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Author Jain, N.; Hao, Y.; Parekh, U.; Kaltenegger, M.; Pedrazo-Tardajos, A.; Lazzaroni, R.; Resel, R.; Geerts, Y.H.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Exploring the effects of graphene and temperature in reducing electron beam damage: A TEM and electron diffraction-based quantitative study on Lead Phthalocyanine (PbPc) crystals Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Micron Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 169 Issue Pages 103444  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of organic crystals, such as Lead Phthalocyanine (PbPc), is very challenging since these materials are prone to electron beam damage leading to the breakdown of the crystal structure during investigation. Quantification of the damage is imperative to enable high-resolution imaging of PbPc crystals with minimum structural changes. In this work, we performed a detailed electron diffraction study to quantitatively measure degradation of PbPc crystals upon electron beam irradiation. Our study is based on the quantification of the fading intensity of the spots in the electron diffraction patterns. At various incident dose rates (e/Å2/s) and acceleration voltages, we experimentally extracted the decay rate (1/s), which directly correlates with the rate of beam damage. In this manner, a value for the critical dose (e/Å2) could be determined, which can be used as a measure to quantify beam damage. Using the same methodology, we explored the influence of cryogenic temperatures, graphene TEM substrates, and graphene encapsulation in prolonging the lifetime of the PbPc crystal structure during TEM investigation. The knowledge obtained by diffraction experiments is then translated to real space high-resolution TEM imaging of PbPc.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000965998800001 Publication Date 2023-03-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0968-4328 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.4 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work is supported by FWO and FNRS within the 2Dto3D network of the EOS (Excellence of Science) program (grant number 30489208) and ERC-CoGREALNANO-815128 (to Prof. Dr. Sara Bals). N.J. would like to thank Dr. Kunal S. Mali and Dr. Da Wang for useful and interesting discussions on sample preparation procedures. Approved Most recent IF: 2.4; 2023 IF: 1.98  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:196069 Serial 7379  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kavak, S.; Kadu, A.A.; Claes, N.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Batenburg, K.J.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Quantitative 3D Investigation of Nanoparticle Assemblies by Volumetric Segmentation of Electron Tomography Data Sets Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 127 Issue 20 Pages 9725-9734  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Morphological characterization of nanoparticle assemblies and hybrid nanomaterials is critical in determining their structure-property relationships as well as in the development of structures with desired properties. Electron tomography has become a widely utilized technique for the three-dimensional characterization of nanoparticle assemblies. However, the extraction of quantitative morphological parameters from the reconstructed volume can be a complex and labor-intensive task. In this study, we aim to overcome this challenge by automating the volumetric segmentation process applied to three-dimensional reconstructions of nanoparticle assemblies. The key to enabling automated characterization is to assess the performance of different volumetric segmentation methods in accurately extracting predefined quantitative descriptors for morphological characterization. In our methodology, we compare the quantitative descriptors obtained through manual segmentation with those obtained through automated segmentation methods, to evaluate their accuracy and effectiveness. To show generality, our study focuses on the characterization of assemblies of CdSe/CdS quantum dots, gold nanospheres and CdSe/CdS encapsulated in polymeric micelles, and silica-coated gold nanorods decorated with both CdSe/CdS or PbS quantum dots. We use two unsupervised segmentation algorithms: the watershed transform and the spherical Hough transform. Our results demonstrate that the choice of automated segmentation method is crucial for accurately extracting the predefined quantitative descriptors. Specifically, the spherical Hough transform exhibits superior performance in accurately extracting quantitative descriptors, such as particle size and interparticle distance, thereby allowing for an objective, efficient, and reliable volumetric segmentation of complex nanoparticle assemblies.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000991752700001 Publication Date 2023-05-25  
  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 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1181122N ; Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, 861950 ; H2020 European Research Council, 815128 ; Approved Most recent IF: 3.7; 2023 IF: 4.536  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:196971 Serial 8793  
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Author Carrasco, S.; Orcajo, G.; Martínez, F.; Imaz, I.; Kavak, S.; Arenas-Esteban, D.; Maspoch, D.; Bals, S.; Calleja, G.; Horcajada, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Hf/porphyrin-based metal-organic framework PCN-224 for CO2 cycloaddition with epoxides Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Materials Today Advances Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 19 Issue Pages 100390  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Herein, we describe for the first time the synthesis of the highly porous Hf-tetracarboxylate porphyrin-based metal-organic framework (MOF) (Hf)PCN-224(M) (M = H2, Co2+). (Hf)PCN-224(H2) was easily and efficiently prepared following a simple microwave-assisted procedure with good yields (56–67%; space-time yields: 1100–1270 kg m−3·day−1), high crystallinity and phase purity by using trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and benzoic acid as modulators in less than 30 min. By simply introducing a preliminary step (10 min), 5,10,15,20-(tetra-4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin linker (TCPP) was quantitatively metalated with Co2+ without additional purification and/or time consuming protection/deprotection steps to further obtain (Hf)PCN-224(Co). (Hf)PCN-224(Co) was then tested as catalyst in CO2 cycloaddition reaction with different epoxides to yield cyclic carbonates, showing the best catalytic performance described to date compared to other PCNs, under mild conditions (1 bar CO2, room temperature, 18–24 h). Twelve epoxides were tested, obtaining from moderate to excellent conversions (35–96%). Moreover, this reaction was gram scaled-up (x50) without significant loss of yield to cyclic carbonates. (Hf)PCN-224(Co) maintained its integrity and crystallinity even after 8 consecutive runs, and poisoning was efficiently reverted by a simple thermal treatment (175 °C, 6 h), fully recovering the initial catalytic activity.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001025764000001 Publication Date 2023-06-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2590-0498 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 10 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes S.C. acknowledges the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA-COFUND) grant agreement No 754382 (GOT Energy Talent). S.C. and P.H. acknowledge “Comunidad de Madrid” and European Regional Development Fund-FEDER 2014-2020-OE REACT-UE 1 for their financial support to VIRMOF-CM project associated to R&D projects in response to COVID-19. The authors acknowledge H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019 HeatNMof (ref. 860942), the M-ERA-NET C-MOF-cell (grant PCI2020-111998 funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR) project, and Retos Investigación MOFSEIDON (grant PID2019-104228RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) project. This work has been also supported by the Regional Government of Madrid (Project ACES2030-CM, S2018/EMT-4319) and the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos IMPULSO Project (grant MATER M − 3000). S.K acknowledges the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (FWO Vlaanderen) through a PhD research grant (1181122 N). Approved Most recent IF: 10; 2023 IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:197198 Serial 8800  
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Author Muravev, V.; Parastaev, A.; van den Bosch, Y.; Ligt, B.; Claes, N.; Bals, S.; Kosinov, N.; Hensen, E.J.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Size of cerium dioxide support nanocrystals dictates reactivity of highly dispersed palladium catalysts Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 380 Issue 6650 Pages 1174-1179  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts can be tuned by modulation of the size and structure of supported transition metals, which are typically regarded as the active sites. In single-atom metal catalysts, the support itself can strongly affect the catalytic properties. Here, we demonstrate that the size of cerium dioxide (CeO2) support governs the reactivity of atomically dispersed palladium (Pd) in carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation. Catalysts with small CeO2 nanocrystals (~4 nanometers) exhibit unusually high activity in a CO-rich reaction feed, whereas catalysts with medium-size CeO2 (~8 nanometers) are preferred for lean conditions. Detailed spectroscopic investigations reveal support size–dependent redox properties of the Pd-CeO2 interface.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001010846100008 Publication Date 2023-06-16  
  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 22 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We thank the staff of the MAX IV Laboratory for time on beamline SPECIES under proposals 20200412 and 20190983; E. Kokkonen and A. Klyushin for assistance with NAP-XPS and RPES experiments conducted at SPECIES; staff of the MAX IV Laboratory for time on beamline BALDER under proposal 20200378; K. Klementiev for assistance with XAS measurements; J. Drnec at the ESRF for providing assistance in using beamline ID31; and V. Perez-Dieste and I. Villar Garcia at the CIRCE beamline at ALBA Synchrotron for help with acquiring preliminary RPES data obtained under proposal 2020024219. The synchrotron-based XRD measurements were performed on beamline ID31 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble, France. Funding: This work was supported by the Netherlands Center for Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversion (MCEC), a NWO Gravitation program funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Government of the Netherlands (V.M. and E.J.M.H.); the European Research Council (ERC consolidator grant 815128 REALNANO to S.B. and N.C.); and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (grant 823717–ESTEEM to S.B. and N.C). Research conducted at MAX IV, a Swedish national user facility, is supported by the Swedish Research council under contract 2018-07152, the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems under contract 2018-04969, and Formas under contract 2019-02496 (VM). Approved Most recent IF: 56.9; 2023 IF: 37.205  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:197199 Serial 8801  
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Author Mangnus, M.J.J.; de Wit, J.W.; Vonk, S.J.W.; Geuchies, J.J.; Albrecht, W.; Bals, S.; Houtepen, A.J.; Rabouw, F.T. url  doi
openurl 
  Title High-throughput characterization of single-quantum-dot emission spectra and spectral diffusion by multiparticle spectroscopy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS Photonics Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 10 Issue 8 Pages 2688-2698  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract In recent years, quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as bright,color-tunablelight sources for various applications such as light-emitting devices,lasing, and bioimaging. One important next step to advance their applicabilityis to reduce particle-to-particle variations of the emission propertiesas well as fluctuations of a single QD's emission spectrum,also known as spectral diffusion (SD). Characterizing SD is typicallyinefficient as it requires time-consuming measurements at the single-particlelevel. Here, however, we demonstrate multiparticle spectroscopy (MPS)as a high-throughput method to acquire statistically relevant informationabout both fluctuations at the single-particle level and variationsat the level of a synthesis batch. In MPS, we simultaneously measureemission spectra of many (20-100) QDs with a high time resolution.We obtain statistics on single-particle emission line broadening fora batch of traditional CdSe-based core-shell QDs and a batchof the less toxic InP-based core-shell QDs. The CdSe-basedQDs show significantly narrower homogeneous line widths, less SD,and less inhomogeneous broadening than the InP-based QDs. The timescales of SD are longer in the InP-based QDs than in the CdSe-basedQDs. Based on the distributions and correlations in single-particleproperties, we discuss the possible origins of line-width broadeningof the two types of QDs. Our experiments pave the way to large-scale,high-throughput characterization of single-QD emission propertiesand will ultimately contribute to facilitating rational design offuture QD structures.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001009443500001 Publication Date 2023-06-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2330-4022 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by The Netherlands Center for Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversion (MCEC), an NWO Gravitation Programme funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the government of The Netherlands. The electron microscopy experiments at EMAT were supported by the European Commission (EUSMI grant E210100474). Approved Most recent IF: 7; 2023 IF: 6.756  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197337 Serial 8879  
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Author Ignatova, K.; Vlasov, E.; Seddon, S.D.; Gauquelin, N.; Verbeeck, J.; Wermeille, D.; Bals, S.; Hase, T.P.A.; Arnalds, U.B. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Phase coexistence induced surface roughness in V2O3/Ni magnetic heterostructures Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2024 Publication APL Materials Abbreviated Journal (up)  
  Volume 12 Issue 4 Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ;  
  Abstract We present an investigation of the microstructure changes in V2O3 as it goes through its inherent structural phase transition. Using V2O3 films with a well-defined crystal structure deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering on r-plane Al2O3 substrates, we study the phase coexistence region and its impact on the surface roughness of the films and the magnetic properties of overlying Ni magnetic layers in V2O3/Ni hybrid magnetic heterostructures. The simultaneous presence of two phases in V2O3 during its structural phase transition was identified with high resolution x-ray diffraction and led to an increase in surface roughness observed using x-ray reflectivity. The roughness reaches its maximum at the midpoint of the transition. In V2O3/Ni hybrid heterostructures, we find a concomitant increase in the coercivity of the magnetic layer correlated with the increased roughness of the V2O3 surface. The chemical homogeneity of the V2O3 is confirmed through transmission electron microscopy analysis. High-angle annular dark field imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy reveal an atomically flat interface between Al2O3 and V2O3, as well as a sharp interface between V2O3 and Ni.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001202661800003 Publication Date 2024-04-01  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2166-532X ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 6.1 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes This work was supported by the funding from the University of Iceland Research Fund, the Icelandic Research Fund Grant No. 207111. Instrumentation funding from the Icelandic Infrastructure Fund is acknowledged. This work was based on experiments per- formed at the BM28 (XMaS) beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France. XMaS is a National Research Facility funded by the UK EPSRC and managed by the Universi- ties of Liverpool and Warwick. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 823717—ESTEEM3. Approved Most recent IF: 6.1; 2024 IF: 4.335  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:205569 Serial 9120  
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Author Albrecht, W.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Three-Dimensional Nanoparticle Transformations Captured by an Electron Microscope Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Accounts Of Chemical Research Abbreviated Journal (up) Accounts Chem Res  
  Volume 54 Issue 5 Pages 1189-1199  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000626269900011 Publication Date 2021-03-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0001-4842 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 20.268 Times cited 12 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC Consolidator Grants No. 815128–REALNANO and No. 770887–PICOMETRICS), the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, G.0267.18N), and the European Commission (EUSMI). The authors furthermore acknowledge funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, ESTEEM3. The authors also acknowledge contributions from all co-workers that have contributed over the years: Thomas Altantzis, Annick De Backer, Joost Batenburg and co-workers, Armand Béché, Eva Bladt, Lewys Jones and co-workers, Luis Liz-Marzán and co-workers, Ivan Lobato, Thais Milagres de Oliveira, Peter Nellist and co-workers, Hugo Pérez Garza and co-workers, Alexander Skorikov, Sara Skrabalak and co-workers, Sandra Van Aert, Alfons van Blaaderen and co-workers, Hans Vanrompay, Staf Van Tendeloo, and Johan Verbeeck.; sygmaSB; Approved Most recent IF: 20.268  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:177644 Serial 6752  
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Author Schrittwieser, S.; Pelaz, B.; Parak, W.J.; Lentijo-Mozo, S.; Soulantica, K.; Dieckhoff, J.; Ludwig, F.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; Schotter, J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Homogeneous Protein Analysis by Magnetic Core-Shell Nanorod Probes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 8 Issue 8 Pages 8893-8899  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Studying protein interactions is of vital importance both to fundamental biology research and to medical applications. Here, we report on the experimental proof of a universally applicable label-free homogeneous platform for rapid protein analysis. It is based on optically detecting changes in the rotational dynamics of magnetically agitated core-shell nanorods upon their specific interaction with proteins. By adjusting the excitation frequency, we are able to optimize the measurement signal for each analyte protein size. In addition, due to the locking of the optical signal to the magnetic excitation frequency, background signals are suppressed, thus allowing exclusive studies of processes at the nanoprobe surface only. We study target proteins (soluble domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 – sHER2) specifically binding to antibodies (trastuzumab) immobilized on the surface of our nanoprobes and demonstrate direct deduction of their respective sizes. Additionally, we examine the dependence of our measurement signal on the concentration of the analyte protein, and deduce a minimally detectable sHER2 concentration of 440 pM. For our homogeneous measurement platform, good dispersion stability of the applied nanoprobes under physiological conditions is of vital importance. To that end, we support our measurement data by theoretical modeling of the total particle-particle interaction energies. The successful implementation of our platform offers scope for applications in biomarker-based diagnostics as well as for answering basic biology questions.  
  Address Molecular Diagnostics, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology , Vienna, Austria  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Wos 000374274900007 Publication Date 2016-03-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.504 Times cited 16 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors thank Frauke Alves, Julia Bode and Fernanda Ramos Gomes from the Max-Planck-Institute of Experimental Medicine in Göttingen for providing the trastuzumab antibody in form of the Herceptin therapeutic drug. The figure showing the measurement principle has been created by Darragh Crotty (www.darraghcrotty.com). Parts of this research were supported by the European Commission FP7 NAMDIATREAM project (EU NMP4-LA-2010−246479), by the German research foundation (DFG grant GRK 1782 to W.J.P.), and by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078 Colouratom). B.P. acknowledges a PostDoctoral fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); ; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 7.504  
  Call Number c:irua:132889 Serial 4059  
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Author Ustarroz, J.; Geboes, B.; Vanrompay, H.; Sentosun, K.; Bals, S.; Breugelmans, T.; Hubin, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Electrodeposition of Highly Porous Pt Nanoparticles Studied by Quantitative 3D Electron Tomography: Influence of Growth Mechanisms and Potential Cycling on the Active Surface Area Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 16168-16177  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Nanoporous Pt nanoparticles (NPs) are promising fuel cell catalysts due to their large surface area and increased electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, we report on the infuence of the growth mechanisms on the surface properties of electrodeposited Pt dendritic NPs with large surface areas. The electrochemically active surface was studied by hydrogen underpotential deposition (HUPD) and compared for the rst time to high angle annular dark eld scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) quantitative 3D electron tomography of individual nanoparticles. Large nucleation overpotential leads to a large surface coverage of Pt roughened spheroids, which provide large roughness factor (Rf ) but low mass-speci c electrochemically active surface area (EASA). Lowering the nucleation overpotential leads to highly porous Pt NPs with pores protruding to the center of the structure. At the expense of smaller Rf , the obtained EASA values of these structures are in the range of these of large surface area supported fuel cell catalysts. The active surface area of the Pt dendritic NPs was measured by electron tomography and it was found that the potential cycling in the H adsorption/desorption and Pt oxidation/reduction region, which is generally performed to determine the EASA, leads to a signi cant reduction of that surface area due to a partial collapse of their dendritic and porous morphology. Interestingly, the extrapolation of the microscopic tomography results to macroscopic electrochemical parameters indicated that the surface properties measured by H UPD are comparable to the values measured on individual NPs by electron tomography after the degradation caused by the H UPD measurement. These results highlight that the combination of electrochemical and quantitative 3D surface analysis techniques is essential to provide insights into the surface properties, the electrochemical stability and, hence, the applicability of these materials. Moreover, it indicates that care must be taken with widely used electrochemical methods of surface area determination, especially in the case of large surface area and possibly unstable nanostructures, since the measured surface can be strongly a ected by the measurement itself.  
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  Language Wos 000401782500028 Publication Date 2017-04-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.504 Times cited 24 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Jon Ustarroz acknowledges funding from the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek in Flanders (FWO, postdoctoral grant 12I7816N). S. Bals acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. COLOURATOMS 335078). S.B. and T.B. acknowledge the University of Antwerp for nancial support in the frame of a GOA project. H.V. gratefully acknowledges nancial support by the Flemish Fund for Scienti c Research (FWO Vlaanderen). All the authors acknowledge Laurens Stevaert for his contribution to the work presented in this manuscript. (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); ECAS_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 7.504  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:142345UA @ admin @ c:irua:142345 Serial 4552  
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Author Kurttepeli, M.; Deng, S.; Mattelaer, F.; Cott, D.J.; Vereecken, P.; Dendooven, J.; Detavernier, C.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Heterogeneous TiO2/V2O5/Carbon Nanotube Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 8055-8064  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is proposed and investigated as a cathode material for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. However, the dissolution of V2O5 during the charge/discharge remains as an issue at the V2O5–electrolyte interface. In this work, we present a heterogeneous nanostructure with carbon nanotubes supported V2O5/titanium dioxide (TiO2) multilayers as electrodes for thin-film Li-ion batteries. Atomic layer deposition of V2O5 on carbon nanotubes provides enhanced Li storage capacity and high rate performance. An additional TiO2 layer leads to increased morphological stability and in return higher electrochemical cycling performance of V2O5/carbon nanotubes. The physical and chemical properties of TiO2/V2O5/carbon nanotubes are characterized by cyclic voltammetry and charge/discharge measurements as well as electron microscopy. The detailed mechanism of the protective TiO2 layer to improve the electrochemical cycling stability of the V2O5 is unveiled.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000396186000021 Publication Date 2017-03-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.504 Times cited 28 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes European Research Council, 239865 335078 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek; Agentschap voor Innovatie door Wetenschap en Technologie, 18142 ; Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds, GOA – 01G01513 ; This research was funded by the Flemish research foundation FWO-Vlaanderen, by the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. 239865 and No. 335078), by IWT-Flanders (SBO project IWT 18142 “SoS-Lion”) and by the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (GOA – 01G01513); colouratoms (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); ECAS_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 7.504  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:142446UA @ admin @ c:irua:142446 Serial 4572  
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Author Asapu, R.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; Claes, N.; Blommaerts, N.; Minjauw, M.; Ahmad, T.; Dendooven, J.; Cool, P.; Bals, S.; Denys, S.; Detavernier, C.; Lenaerts, S.; Verbruggen, S.W. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasmonic Near-Field Localization of Silver Core–Shell Nanoparticle Assemblies via Wet Chemistry Nanogap Engineering Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 41577-41585  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Silver nanoparticles are widely used in the field of plasmonics because of their unique optical properties. The wavelength-dependent surface plasmon resonance gives rise to a strongly enhanced electromagnetic field, especially at so-called hot spots located in the nanogap in-between metal nanoparticle assemblies. Therefore, the interparticle distance is a decisive factor in plasmonic applications, such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). In this study, the aim is to engineer this interparticle distance for silver nanospheres using a convenient wet-chemical approach and to predict and quantify the corresponding enhancement factor using both theoretical and experimental tools. This was done by building a tunable ultrathin polymer shell around the nanoparticles using the layer-by-layer method, in which the polymer shell acts as the separating interparticle spacer layer. Comparison of different theoretical approaches and corroborating the results with SERS analytical experiments using silver and silver−polymer core−shell nanoparticle clusters as SERS substrates was also done. Herewith, an approach is provided to estimate the extent of plasmonic near-field enhancement both theoretically as well as experimentally.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000417005900057 Publication Date 2017-11-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.504 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes financial support through a research fellowship. C.D. wishes to thank the Hercules foundation for the financial support (SPINAL). P.C. and R.-G.C. acknowledge financial support by FWO Vlaanderen (project no. G038215N). N.C. and S.B. acknowledge the financial support from the European Research Council (ERC starting grant #335078-COLOURATOM). (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 7.504  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147243 Serial 4804  
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Author Ben Dkhil, S.; Pfannmöller, M.; Schroeder, R.R.; Alkarsifi, R.; Gaceur, M.; Koentges, W.; Heidari, H.; Bals, S.; Margeat, O.; Ackermann, J.; Videlot-Ackermann, C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Interplay of interfacial layers and blend composition to reduce thermal degradation of polymer solar cells at high temperature Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 3874-3884  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The thermal stability of printed polymer solar cells at elevated temperatures needs to be improved to achieve high-throughput fabrication including annealing steps as well as long-term stability. During device processing, thermal annealing impacts both the organic photoactive layer, and the two interfacial layers make detailed studies of degradation mechanism delicate. A recently identified thermally stable poly[[4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b'-dithiopherie-2,6-diyl] [3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl) carbonyl] thieno [3,4-b]thiophenediyl]] : [6,6]-phenyl- C-71-butyric acid methyl ester (PTB7:PC70BM) blend as photoactive layer in combination with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate as hole extraction layer is used here to focus on the impact of electron extraction layer (EEL) on the thermal stability of solar cells. Solar cells processed with densely packed ZnO nanoparticle layers still show 92% of the initial efficiency after constant annealing during 1 day at 140 degrees C, whereas partially covering ZnO layers as well as an evaporated calcium layer leads to performance losses of up to 30%. This demonstrates that the nature and morphology of EELs highly influence the thermal stability of the device. We extend our study to thermally unstable PTB7:[6,6]-phenyl-C-61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC60BM) blends to highlight the impact of ZnO on the device degradation during annealing. Importantly, only 12% loss in photocurrent density is observed after annealing at 140 degrees C during 1 day when using closely packed ZnO. This is in stark contrast to literature and addressed here to the use of a stable double-sided confinement during thermal annealing. The underlying mechanism of the inhibition of photocurrent losses is revealed by electron microscopy imaging and spatially resolved spectroscopy. We found that the double-sided confinement suppresses extensive fullerene diffusion during the annealing step, but with still an increase in size and distance of the enriched donor and acceptor domains inside the photoactive layer by an average factor of 5. The later result in combination with comparably small photocurrent density losses indicates the existence of an efficient transport of minority charge carriers inside the donor and acceptor enriched phases in PTB7:PC60BM blends.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000424728800082 Publication Date 2018-01-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.504 Times cited 9 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; We acknowledge the financial support by the French Fond Unique Interministeriel (FUI) under the project “SFUMATO” (grant number: F1110019V/201308815) as well as by the European Commission under the Project “SUNFLOWER” (FP7-ICT-2011-7-contract number: 287594). M.P. and R.R.S. acknowledge support by the HeiKA (Heidelberg Karlsruhe Research Partnership) FunTech-3D materials science program. ; Approved Most recent IF: 7.504  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:149309UA @ admin @ c:irua:149309 Serial 4939  
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Author Ben Dkhil, S.; Perkhun, P.; Luo, C.; Mueller, D.; Alkarsifi, R.; Barulina, E.; Quiroz, Y.A.A.; Margeat, O.; Dubas, S.T.; Koganezawa, T.; Kuzuhara, D.; Yoshimoto, N.; Caddeo, C.; Mattoni, A.; Zimmermann, B.; Wuerfel, U.; Pfannmöller, M.; Bals, S.; Ackermann, J.; Videlot-Ackermann, C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Direct correlation of nanoscale morphology and device performance to study photocurrent generation in donor-enriched phases of polymer solar cells Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Applied Materials & Interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 12 Issue 25 Pages 28404-28415  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The nanoscale morphology of polymer blends is a key parameter to reach high efficiency in bulk heterojunction solar cells. Thereby, research typically focusing on optimal blend morphologies while studying nonoptimized blends may give insight into blend designs that can prove more robust against morphology defects. Here, we focus on the direct correlation of morphology and device performance of thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-alt-benzodithiophene (PTB7):[6,6]phenyl C-71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) bulk heterojunction (BHJ) blends processed without additives in different donor/acceptor weight ratios. We show that while blends of a 1:1.5 ratio are composed of large donor-enriched and fullerene domains beyond the exciton diffusion length, reducing the ratio below 1:0.5 leads to blends composed purely of polymer-enriched domains. Importantly, the photocurrent density in such blends can reach values between 45 and 60% of those reached for fully optimized blends using additives. We provide here direct visual evidence that fullerenes in the donor-enriched domains are not distributed homogeneously but fluctuate locally. To this end, we performed compositional nanoscale morphology analysis of the blend using spectroscopic imaging of low-energy-loss electrons using a transmission electron microscope. Charge transport measurement in combination with molecular dynamics simulations shows that the fullerene substructures inside the polymer phase generate efficient electron transport in the polymer-enriched phase. Furthermore, we show that the formation of densely packed regions of fullerene inside the polymer phase is driven by the PTB7:PC71BM enthalpy of mixing. The occurrence of such a nanoscale network of fullerene clusters leads to a reduction of electron trap states and thus efficient extraction of photocurrent inside the polymer domain. Suitable tuning of the polymer-acceptor interaction can thus introduce acceptor subnetworks in polymer-enriched phases, improving the tolerance for high-efficiency BHJ toward morphological defects such as donor-enriched domains exceeding the exciton diffusion length.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000543780900058 Publication Date 2020-06-01  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.5 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; J.A., O.M., and C.V.-A. acknowledge financial support by the French Fond Unique Interministeriel (FUI) under the project “SFUMATO” (Grant Number: F1110019V/ 201308815) as well as by the European Commission under the Project “SUNFLOWER” (FP7-ICT-2011-7, Grant Number: 287594). J.A., C.V.-A., and E.B. acknowledge the Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie (ANRT) and the Ministere de l'Enseignement Superieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation, awarded through the company Dracula Technologies (Valence, France), for framework of a CIFRE Ph.D. grant 2017/0529. J.A. and P.P. received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant agreement no. 713750. They further acknowledge support of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, A*MIDEX (no. ANR-11-IDEX-0001-02), and the Investissements d'Avenir project funded by the French Government, managed by the French National Research Agency (ANR). J.A. and Y.A.A.Q. acknowledge the French Research Agency for funding through the project NFA-15 (ANR-17-CE05-0020-01). N.Y. acknowledges that the synchrotron radiation experiments were performed at BL19B2 in SPring-8 with the approval of Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) (proposal nos. 2017B1629 and 2018B1791). S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128-REALNANO) and from FWO (G.0381.16N). M.P. gratefully acknowledges funding by the Ministerium fur Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Wurttemberg through the HEiKA materials research centre FunTECH-3D (MWK, 33-753-30-20/3/3) and the Large-Scale-Data-Facility (LSDF) sds@hd through grant INST 35/1314-1 FUGG. A.M. acknowledges Italian MIUR for funding through the project PON04a2 00490 M2M Netergit, PRACE, for awarding access to Marconi KNL at CINECA, Italy, through projects DECONVOLVES (2018184466) and PROVING-IL (2019204911). C.C. acknowledges the CINECA award under the ISCRA initiative for the availability of high-performance computing resources and support (project MITOMASC). ; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2020 IF: 7.504  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:170703 Serial 6484  
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Author Kertik, A.; Wee, L.H.; Şentosun, K.; Navarro, J.A.R.; Bals, S.; Martens, J.A.; Vankelecom, I.F.J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title High-performance CO2-selective hybrid membranes by exploiting MOF-breathing effects Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Applied Materials & Interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 12 Issue 2 Pages 2952-2961  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Conventional CO2 separation in the petrochemical industry via cryogenic distillation or amine-based absorber-stripper units is energy-intensive and environmentally unfriendly. Membrane-based gas separation technology, in contrast, has contributed significantly to the development of energy-efficient systems for processes such as natural gas purification. The implementation of commercial polymeric membranes in gas separation processes is restricted by their permeability-selectivity trade-off and by their insufficient thermal and chemical stability. Herein, we present the fabrication of a Matrimid-based membrane loaded with a breathing metal-organic framework (MOF) (NH2-MIL-53(Al)) which is capable of separating binary CO2/CH4 gas mixtures with high selectivities without sacrificing much of its CO2 permeabilities. NH2-MIL-53(Al) crystals were embedded in a polyimide (PI) matrix, and the mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) were treated at elevated temperatures (up to 350 degrees C) in air to trigger PI cross-linking and to create PI-MOF bonds at the interface to effectively seal the grain boundary. Most importantly, the MOF transitions from its narrow-pore form to its large-pore form during this treatment, which allows the PI chains to partly penetrate the pores and cross-link with the amino functions at the pore mouth of the NH2-MIL-53(Al) and stabilizes the open-pore form of NH2-MIL-53(Al). This cross-linked MMM, with MOF pore entrances was made more selective by the anchored PI-chains and achieves outstanding CO2/CH4 selectivities. This approach provides significant advancement toward the design of selective MMMs with enhanced thermal and chemical stabilities which could also be applicable for other potential applications, such as separation of hydrocarbons (olefin/paraffin or isomers), pervaporation, and solvent-resistant nanofiltration.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000508464500108 Publication Date 2019-12-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.5 Times cited 26 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; A.K. is grateful to the Erasmus Mundus Doctorate in Membrane Engineering (EUDIME) programme. L.H.W. thanks the FWO-Vlaanderen for a postdoctoral research fellowships under contract number 12M1418N. We thank Methusalem and IAP-PAI for research funding. S.B. acknowledges financial support from European Research Council (ERC) (ERC Starting Grant No. 335078-COLOURATOM). We are also grateful to Frank Mathijs (KU Leuven) for the mechanical tests, Bart Goderis and Olivier Verkinderen for the DSC measurements, and Huntsman (Switzerland) for providing the Matrimid polymer. ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2020 IF: 7.504  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:166576 Serial 6534  
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Author Guerrero, R.M.; Lemir, I.D.; Carrasco, S.; Fernández-Ruiz, C.; Kavak, S.; Pizarro, P.; Serrano, D.P.; Bals, S.; Horcajada, P.; Pérez, Y. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Scaling-Up Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Highly Defective Pd@UiO-66-NH2Catalysts for Selective Olefin Hydrogenation under Ambient Conditions Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2024 Publication ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Abbreviated Journal (up) ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ;  
  Abstract The need to develop green and cost-effective industrial catalytic processes has led to growing interest in preparing more robust, efficient, and selective heterogeneous catalysts at a large scale. In this regard, microwave-assisted synthesis is a fast method for fabricating heterogeneous catalysts (including metal oxides, zeolites, metal–organic frameworks, and supported metal nanoparticles) with enhanced catalytic properties, enabling synthesis scale-up. Herein, the synthesis of nanosized UiO-66-NH2 was optimized via a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method to obtain defective matrices essential for the stabilization of metal nanoparticles, promoting catalytically active sites for hydrogenation reactions (760 kg·m–3·day–1 space time yield, STY). Then, this protocol was scaled up in a multimodal microwave reactor, reaching 86% yield (ca. 1 g, 1450 kg·m–3·day–1 STY) in only 30 min. Afterward, Pd nanoparticles were formed in situ decorating the nanoMOF by an effective and fast microwave-assisted hydrothermal method, resulting in the formation of Pd@UiO-66-NH2 composites. Both the localization and oxidation states of Pd nanoparticles (NPs) in the MOF were achieved using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The optimal composite, loaded with 1.7 wt % Pd, exhibited an extraordinary catalytic activity (>95% yield, 100% selectivity) under mild conditions (1 bar H2, 25 °C, 1 h reaction time), not only in the selective hydrogenation of a variety of single alkenes (1-hexene, 1-octene, 1-tridecene, cyclohexene, and tetraphenyl ethylene) but also in the conversion of a complex mixture of alkenes (i.e., 1-hexene, 1-tridecene, and anethole). The results showed a powerful interaction and synergy between the active phase (Pd NPs) and the catalytic porous scaffold (UiO-66-NH2), which are essential for the selectivity and recyclability.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2024-04-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links  
  Impact Factor 9.5 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from “Comunidad de Madrid” and European Regional Development Fund-FEDER through the project HUB MADRID+CIRCULAR; the State Research Agency (MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033) through the grant with reference number CEX2019-000931-M received in the 2019 call for “Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence” and “María de Maeztu Units of Excellence” of the State Programme for Knowledge Generation and Scientific and Technological Strengthening of the R&D&I System; and MICIU through the project “NAPOLION” (PID2022-139956OB-I00). S.K. acknowledges the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (FWO Vlaanderen) through a PhD research grant (1181124N). Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2024 IF: 7.504  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ Serial 9126  
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Author Asapu, R.; Claes, N.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; Minjauw, M.; Detavernier, C.; Cool, P.; Bals, S.; Verbruggen, S.W. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Electron Transfer and Near-Field Mechanisms in Plasmonic Gold-Nanoparticle-Modified TiO2Photocatalytic Systems Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication ACS applied nano materials Abbreviated Journal (up) ACS Appl. Nano Mater.  
  Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 4067-4074  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract The major mechanism responsible for plasmonic enhancement of titanium dioxide photocatalysis using gold nanoparticles is still under contention. This work introduces an experimental strategy to disentangle the significance of the charge transfer and near-field mechanisms in plasmonic photocatalysis. By controlling the thickness and conductive nature of a nanoparticle shell that acts as a spacer layer separating the plasmonic metal core from the TiO2 surface, field enhancement or charge transfer effects can be selectively repressed or evoked. Layer-by-layer and in situ polymerization methods are used to synthesize gold core–polymer shell nanoparticles with shell thickness control up to the sub-nanometer level. Detailed optical and electrical characterization supported by near-field simulation models corroborate the trends in photocatalytic activity of the different systems. This approach mainly points at an important contribution of the enhanced near field.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000477917700006 Publication Date 2019-05-31  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2574-0970 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 32 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). P.C. and R-G.C. acknowledge financial support from FWO (Project No. G038215N). N.C. and S.B. acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant No. 335078-COLOURATOM). Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @UA @ admin @ c:irua:160579 Serial 5184  
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Author Bhatia, H.; Keshavarz, M.; Martin, C.; Van Gaal, L.; Zhang, Y.; de Coen, B.; Schrenker, N.J.; Valli, D.; Ottesen, M.; Bremholm, M.; Van de Vondel, J.; Bals, S.; Hofkens, J.; Debroye, E. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Achieving High Moisture Tolerance in Pseudohalide Perovskite Nanocrystals for Light-Emitting Diode Application Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS Applied Optical Materials Abbreviated Journal (up) ACS Appl. Opt. Mater.  
  Volume 1 Issue 6 Pages 1184-1191  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ;  
  Abstract The addition of potassium thiocyanate (KSCN) to the FAPbBr3 structure and subsequent post-treatment of nanocrystals (NCs) lead to high quantum confinement, resulting in a photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) approaching unity and microsecond decay times. This synergistic approach demonstrated exceptional stability under humid conditions, retaining 70% of the PLQY for over a month, while the untreated NCs degrade within 24 h. Additionally, the devices incorporating the post-treated NCs displayed 1.5% external quantum efficiency (EQE), a 5-fold improvement over untreated devices. These results provide promising opportunities for the use of perovskites in moisture-stable optoelectronics.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2023-06-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2771-9855 ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Hercules Foundation, HER/11/14 ; European Commission; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovaci?n, PID2021-128761OA-C22 ; European Regional Development Fund; Vlaamse regering, CASAS2 Meth/15/04 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1238622N 1514220N 1S45223N G.0B39.15 G.0B49.15 G098319N S002019N ZW15_09-GOH6316 ; Onderzoeksraad, KU Leuven, C14/19/079 db/21/006/bm iBOF-21-085 STG/21/010 ; Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, SBPLY/21/180501/000127 ; H2020 European Research Council, 642196 815128 ; Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:201011 Serial 8975  
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Author Ennaert, T.; Geboers, J.; Gobechiya, E.; Courtin, C.M.; Kurttepeli, M.; Houthoofd, K.; Kirschhock, C.E.A.; Magusin, P.C.M.M.; Bals, S.; Jacobs, P.A.; Sels, B.F. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Conceptual frame rationalizing the self-stabilization of H-USY zeolites in hot liquid water Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication ACS catalysis Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Catal  
  Volume 5 Issue 5 Pages 754-768  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The wide range of liquid-phase reactions required for the catalytic conversion of biomass compounds into new bioplatform molecules defines a new set of challenges for the development of active, selective, and stable catalysts. The potential of bifunctional Ru/H-USY catalysts for conversions in hot liquid water (HLW) is assessed in terms of physicochemical stability and long-term catalytic performance of acid sites and noble metal functionality, as probed by hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose. It is shown that zeolite desilication is the main zeolite degradation mechanism in HLW. USY zeolite stability depends on two main parameters, viz., framework and extra-framework aluminum content. The former protects the zeolite lattice by counteracting hydrolysis of framework bonds, and the latter, when located at the external crystal surface, prevents solubilization of the zeolite framework which is the result of its low water-solubility. Hence, the hot liquid water stability of commercial H-USY zeolites, in contrast to their steam stability, increased with decreasing Si/AI ratio. As a result, mildly steamed USY zeolites containing a high amount of both Al species exhibit the highest resistance to HLW. During an initial period of transformations, Al-rich zeolites form additional protective extra-framework Al species at the outer surface, self-stabilizing the framework. A critical bulk Si/AI ratio of 3 was determined whereby USY zeolites with a lower Si/AI ratio will self-stabilize over time. Besides, due to the initial transformation period, the accessibility of the catalytic active sites is extensively enhanced resulting in a material that is more stable and drastically more accessible to large substrates than the original zeolite. When these findings are applied in the hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose, unprecedented nearly quantitative hexitol yields were obtained with a stable catalytic system.  
  Address  
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  Language Wos 000349275300031 Publication Date 2014-12-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2155-5435;2155-5435; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 10.614 Times cited 65 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 10.614; 2015 IF: 9.312  
  Call Number c:irua:125288 Serial 474  
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Author Geboes, B.; Ustarroz, J.; Sentosun, K.; Vanrompay, H.; Hubin, A.; Bals, S.; Breugelmans, T. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Electrochemical behavior of electrodeposited nanoporous Pt catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication ACS catalysis Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Catal  
  Volume 6 Issue 6 Pages 5856-5864  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Nanoporous Pt based nanoparticles (NP's) are promising fuel cell catalysts due to their high surface area and increased electrocatalytic activity toward the ORR In this work a direct double-pulse electrodeposition procedure at room temperature is applied to obtain dendritic Pt structures (89 nm diameter) with a high level of porosity (ca. 25%) and nanopores of 2 nm protruding until the center of the NP's. The particle morphology is characterized using aberration corrected high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and electron tomography (ET) combined with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and macroscopic electrochemical measurements to assess their activity and stability toward the ORR. Macroscopic determination of the active surface area through hydrogen UPD measurements in combination with FESEM and ET showed that a considerable amount of the active sites inside the pores of the low overpotential NP's were accessible to oxygen species. As a result of this accessibility, up to a 9-fold enhancement of the Pt mass corrected ORR activity at 0.85 V vs RHE was observed at the highly porous structures. After successive potential cycling upward to 1.5 V vs RHE in a deaerated HClO4 solution a negative shift of 71 mV in half-wave potential occurred. This decrease in ORR activity could be correlated to the partial collapse of the nanopores, visible in both the EASA values and 3D ET reconstructions.  
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  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000382714000025 Publication Date 2016-07-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 10.614 Times cited 48 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; The Quanta 250 FEG microscope of the Electron Microscopy for Material Science group at the University of Antwerp was funded by the Hercules foundation of the Flemish Government. The authors acknowledge financial support from the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek in Flanders (FWOAL708). S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant # 335078-COLOURATOMS). J.U. acknowledges funding from the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek in Flanders (FWO, postdoctoral grant 12I7816N). ; ecas_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 10.614  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:135703 Serial 4302  
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Author Verduyckt, J.; Van Hoof, M.; De Schouwer, F.; Wolberg, M.; Kurttepeli, M.; Eloy, P.; Gaigneaux, E.M.; Bals, S.; Kirschhock, C.E.A.; De Vos, D.E. url  doi
openurl 
  Title PdPb-catalyzed decarboxylation of proline to pyrrolidine : highly selective formation of a biobased amine in water Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication ACS catalysis Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Catal  
  Volume 6 Issue 6 Pages 7303-7310  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Amino acids have huge potential as platform chemicals in the biobased industry. Pd-catalyzed decarboxylation is a very promising route for the valorization of these natural compounds derived from protein waste or fermentation. We report that the highly abundant and nonessential amino acid L-proline is very reactive in the Pd-catalyzed decarboxylation. Full conversions are obtained with Pd/C and different Pd/MeOx catalysts; this allowed the identification of the different side reactions and the mapping of the reaction network. Due to the high reactivity of pyrrolidine, the selectivity for pyrrolidine was initially low. By carefully modifying Pd/ZrO2 with Pb in a controlled manner-via two incipient wetness impregnation steps-the selectivity increased remarkably. Finally, a thorough investigation of the reaction parameters resulted in an increased activity of this modified catalyst and an even further enhanced selectivity under a low H-2 pressure of 4 bar at 235 degrees C in water. This results in a very selective and sustainable production route for the highly interesting pyrrolidine.  
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  Language Wos 000387306100005 Publication Date 2016-09-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 10.614 Times cited 27 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; J.V. and F.D.S. thank Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (FWO) and Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT) for doctoral fellowships. D.D.V. acknowledges IWT and FWO for research project funding. D.D.V. and C.E.A.K. acknowledge the Flemish government for long-term structural funding through Methusalem. D.D.V. and S.B. acknowledge Belspo (IAP-PAI 7/05) for financial support. S.B. is grateful for funding by the European Research Council (ERC starting grant no. 335078-COLOURATOMS). The authors also thank the Department of Chemistry, University of Cologne, Germany for use of their XRD equipment. Finally, the assistance of Karel Duerinckx, Werner Wouters, Walter Vermandel, Ivo Stassen, Dries Jonckheere, Sabina Accardo and Bart Bueken with 11-1 NMR, pressure reactors, CO chemisorption, N<INF>2</INF> physisorption, SEM, gas phase FTIR and high-throughput XRD, respectively, is very much appreciated. ; ecas_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 10.614  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:139171 Serial 4445  
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Author Tang, Z.; Liu, P.; Cao, H.; Bals, S.; Heeres, H.J.; Pescarmona, P.P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Pr/ZrO2 prepared by atomic trapping : an efficient catalyst for the conversion of glycerol to lactic acid with concomitant transfer hydrogenation of cyclohexene Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication ACS catalysis Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Catal  
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 9953-9963  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A series of heterogeneous catalysts consisting of highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles supported on nanosized ZrO2 (20 to 60 nm) was synthesized and investigated for the one-pot transfer hydrogenation between glycerol and cyclohexene to produce lactic acid and cyclohexane, without any additional H-2. Different preparation methods were screened, by varying the calcination and reduction procedures with the purpose of optimizing the dispersion of Pt species (i.e., as single-atom sites or extra-fine Pt nanoparticles) on the ZrO2 support. The Pt/ZrO2 catalysts were characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy techniques (HAADF-STEM, TEM), elemental analysis (ICP-OES, EDX mapping), N-2-physisorption, H-2 temperature-programmed-reduction (H-2-TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Based on this combination of techniques it was possible to correlate the temperature of the calcination and reduction treatments with the nature of the Pt species. The best catalyst consisted of subnanometer Pt clusters (<1 nm) and atomically dispersed Pt (as Pt2+ and Pt4+) on the ZrO2 support, which were converted into extra-fine Pt nanoparticles (average size = 1.4 nm) upon reduction. These nanoparticles acted as catalytic species for the transfer hydrogenation of glycerol with cyclohexene, which gave an unsurpassed 95% yield of lactic acid salt at 96% glycerol conversion (aqueous glycerol solution, NaOH as promoter, 160 degrees C, 4.5 h, at 20 bar N-2). This is the highest yield and selectivity of lactic acid (salt) reported in the literature so far. Reusability experiments showed a partial and gradual loss of activity of the Pt/ZrO2 catalyst, which was attributed to the experimentally observed aggregation of Pt nanoparticles.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000494549700025 Publication Date 2019-09-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 10.614 Times cited 46 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Zhenchen Tang acknowledges the financial support from the China Scholarship Council for his Ph.D. grant. All the authors are grateful for the technical support from Erwin Wilbers, Anne Appeldoorn, and Marcel de Vries, the TEM support from Dr. Marc Stuart, and the ICP-OES support from Johannes van der Velde. Pei Liu and Sara Bals acknowledge financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme by means of grant agreement No. 731019 EUSMI. Approved Most recent IF: 10.614  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:164643 Serial 6326  
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Author Irtem, E.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Duarte, M.; Choukroun, D.; Lee, S.; Ibáñez, M.; Bals, S.; Breugelmans, T. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Ligand-Mode Directed Selectivity in Cu–Ag Core–Shell Based Gas Diffusion Electrodes for CO2Electroreduction Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Catalysis Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Catal  
  Volume Issue Pages 13468-13478  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Bimetallic nanoparticles with tailored size and specific composition have shown promise as stable and selective catalysts for electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2R) in batch systems. Yet, limited effort was devoted to understand the effect of ligand coverage and postsynthesis treatments on CO2 reduction, especially under industrially applicable conditions, such as at high currents (>100 mA/cm2) using gas diffusion electrodes (GDE) and flow reactors. In this work, Cu–Ag core–shell nanoparticles (11 ± 2 nm) were prepared with three different surface modes: (i) capped with oleylamine, (ii) capped with monoisopropylamine, and (iii) surfactant free with a reducing borohydride agent; Cu–Ag (OAm), Cu–Ag (MIPA), and Cu–Ag (NaBH4), respectively. The ligand exchange and removal was evidenced by infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis, whereas high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) showed their effect on the interparticle distance and nanoparticle rearrangement. Later on, we developed a process-on-substrate method to track these effects on CO2R. Cu–Ag (OAm) gave a lower on-set potential for hydrocarbon production, whereas Cu–Ag (MIPA) and Cu–Ag (NaBH4) promoted syngas production. The electrochemical impedance and surface area analysis on the well-controlled electrodes showed gradual increases in the electrical conductivity and active surface area after each surface treatment. We found that the increasing amount of the triple phase boundaries (the meeting point for the electron–electrolyte–CO2 reactant) affect the required electrode potential and eventually the C+2e̅/C2e̅ product ratio. This study highlights the importance of the electron transfer to those active sites affected by the capping agents—particularly on larger substrates that are crucial for their industrial application.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000592978900031 Publication Date 2020-11-04  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.9 Times cited 23 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors also acknowledge financial support from the University Research Fund (BOF-GOA-PS ID No. 33928). S.L. has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie SkłodowskaCurie Grant Agreement No. 665385. Approved Most recent IF: 12.9; 2020 IF: 10.614  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:173803 Serial 6432  
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Author Van Velthoven, N.; Henrion, M.; Dallenes, J.; Krajnc, A.; Bugaev, A.L.; Liu, P.; Bals, S.; Soldatov, A.; Mali, G.; De Vos, D.E. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title S,O-functionalized metal-organic frameworks as heterogeneous single-site catalysts for the oxidative alkenylation of arenes via C- H activation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Catalysis Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Catal  
  Volume 10 Issue 9 Pages 5077-5085  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Heterogeneous single-site catalysts can combine the R precise active site design of organometallic complexes with the efficient recovery of solid catalysts. Based on recent progress on homogeneous thioether ligands for Pd-catalyzed C-H activation reactions, we here develop a scalable metal-organic framework-based heterogeneous single-site catalyst containing S,O-moieties that increase the catalytic activity of Pd(II) for the oxidative alkenylation of arenes. The structure of the Pd@MOF-808-L1 catalyst was characterized in detail via solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, N-2 physisorption, and high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, and the structure of the isolated palladium active sites could be identified by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. A turnover frequency (TOF) of 8.4 h(-1) was reached after 1 h of reaction time, which was 3 times higher than the TOF of standard Pd(OAc)(2), ranking Pd@MOF-808-L1 among the most active heterogeneous catalysts ever reported for the nondirected oxidative alkenylation of arenes. Finally, we showed that the single-site catalyst promotes the oxidative alkenylation of a broad range of electron-rich arenes, and the applicability of this heterogeneous system was demonstrated by the gram-scale synthesis of industrially relevant products.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000530090800026 Publication Date 2020-04-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.9 Times cited 37 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; The research leading to these results has received funding from the NMBP-01-2016 Program of the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Program H2020/2014-2020/under grant agreement no [720996]. N.V.V. and D.E.D.V. thank the FWO for funding (1S32917N and G0F2320N). D.E.D.V. is grateful for KU Leuven's support in the frame of the CASAS Metusalem project and a C3 type project. A.K. and G.M. acknowledge the financial support from the Slovenian Research Agency (research core funding no. P1-0021 and project no. N1-0079). A.L.B and A.V.S. acknowledge Russian Science Foundation grant no. 20-43-01015 for financial support. We thank Alexander Trigub and Alexey Veligzhanin for their support during the beamtime at Kurchatov Institute. We are indebted to Elizaveta Kamyshova and Anna Pnevskaya for their valuable help during EXAFS measurements. P.L. and S.B. thank European Research Council for the ERC Consolidator Grant 815128, REALNANO. Kassem Amro and Guillaume Gracy from Sikemia are gratefully acknowledged for providing ; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 12.9; 2020 IF: 10.614  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:169530 Serial 6598  
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Author Coeck, R.; Meeprasert, J.; Li, G.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; Pidko, E.A.; De Vos, D.E. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Gold and silver-catalyzed reductive amination of aromatic carboxylic acids to benzylic amines Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Acs Catalysis Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Catal  
  Volume 11 Issue 13 Pages 7672-7684  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract The reductive amination of benzoic acid and its derivatives would be an effective addition to current synthesis methods for benzylamine. However, with current technology it is very difficult to keep the aromaticity intact when starting from benzoic acid, and salt wastes are often generated in the process. Here, we report a heterogeneous catalytic system for such a reductive amination, requiring solely H-2 and NH3 as the reactants. The Ag/TiO2 or Au/TiO2 catalysts can be used multiple times, and very little noble metal is required, only 0.025 mol % Au. The catalysts are bifunctional: the support catalyzes the dehydration of both the ammonium carboxylate to the amide and of the amide to the nitrile, while the sites at the metal-support interface promote the hydrogenation of the in situ generated nitrile. Yields of up to 92% benzylamine were obtained.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000670659900005 Publication Date 2021-06-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 10.614 Times cited 16 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes R.C. thanks the FWO for his SB PhD fellowship. D.E.D.V. acknowledges FWO for research project funding, as well as KU Leuven for funding in the Metusalem program Casas. S.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator grant #815128 REALNANO). T.A. acknowledges funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). E.A.P. acknowledges the support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator grant #725686 DeliCAT). J.M. acknowledges financial support through the Royal Thai Government Scholarship. DFT calculations on SURFsara supercomputer facilities were performed with support from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 10.614  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:179851 Serial 6840  
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Author Yang, S.; Liu, Z.; An, H.; Arnouts, S.; de Ruiter, J.; Rollier, F.; Bals, S.; Altantzis, T.; Figueiredo, M.C.; Filot, I.A.W.; Hensen, E.J.M.; Weckhuysen, B.M.; van der Stam, W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Near-unity electrochemical CO₂ to CO conversion over Sn-doped copper oxide nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS catalysis Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Catal  
  Volume 12 Issue 24 Pages 15146-15156  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Bimetallic electrocatalysts have emerged as a viable strategy to tune the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) for the selective production of valuable base chemicals and fuels. However, obtaining high product selectivity and catalyst stability remain challenging, which hinders the practical application of eCO2RR. In this work, it was found that a small doping concentration of tin (Sn) in copper oxide (CuO) has profound influence on the catalytic performance, boosting the Faradaic efficiency (FE) up to 98% for carbon monoxide (CO) at -0.75 V versus RHE, with prolonged stable performance (FE > 90%) for up to 15 h. Through a combination of ex situ and in situ characterization techniques, the in situ activation and reaction mechanism of the electrocatalyst at work was elucidated. In situ Raman spectroscopy measurements revealed that the binding energy of the crucial adsorbed *CO intermediate was lowered through Sn doping, thereby favoring gaseous CO desorption. This observation was confirmed by density functional theory, which further indicated that hydrogen adsorption and subsequent hydrogen evolution were hampered on the Sn-doped electrocatalysts, resulting in boosted CO formation. It was found that the pristine electrocatalysts consisted of CuO nanoparticles decorated with SnO2 domains, as characterized by ex situ high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. These pristine nanoparticles were subsequently in situ converted into a catalytically active bimetallic Sn-doped Cu phase. Our work sheds light on the intimate relationship between the bimetallic structure and catalytic behavior, resulting in stable and selective oxide-derived Sn-doped Cu electrocatalysts.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000900052400001 Publication Date 2022-11-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.9 Times cited 16 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes B.M.W., S.Y., M.C.F., E.J.M.H., and W.v.d.S. acknowledge support from the Strategic UU-TU/e Alliance project ?Joint Centre for Chemergy Research?. S.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator grant #815128 REALNANO) . Z.L. acknowledges financial support of the China Scholarship Council and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research for access to computa-tional resources for carrying out the DFT calculations reported in this work. S.A. and T.A. acknowledge funding from theUniversity of Antwerp Research fund (BOF) . The authors also thank Dr. Jochem Wijten and Joris Janssens (Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis, Utrecht University) for helpful technical support. Sander Deelen (Faculty of Science, Utrecht University) is acknowledged for the design of the in situ XRD cell. Approved Most recent IF: 12.9  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:192742 Serial 7325  
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Author Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Zhuo, X.; Albrecht, W.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Tuning Size and Seed Position in Small Silver Nanorods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication ACS materials letters Abbreviated Journal (up) ACS Materials Lett.  
  Volume 2 Issue 9 Pages 1246-1250  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000571390700022 Publication Date 2020-09-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2639-4979 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 9 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Financial support is acknowledged from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme, by means of Grant Agreement No. 731019 (EUSMI), the ERC Consolidator Grant (No. 815128) (REALNANO), and the ERC Advanced Grant (No. 787510) (4DbioSERS). W.A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship from the Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions (MSCA), under the EU’s Horizon 2020 program (Grant 797153, SOPMEN). This work was performed under the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency (Grant No. MDM-2017-0720).; sygma Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:171980 Serial 6439  
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Author Heyvaert, W.; Pedrazo-Tardajos, A.; Kadu, A.; Claes, N.; González-Rubio, G.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Albrecht, W.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Quantification of the Helical Morphology of Chiral Gold Nanorods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS materials letters Abbreviated Journal (up) ACS Materials Lett.  
  Volume 4 Issue Pages 642-649  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Chirality in inorganic nanoparticles and nanostructures has gained increasing scientific interest, because of the possibility to tune their ability to interact differently with left- and right-handed circularly polarized light. In some cases, the optical activity is hypothesized to originate from a chiral morphology of the nanomaterial. However, quantifying the degree of chirality in objects with sizes of tens of nanometers is far from straightforward. Electron tomography offers the possibility to faithfully retrieve the three-dimensional morphology of nanomaterials, but only a qualitative interpretation of the morphology of chiral nanoparticles has been possible so far. We introduce herein a methodology that enables us to quantify the helicity of complex chiral nanomaterials, based on the geometrical properties of a helix. We demonstrate that an analysis at the single particle level can provide significant insights into the origin of chiroptical properties.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000784490000013 Publication Date 2022-03-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2639-4979 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes S.B. and A.P.-T. gratefully acknowledge funding by the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant #815128-REALNANO) the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement #823717ESTEEM3. L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033, grant # PID2020- 117779RB-I00 and the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency (Grant No. MDM-2017-0720). G.G.-R. thanks the Spanish Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación for an FPI (BES-2014- 068972) fellowship.; SygmaSB; esteem3reported; esteem3jra Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:186959 Serial 6956  
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Author Vlasov, E.; Skorikov, A.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Secondary electron induced current in scanning transmission electron microscopy: an alternative way to visualize the morphology of nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS materials letters Abbreviated Journal (up) ACS Materials Lett.  
  Volume Issue Pages 1916-1921  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Electron tomography (ET) is a powerful tool to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nanomaterials in a transmission electron microscope. However, the acquisition of a conventional tilt series for ET is a time-consuming process and can therefore not provide 3D structural information in a time-efficient manner. Here, we propose surface-sensitive secondary electron (SE) imaging as an alternative to ET for the investigation of the morphology of nanomaterials. We use the SE electron beam induced current (SEEBIC) technique that maps the electrical current arising from holes generated by the emission of SEs from the sample. SEEBIC imaging can provide valuable information on the sample morphology with high spatial resolution and significantly shorter throughput times compared with ET. In addition, we discuss the contrast formation mechanisms that aid in the interpretation of SEEBIC data.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001006191600001 Publication Date 2023-06-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2639-4979 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The funding for this project was provided by European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128, REALNANO). J.V. acknowledges the eBEAM project, which is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 101017720 (FET-Proactive EBEAM). L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (grant # PID2020-117779RB-I00). Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:197004 Serial 8795  
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Author Lentijo-Mozo, S.; Tan, R.P.; Garcia-Marcelot, C.; Altantzis, T.; Fazzini, P.F.; Hungria, T.; Cormary, B.; Gallagher, J.R.; Miller, J.T.; Martinez, H.; Schrittwieser, S.; Schotter, J.; Respaud, M.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Gatel, C.; Soulantica, K. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Air- and water-resistant noble metal coated ferromagnetic cobalt nanorods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Nano  
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 2792-2804  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Cobalt nanorods possess ideal magnetic properties for applications requiring magnetically hard nanoparticles. However, their exploitation is undermined by their sensitivity toward oxygen and water, which deteriorates their magnetic properties. The development of a continuous metal shell inert to oxidation could render them stable, opening perspectives not only for already identified applications but also for uses in which contact with air and/or aqueous media is inevitable. However, the direct growth of a conformal noble metal shell on magnetic metals is a challenge. Here, we show that prior treatment of Co nanorods with a tin coordination compound is the crucial step that enables the subsequent growth of a continuous noble metal shell on their surface, rendering them air- and water-resistant, while conserving the monocrystallity, metallicity and the magnetic properties of the Co core. Thus, the as-synthesized coreshell ferromagnetic nanorods combine high magnetization and strong uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, even after exposure to air and water, and hold promise for successful implementation in in vitro biodiagnostics requiring probes of high magnetization and anisotropic shape.  
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000351791800055 Publication Date 2015-03-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851;1936-086X; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 25 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes 312483 Esteem2; 246791 Countatoms; 335078 Colouratom; esteem2ta; ECASSara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 13.942; 2015 IF: 12.881  
  Call Number c:irua:125380 c:irua:125380 Serial 87  
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Author Javon, E.; Gaceur, M.; Dachraoui, W.; Margeat, O.; Ackermann, J.; Ilenia Saba, M.; Delugas, P.; Mattoni, A.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Competing forces in the self-assembly of coupled ZnO nanopyramids Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal (up) Acs Nano  
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 3685-3694  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Self-assembly (SA) of nanostructures has recently gained increasing interest. A clear understanding of the process is not straightforward since SA of nanoparticles is a complex multiscale phenomenon including different driving forces. Here, we study the SA between aluminum doped ZnO nanopyramids into couples by combining inorganic chemistry and advanced electron microscopy techniques with atomistic simulations. Our results show that the SA of the coupled nanopyramids is controlled first by morphology, as coupling only occurs in the case of pyramids with well-developed facets of the basal planes. The combination of electron microscopy and atomistic modeling reveals that the coupling is further driven by strong ligandligand interaction between the bases of the pyramids as dominant force, while screening effects due to Al doping or solvent as well as corecore interaction are only minor contributions. Our combined approach provides a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between the interactions at work in the coupled SA of ZnO nanopyramids.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000353867000030 Publication Date 2015-03-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851;1936-086X; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 21 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Esmi; 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 13.942; 2015 IF: 12.881  
  Call Number c:irua:125978 Serial 434  
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