cell processing using eco-friendly solvent (i.e. water). The presented method provides the possibility to separate the formation of the active layer blend and the deposition of the active layer into two different processes. For the first time, the benefits of aqueous processability for the high-potential class of push-pull polymers, generally requiring high boiling solvents, are made accessible. With our method we demonstrate excellent control over the blend stoichiometry and efficient mixing. Furthermore, we provide visualization of the nano morphology of the different NPs to obtain structural information down to similar to 2 nm resolution using advanced analytical electron microscopy. The imaging directly reveals very small compositional demixing in the PCDTBT:PC71BM blend NPs, in the size range of about <5 nm, indicating fine mixing at the molecular level. The suitability of the proposed methodology and materials towards the aspects of eco-friendly processing of organic solar cells is demonstrated through a processing of lab scale NPs solar cell prototypes reaching a power conversion efficiency of 1.9%. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000388053600021 Publication Date 2016-09-19
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0927-0248 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 4.784 Times cited 32 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes ; This work was supported by BOF funding of Hasselt University, the Interreg project Organext, and the IAP 7/05 project FS2 (Functional Supramolecular Systems), granted by the Science Policy Office of the Belgian Federal Government (BELSPO). A.E. is a post-doctoral fellow of the Flanders Research Foundation (FWO). M.P. gratefully acknowledges the SIM NanoForce program for financial support. S.B. further acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS). The authors are thankful for technical support by J. Smits, T. Vangerven, and J. Baccus. ; ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.784
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:139157UA @ admin @ c:irua:139157 Serial 4450
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Author Bals, S.; Kabius, B.; Haider, M.; Radmilovic, V.; Kisielowski, C.
Title Annular dark field imaging in a TEM Type A1 Journal article
Year 2004 Publication Solid state communications Abbreviated Journal (up) Solid State Commun
Volume 130 Issue 10 Pages 675-680
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Annular objective apertures are fabricated for a CM300 transmission electron microscope using a focused ion beam system. A central beam stop in the back focal plane of the objective lens of the microscope blocks all electrons scattered up to a semi-angle of approximately 20 mrad. In this manner, contributions to the image from Bragg scattering are largely reduced and the image contrast is sensitive to the atomic number Z. Experimentally, we find that single atom scattering cross sections measured with this technique are close to Rutherford scattering values. A comparison between this new method and STEM-HAADF shows that both techniques result in qualitatively similar images although the resolution of ADF-TEM is limited by contrast delocalization caused by the spherical aberration of the objective lens. This problem can be overcome by using an aberration corrected microscope.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor
Language Wos 000221489300007 Publication Date 2004-04-10
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0038-1098; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 1.554 Times cited 43 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.554; 2004 IF: 1.523
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:87584 Serial 132
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Author Molina, L.; Tan, H.; Biermans, E.; Batenburg, K.J.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.
Title Barrier efficiency of sponge-like La2Zr2O7 buffer layers for YBCO-coated conductors Type A1 Journal article
Year 2011 Publication Superconductor science and technology Abbreviated Journal (up) Supercond Sci Tech
Volume 24 Issue 6 Pages 065019-065019,8
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab
Abstract Solution derived La2Zr2O7 films have drawn much attention for potential applications as thermal barriers or low-cost buffer layers for coated conductor technology. Annealing and coating parameters strongly affect the microstructure of La2Zr2O7, but different film processing methods can yield similar microstructural features such as nanovoids and nanometer-sized La2Zr2O7 grains. Nanoporosity is a typical feature found in such films and the implications for the functionality of the films are investigated by a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and quantitative electron tomography. Chemical solution based La2Zr2O7 films deposited on flexible Ni5 at.%W substrates with a {100}lang001rang biaxial texture were prepared for an in-depth characterization. A sponge-like structure composed of nanometer-sized voids is revealed by high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy in combination with electron tomography. A three-dimensional quantification of nanovoids in the La2Zr2O7 film is obtained on a local scale. Mostly non-interconnected highly faceted nanovoids compromise more than one-fifth of the investigated sample volume. The diffusion barrier efficiency of a 170 nm thick La2Zr2O7 film is investigated by STEM-EELS, yielding a 1.8 ± 0.2 nm oxide layer beyond which no significant nickel diffusion can be detected and intermixing is observed. This is of particular significance for the functionality of YBa2Cu3O7 − δ coated conductor architectures based on solution derived La2Zr2O7 films as diffusion barriers.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Bristol Editor
Language Wos 000290472900021 Publication Date 2011-04-20
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0953-2048;1361-6668; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.878 Times cited 31 Open Access
Notes Esteem 026019; Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 2.878; 2011 IF: 2.662
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:88639UA @ admin @ c:irua:88639 Serial 221
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Author Wang, H.; Picot, T.; Houben, K.; Moorkens, T.; Grigg, J.; Van Haesendonck, C.; Biermans, E.; Bals, S.; Brown, S.A.; Vantomme, A.; Temst, K.; Van Bael, M.J.;
Title The superconducting proximity effect in epitaxial Al/Pb nanocomposites Type A1 Journal article
Year 2014 Publication Superconductor science and technology Abbreviated Journal (up) Supercond Sci Tech
Volume 27 Issue 1 Pages 015008-8
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract We have investigated the superconducting properties of Pb nanoparticles with a diameter ranging from 8 to 20 nm, synthesized by Pb+ ion implantation in a crystalline Al matrix. A detailed structural characterization of the nanocomposites reveals the highly epitaxial relation between the Al crystalline matrix and the Pb nanoparticles. The Al/Pb nanocomposites display a single superconducting transition, with the critical temperature T-c increasing with the Pb content. The dependence of T-c on the Pb/Al volume ratio was compared with theoretical models of the superconducting proximity effect based on the bulk properties of Al and Pb. A very good correspondence with the strong-coupling proximity effect model was found, with an electron-phonon coupling constant in the Pb nanoparticles slightly reduced compared to bulk Pb. Our result differs from other studies on Pb nanoparticle based proximity systems where weak-coupling models were found to better describe the T-c dependence. We infer that the high interface quality resulting from the ion implantation synthesis method is a determining factor for the superconducting properties. Critical field and critical current measurements support the high quality of the nanocomposite superconducting films.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Bristol Editor
Language Wos 000328275000010 Publication Date 2013-11-28
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0953-2048;1361-6668; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.878 Times cited 2 Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes ; This work was supported by the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO), the KU Leuven BOF Concerted Research Action programs (GOA/09/006, the KU Leuven BOF CREA/12/015 project, and GOA/14/007) and the EU FP7 program SPIRIT (227012). TP and KH are postdoctoral research fellow and doctoral fellow of the FWO. ; Approved Most recent IF: 2.878; 2014 IF: 2.325
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:112833 Serial 3599
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Author Cremers, V.; Rampelberg, G.; Barhoum, A.; Walters, P.; Claes, N.; Oliveira, T.M. de; Assche, G.V.; Bals, S.; Dendooven, J.; Detavernier, C.
Title Oxidation barrier of Cu and Fe powder by Atomic Layer Deposition Type A1 Journal article
Year 2018 Publication Surface and coatings technology Abbreviated Journal (up) Surf Coat Tech
Volume 349 Issue 349 Pages 1032-1041
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a vapor based technique which allows to deposit uniform, conformal films with a thickness control at the atomic scale. In this research, Al 2 O 3 coatings were deposited on micrometer-sized Fe and Cu powder (particles) using the thermal trimethylaluminum (TMA)/ water (H 2 O) process in a rotary pump-type ALD reactor. Rotation of the powder during deposition was required to obtain a pinhole-free ALD coating. The protective nature of the coating was evaluated by quantifying its effectiveness in protecting the metal particles during oxidative annealing treatments. The Al 2 O 3 coated powders were annealed in ambient air while in-situ thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and in-situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) data were acquired. The thermal stability of a series of Cu and Fe powder with different Al 2 O 3 thicknesses were determined with TGA. In both samples a clear shift in oxidation temperature is visible. For Cu and Fe powder coated with 25 nm Al 2 O 3 , we observed an increase of the oxidation temperature with 300-400°C. For the Cu powder a thin film of only 8 nm is required to obtain an initial increase in oxidation temperature of 200°C. In contrast, for Fe powder a thicker coating of 25 nm is required. In both cases, the oxidation temperature increases with increasing thickness of the Al 2 O 3 coating. These results illustrate that the Al 2 O 3 thin film, deposited by the thermal ALD process (TMA/H 2 O) can be an efficient and pinhole-free barrier layer for micrometer-sized powder particles, provided that the powder is properly agitated during the process to ensure sufficient vapour-solid interaction.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000441492600108 Publication Date 2018-06-25
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0257-8972 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.589 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes The authors acknowledge financial support from the Strategic Initiative Materials in Flanders (SIM, SBO-FUNC project) and the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (GOA 01G01513). J. D. acknowledges the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen) for a postdoctoral fellowship. N.C. and S.B. acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant 335078-COLOURATOMS). The authors acknowledge S. Goeteyn for the assistance in preliminary depositions. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 2.589
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:152174UA @ admin @ c:irua:152174 Serial 4994
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Bai, J.; Wang, J.T.-W.; Rubio, N.; Protti, A.; Heidari, H.; Elgogary, R.; Southern, P.; Al-Jamal, W.' T.; Sosabowski, J.; Shah, A.M.; Bals, S.; Pankhurst, Q.A.; Al-Jamal, K.T.
Title Triple-Modal Imaging of Magnetically-Targeted Nanocapsules in Solid TumoursIn Vivo Type A1 Journal article
Year 2016 Publication Theranostics Abbreviated Journal (up) Theranostics
Volume 6 Issue 6 Pages 342-356
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Triple-modal imaging magnetic nanocapsules, encapsulating hydrophobic superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, are formulated and used to magnetically target solid tumours after intravenous administration in tumour-bearing mice. The engineered magnetic polymeric nanocapsules m-NCs are ~200 nm in size with negative Zeta potential and shown to be spherical in shape. The loading efficiency of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in the m-NC was ~100%. Up to ~3- and ~2.2-fold increase in tumour uptake at 1 and 24 h was achieved, when a static magnetic field was applied to the tumour for 1 hour. m-NCs, with multiple imaging probes (e.g. indocyanine green, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and indium-111), were capable of triple-modal imaging (fluorescence/magnetic resonance/nuclear imaging) in vivo. Using triple-modal imaging is to overcome the intrinsic limitations of single modality imaging and provides complementary information on the spatial distribution of the nanocarrier within the tumour. The significant findings of this study could open up new research perspectives in using novel magnetically-responsive nanomaterials in magnetic-drug targeting combined with multi-modal imaging.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000377797200005 Publication Date 2015-12-31
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1838-7640 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.712 Times cited 54 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes The authors would like to thank Prof Robert Hider (King's College London) for useful discussion on the chemical functionalization of the polymers, Mr William Luckhurst (King's College London) on the technical help of AFM measurements and Mr Andrew Cakebread (King's College London) on his technical help of ICP-MS measurements. J.B. acknowledges funding from King's-China Scholarship Council (CSC). J.W. and N.R. acknowledge funding from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/J008656/1) and Associated International Cancer Research (12-1054). K.T.AJ. acknowledges funding from EU FP7-ITN Marie-Curie Network programme RADDEL (290023). S.B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the 7th Framework Program (FP7), ERC Starting Grant No. 335078 COLOURATOMS, and the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative No. 262348 European Soft Matter Infrastructure, ESMI.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); Approved Most recent IF: 8.712
Call Number c:irua:130058 Serial 3995
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Batenburg, K.J.; Bals, S.; Sijbers, J.; Kübel, C.; Midgley, P.A.; Hernandez, J.C.; Kaiser, U.; Encina, E.R.; Coronado, E.A.; Van Tendeloo, G.
Title 3D imaging of nanomaterials by discrete tomography Type A1 Journal article
Year 2009 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal (up) Ultramicroscopy
Volume 109 Issue 6 Pages 730-740
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab
Abstract The field of discrete tomography focuses on the reconstruction of samples that consist of only a few different materials. Ideally, a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of such a sample should contain only one grey level for each of the compositions in the sample. By exploiting this property in the reconstruction algorithm, either the quality of the reconstruction can be improved significantly, or the number of required projection images can be reduced. The discrete reconstruction typically contains fewer artifacts and does not have to be segmented, as it already contains one grey level for each composition. Recently, a new algorithm, called discrete algebraic reconstruction technique (DART), has been proposed that can be used effectively on experimental electron tomography datasets. In this paper, we propose discrete tomography as a general reconstruction method for electron tomography in materials science. We describe the basic principles of DART and show that it can be applied successfully to three different types of samples, consisting of embedded ErSi2 nanocrystals, a carbon nanotube grown from a catalyst particle and a single gold nanoparticle, respectively.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000265816400005 Publication Date 2009-02-01
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 220 Open Access
Notes Fwo; Esteem 026019 Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2009 IF: 2.067
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:74665 c:irua:74665 Serial 12
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Roelandts, T.; Batenburg, K.J.; Biermans, E.; Kübel, C.; Bals, S.; Sijbers, J.
Title Accurate segmentation of dense nanoparticles by partially discrete electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal (up) Ultramicroscopy
Volume 114 Issue Pages 96-105
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab
Abstract Accurate segmentation of nanoparticles within various matrix materials is a difficult problem in electron tomography. Due to artifacts related to image series acquisition and reconstruction, global thresholding of reconstructions computed by established algorithms, such as weighted backprojection or SIRT, may result in unreliable and subjective segmentations. In this paper, we introduce the Partially Discrete Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (PDART) for computing accurate segmentations of dense nanoparticles of constant composition. The particles are segmented directly by the reconstruction algorithm, while the surrounding regions are reconstructed using continuously varying gray levels. As no properties are assumed for the other compositions of the sample, the technique can be applied to any sample where dense nanoparticles must be segmented, regardless of the surrounding compositions. For both experimental and simulated data, it is shown that PDART yields significantly more accurate segmentations than those obtained by optimal global thresholding of the SIRT reconstruction.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000301954300011 Publication Date 2012-01-06
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 34 Open Access
Notes Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2012 IF: 2.470
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:97710 Serial 52
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Author Goris, B.; Roelandts, T.; Batenburg, K.J.; Heidari Mezerji, H.; Bals, S.
Title Advanced reconstruction algorithms for electron tomography : from comparison to combination Type A1 Journal article
Year 2013 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal (up) Ultramicroscopy
Volume 127 Issue Pages 40-47
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab
Abstract In this work, the simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique (SIRT), the total variation minimization (TVM) reconstruction technique and the discrete algebraic reconstruction technique (DART) for electron tomography are compared and the advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Furthermore, we describe how the result of a three dimensional (3D) reconstruction based on TVM can provide objective information that is needed as the input for a DART reconstruction. This approach results in a tomographic reconstruction of which the segmentation is carried out in an objective manner.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000316659100007 Publication Date 2012-08-02
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 63 Open Access
Notes Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2013 IF: 2.745
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:101217 Serial 72
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Author van den Broek, W.; Rosenauer, A.; Goris, B.; Martinez, G.T.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S.; van Dyck, D.
Title Correction of non-linear thickness effects in HAADF STEM electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal (up) Ultramicroscopy
Volume 116 Issue Pages 8-12
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab
Abstract In materials science, high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy is often used for tomography at the nanometer scale. In this work, it is shown that a thickness dependent, non-linear damping of the recorded intensities occurs. This results in an underestimated intensity in the interior of reconstructions of homogeneous particles, which is known as the cupping artifact. In this paper, this non-linear effect is demonstrated in experimental images taken under common conditions and is reproduced with a numerical simulation. Furthermore, an analytical derivation shows that these non-linearities can be inverted if the imaging is done quantitatively, thus preventing cupping in the reconstruction.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000304473700002 Publication Date 2012-03-09
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 67 Open Access
Notes Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2012 IF: 2.470
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:96558 Serial 518
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Author Van Aert, S.; Chang, L.Y.; Bals, S.; Kirkland, A.I.; Van Tendeloo, G.
Title Effect of amorphous layers on the interpretation of restored exit waves Type A1 Journal article
Year 2009 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal (up) Ultramicroscopy
Volume 109 Issue 3 Pages 237-246
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract The effects of amorphous layers on the quality of exit wave restorations have been investigated. Two independently developed software implementations for exit wave restoration have been used to simulated focal series of images of SrTiO3 with amorphous carbon layers incorporated. The restored exit waves have been compared both qualitatively and quantitatively. We have shown that amorphous layers have a strong impact on the quantitative measurements of atomic column positions, however, the error in the position measurements is still in the picometer range.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000264280200005 Publication Date 2008-11-15
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 10 Open Access
Notes Fwo; Esteem 026019 Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2009 IF: 2.067
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:76421 Serial 796
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Author Croitoru, M.D.; van Dyck, D.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S.; Verbeeck, J.
Title An efficient way of including thermal diffuse scattering in simulation of scanning transmission electron microscopic images Type A1 Journal article
Year 2006 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal (up) Ultramicroscopy
Volume 106 Issue 10 Pages 933-940
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Vision lab
Abstract We propose an improved image simulation procedure for atomic-resolution annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) based on the multislice formulation, which takes thermal diffuse scattering fully into account. The improvement with regard to the classical frozen phonon approach is realized by separating the lattice configuration statistics from the dynamical scattering so as to avoid repetitive calculations. As an example, the influence of phonon scattering on the image contrast is calculated and investigated. STEM image simulation of crystals can be applied with reasonable computing times to problems involving a large number of atoms and thick or large supercells.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000240397200006 Publication Date 2006-05-10
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 18 Open Access
Notes Fwo; Fwo-V Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2006 IF: 1.706
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:87604UA @ admin @ c:irua:87604 Serial 876
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