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Author Tong, Y.; Yao, E.-P.; Manzi, A.; Bladt, E.; Wang, K.; Doeblinger, M.; Bals, S.; Mueller-Buschbaum, P.; Urban, A.S.; Polavarapu, L.; Feldmann, J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Spontaneous self-assembly of Perovskite nanocrystals into electronically coupled supercrystals : toward filling the green gap Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Advanced materials Abbreviated Journal Adv Mater  
  Volume 30 Issue 30 Pages 1801117  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Self-assembly of nanoscale building blocks into ordered nanoarchitectures has emerged as a simple and powerful approach for tailoring the nanoscale properties and the opportunities of using these properties for the development of novel optoelectronic nanodevices. Here, the one-pot synthesis of CsPbBr3 perovskite supercrystals (SCs) in a colloidal dispersion by ultrasonication is reported. The growth of the SCs occurs through the spontaneous self-assembly of individual nanocrystals (NCs), which form in highly concentrated solutions of precursor powders. The SCs retain the high photoluminescence (PL) efficiency of their NC subunits, however also exhibit a redshifted emission wavelength compared to that of the individual nanocubes due to interparticle electronic coupling. This redshift makes the SCs pure green emitters with PL maxima at approximate to 530-535 nm, while the individual nanocubes emit a cyan-green color (approximate to 512 nm). The SCs can be used as an emissive layer in the fabrication of pure green light-emitting devices on rigid or flexible substrates. Moreover, the PL emission color is tunable across the visible range by employing a well-established halide ion exchange reaction on the obtained CsPbBr3 SCs. These results highlight the promise of perovskite SCs for light emitting applications, while providing insight into their collective optical properties.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor  
  Language Wos 000438709400019 Publication Date 2018-06-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0935-9648 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 19.791 Times cited 161 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; This research work was supported by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science, Research, and Arts through the grant “Solar Technologies go Hybrid (SolTech),” by the China Scholarship Council (Y.T. and K.W.), by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skodowska-Curie Grant Agreement COMPASS No. 691185 and by LMU Munich's Institutional Strategy LMUexcellent within the framework of the German Excellence Initiative (L.P., J.F. and A.S.U.). E.B. and S.B. acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS). The authors would like to thank Alexander Richter for helpful discussions. ; ecas_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 19.791  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:152413UA @ admin @ c:irua:152413 Serial 5129  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Goris, B.; Bals, S.; van den Broek, W.; Verbeeck, J.; Van Tendeloo, G. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Exploring different inelastic projection mechanisms for electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2011 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 111 Issue 8 Pages 1262-1267  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab  
  Abstract (up) Several different projection mechanisms that all make use of inelastically scattered electrons are used for electron tomography. The advantages and the disadvantages of these methods are compared to HAADFSTEM tomography, which is considered as the standard electron tomography technique in materials science. The different inelastic setups used are energy filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM), thickness mapping based on the log-ratio method and bulk plasmon mapping. We present a comparison that can be used to select the best inelastic signal for tomography, depending on different parameters such as the beam stability and nature of the sample. The appropriate signal will obviously also depend on the exact information which is requested.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000300461100039 Publication Date 2011-03-07  
  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 21 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo; Iap; Esteem 026019 Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2011 IF: 2.471  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:91260UA @ admin @ c:irua:91260 Serial 1151  
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Author Zheng, G.; Chen, Z.; Sentosun, K.; Pérez-Juste, I.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Pastoriza-Santos, I.; Pérez-Juste, J.; Hong, M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Shape control in ZIF-8 nanocrystals and metal nanoparticles@ZIF-8 heterostructures Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 16645-16651  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Shape control in metal-organic frameworks still remains a challenge. We propose a strategy based on the capping agent modulator method to control the shape of ZIF-8 nanocrystals. This approach requires the use of a surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and a second capping agent, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (TRIS), to obtain ZIF-8 nanocrystals with morphology control in aqueous media. Semiempirical computational simulations suggest that both shape-inducing agents adsorb onto different surface facets of ZIF-8, thereby slowing down their crystal growth rates. While CTAB molecules preferentially adsorb onto the {100} facets, leading to ZIF-8 particles with cubic morphology, TRIS preferentially stabilizes the {111} facets, inducing the formation of octahedral crystals. Interestingly, the presence of both capping agents leads to nanocrystals with irregular shapes and higher index facets, such as hexapods and burr puzzles. Additionally, the combination of ZIF-8 nanocrystals with other materials is expected to impart additional properties due to the hybrid nature of the resulting nanocomposites. In the present case, the presence of CTAB and TRIS molecules as capping agents facilitates the synthesis of metal nanoparticle@ZIF-8 nanocomposites, due to synergistic effects which could be of use in a number of applications such as catalysis, gas sensing and storage.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000414960900015 Publication Date 2017-07-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 109 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO, Spain), under the Grants MAT2013- 45168-R and MAT2016-77809-R. This study was also funded by the Xunta de Galicia/FEDER (ED431C 2016-048). We are grateful to the financial support from National Natural Science Foundation of China (21671010), Guangdong Science and Technology Program (2013A061401002), and Shenzhen Strategic Emerging Industries (KQCX2015032709315529, CXZZ20140419131807788). Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:145827UA @ admin @ c:irua:145827 Serial 4705  
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Author Polavarapu, L.; Zanaga, D.; Altantzis, T.; Rodal-Cedeira, S.; Pastoriza-Santos, I.; Pérez-Juste, J.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Galvanic Replacement Coupled to Seeded Growth as a Route for Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Plasmonic Nanorattles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Journal of the American Chemical Society Abbreviated Journal J Am Chem Soc  
  Volume 138 Issue 138 Pages 11453-11456  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Shape-controlled synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs) requires mechanistic understanding toward the development of modern nanoscience and nanotechnology. We demonstrate here an unconventional shape transformation of Au@Ag core−shell NPs (nanorods and nanocubes) into octahedral nanorattles via roomtemperature galvanic replacement coupled with seeded growth. The corresponding morphological and chemical transformations were investigated in three dimensions, using state-of-the-art X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) tomography. The addition of a reducing agent (ascorbic acid) plays a key role in this unconventional mechanistic path, in which galvanic replacement is found to dominate initially when the shell is made of Ag, while seeded growth suppresses transmetalation when a composition of Au:Ag (∼60:40) is reached in the shell, as revealed by quantitative XEDS tomography. This work not only opens new avenues toward the shape control of hollow NPs beyond the morphology of sacrificial templates, but also expands our understanding of chemical transformations in nanoscale galvanic replacement reactions. The XEDS electron tomography study presented here can be generally applied to investigate a wide range of nanoscale morphological and chemical transformations.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000383410700008 Publication Date 2016-09-14  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0002-7863 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.858 Times cited 75 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work has been funded by the European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant No. 267867- PLASMAQUO, ERC Starting Grant No. 335078-COLOURATOMS) and Spanish MINECO (Grants MAT2013-45168-R and MAT2013-46101-R); ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 13.858  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:137123 Serial 4329  
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Author Arteaga Cardona, F.; Jain, N.; Popescu, R.; Busko, D.; Madirov, E.; Arús, B.A.; Gerthsen, D.; De Backer, A.; Bals, S.; Bruns, O.T.; Chmyrov, A.; Van Aert, S.; Richards, B.S.; Hudry, D. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Preventing cation intermixing enables 50% quantum yield in sub-15 nm short-wave infrared-emitting rare-earth based core-shell nanocrystals Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2023 Publication Nature communications Abbreviated Journal Nat Commun  
  Volume 14 Issue 1 Pages 4462  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Short-wave infrared (SWIR) fluorescence could become the new gold standard in optical imaging for biomedical applications due to important advantages such as lack of autofluorescence, weak photon absorption by blood and tissues, and reduced photon scattering coefficient. Therefore, contrary to the visible and NIR regions, tissues become translucent in the SWIR region. Nevertheless, the lack of bright and biocompatible probes is a key challenge that must be overcome to unlock the full potential of SWIR fluorescence. Although rare-earth-based core-shell nanocrystals appeared as promising SWIR probes, they suffer from limited photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). The lack of control over the atomic scale organization of such complex materials is one of the main barriers limiting their optical performance. Here, the growth of either homogeneous (α-NaYF<sub>4</sub>) or heterogeneous (CaF<sub>2</sub>) shell domains on optically-active α-NaYF<sub>4</sub>:Yb:Er (with and without Ce<sup>3+</sup>co-doping) core nanocrystals is reported. The atomic scale organization can be controlled by preventing cation intermixing only in heterogeneous core-shell nanocrystals with a dramatic impact on the PLQY. The latter reached 50% at 60 mW/cm<sup>2</sup>; one of the highest reported PLQY values for sub-15 nm nanocrystals. The most efficient nanocrystals were utilized for in vivo imaging above 1450 nm.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001037058500022 Publication Date 2023-07-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2041-1723 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 16.6 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes D.H. would like to thank Dominique Ectors (Bruker AXS GmbH, Karlsruhe, Germany) for assistance and discussion on the PXRD data and TOPAS evaluations. The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Helmholtz Association via: i) the Professorial Recruitment Initiative Funding (B.S.R.); ii) the Research Field Energy – Program Materials and Technologies for the Energy Transition – Topic 1 Photovoltaics (F.A.C., D.B., E.M., B.S.R., D.H.). This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 innovation programme under grant agreement 823717. This work was supported by the European Research Council (grant 770887-PICOMETRICS to S.V.A. and Grant 815128-REALNANO to S.B.). The authors acknowledge financial support from the ResearchFoundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project fundings (G.0346.21 N to S.V.A. and S.B.) and a postdoctoral grant (A.D.B.). The authors (B.A.A., O.T.B. and A.C.) acknowledge funding from the Helmholtz Zentrum München, the DFG-Emmy Noether program (BR 5355/2-1) and from the CZI Deep Tissue Imaging (DTI-0000000248). The authors (O.T.B. and D.H.) would like to thank the Helmholtz Imaging (ZT-I-PF-4-038-BENIGN). Approved Most recent IF: 16.6; 2023 IF: 12.124  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:198158 Serial 8808  
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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 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 (up) 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.  
  Address  
  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 Claes, N.; Asapu, R.; Blommaerts, N.; Verbruggen, S.W.; Lenaerts, S.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Characterization of silver-polymer core–shell nanoparticles using electron microscopy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 9186-9191  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract (up) Silver-polymer core–shell nanoparticles show interesting optical properties, making them widely applicable in the field of plasmonics. The uniformity, thickness and homogeneity of the polymer shell will affect the properties of the system which makes a thorough structural characterization of these core–shell silver-polymer nanoparticles of great importance. However, visualizing the shell and the particle simultaneously is far from straightforward due to the sensitivity of the polymer shell towards the electron beam. In this study, we use different 2D and 3D electron microscopy techniques to investigate different structural aspects of the polymer coating.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000437007700028 Publication Date 2018-04-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes N. C. and S. B. acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS) and from the FWO through project funding (G038116N). R. A. and S. L. acknowledge the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) for financial support. (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); ECAS_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:151290UA @ admin @ c:irua:151290 Serial 4959  
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Author Xi, J.; Yang, S.; Silvioli, L.; Cao, S.; Liu, P.; Chen, Q.; Zhao, Y.; Sun, H.; Hansen, J.N.; Haraldsted, J.-P.B.; Kibsgaard, J.; Rossmeisl, J.; Bals, S.; Wang, S.; Chorkendorff, I. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Highly active, selective, and stable Pd single-atom catalyst anchored on N-doped hollow carbon sphere for electrochemical H₂O₂ synthesis under acidic conditions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Catalysis Abbreviated Journal J Catal  
  Volume 393 Issue Pages 313-323  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have recently attracted broad scientific interests due to their unique structural feature, the single-atom dispersion. Optimized electronic structure as well as high stability are required for single-atom catalysts to enable efficient electrochemical production of H2O2. Herein, we report a facile synthesis method that stabilizes atomic Pd species on the reduced graphene oxide/Ndoped carbon hollow carbon nanospheres (Pd1/N-C). Pd1/N-C exhibited remarkable electrochemical H2O2 production rate with high faradaic efficiency, reaching 80%. The single-atom structure and its high H2O2 production rate were maintained even after 10,000 cycle stability test. The existence of single-atom Pd as well as its coordination with N species is responsible for its high activity, selectivity, and stability. The N coordination number and substrate doping around Pd atoms are found to be critical for an optimized adsorption energy of intermediate *OOH, resulting in efficient electrochemical H2O2 production. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000640923500003 Publication Date 2020-11-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0021-9517 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.844 Times cited 40 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51772110), Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (No. 2019CFB539), Danmarks Innovationsfond within the ProActivE project (5160-00003B), Villum Foundation V-SUSTAIN grant 9455 to the Villum Center for the Science of Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals, the Carlsberg Foundation grant CF18-0435, the Institutional Research Program (2E30220) of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Shenzhen Science and Technology Plan under Grant (JCYJ20170818160751460) and the Open Project of Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education (No. GCP20200205). The authors would like to acknowledge the Analytical and Testing Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics for SEM, TEM, Raman and XPS measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 6.844  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:178321 Serial 6796  
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Author Molina, L.; Tan, H.; Biermans, E.; Batenburg, K.J.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G. pdf  doi
openurl 
  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 Supercond Sci Tech  
  Volume 24 Issue 6 Pages 065019-065019,8  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab  
  Abstract (up) 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 Mayer, J.A.; Offermans, T.; Chrapa, M.; Pfannmöller, M.; Bals, S.; Ferrini, R.; Nisato, G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Optical enhancement of a printed organic tandem solar cell using diffractive nanostructures Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Optics express Abbreviated Journal Opt Express  
  Volume 26 Issue 26 Pages A240  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Solution processable organic tandem solar cells offer a promising approach to achieve cost-effective, lightweight and flexible photovoltaics. In order to further enhance the efficiency of optimized organic tandem cells, diffractive light-management nanostructures were designed for an optimal redistribution of the light as function of both wavelength and propagation angles in both sub-cells. As the fabrication of these optical structures is compatible with roll-to-roll production techniques such as hot-embossing or UV NIL imprinting, they present an optimal cost-effective solution for printed photovoltaics. Tandem cells with power conversion efficiencies of 8-10% were fabricated in the ambient atmosphere by doctor blade coating, selected to approximate the conditions during roll-to-roll manufacturing. Application of the light management structure onto an 8.7% efficient encapsulated tandem cell boosted the conversion efficiency of the cell to 9.5%. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000427900400003 Publication Date 2018-02-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1094-4087 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.307 Times cited 9 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; FP7 European collaborative project SUNFLOWER (FP7-ICT-2011-7, grant number 287594); German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) (03xEK3504, project TAURUS); FP7 European project ESTEEM2 (grant number 312483); HEiKA centre FunTECH-3D. ; Approved Most recent IF: 3.307  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:150839UA @ admin @ c:irua:150839 Serial 4975  
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Author Ben Dkhil, S.; Pfannmöller, M.; Ata, I.; Duche, D.; Gaceur, M.; Koganezawa, T.; Yoshimoto, N.; Simon, J.-J.; Escoubas, L.; Videlot-Ackermann, C.; Margeat, O.; Bals, S.; Bauerle, P.; Ackermann, J. doi  openurl
  Title Time evolution studies of dithieno[3,2-b:2 ',3 '-d] pyrrole-based A-D-A oligothiophene bulk heterojunctions during solvent vapor annealing towards optimization of photocurrent generation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Journal of materials chemistry A : materials for energy and sustainability Abbreviated Journal J Mater Chem A  
  Volume 5 Issue 5 Pages 1005-1013  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Solvent vapor annealing (SVA) is one of the main techniques to improve the morphology of bulk heterojunction solar cells using oligomeric donors. In this report, we study time evolution of nanoscale morphological changes in bulk heterojunctions based on a well-studied dithienopyrrole-based A-D-A oligothiophene (dithieno[3,2-b: 2',3'-d] pyrrole named here 1) blended with [6,6]-phenyl-C-71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) to increase photocurrent density by combining scanning transmission electron microscopy and low-energy-loss spectroscopy. Our results show that SVA transforms the morphology of 1 : PC71BM blends by a three-stage mechanism: highly intermixed phases evolve into nanostructured bilayers that correspond to an optimal blend morphology. Additional SVA leads to completely phaseseparated micrometer-sized domains. Optical spacers were used to increase light absorption inside optimized 1 : PC71BM blends leading to solar cells of 7.74% efficiency but a moderate photocurrent density of 12.3 mA cm (-2). Quantum efficiency analyses reveal that photocurrent density is mainly limited by losses inside the donor phase. Indeed, optimized 1 : PC71BM blends consist of large donor-enriched domains not optimal for exciton to photocurrent conversion. Shorter SVA times lead to smaller domains; however they are embedded in large mixed phases suggesting that introduction of stronger molecular packing may help us to better balance phase separation and domain size enabling more efficient bulk heterojunction solar cells.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Cambridge Editor  
  Language Wos 000394430800018 Publication Date 2016-11-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2050-7488; 2050-7496 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.867 Times cited 19 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes ; We 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). The synchrotron radiation experiments were performed at BL19B2 in SPring-8 with the approval of Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) (Proposal No. 2016A1568). We further acknowledge financial support via ERC Starting Grant Colouratoms (335078). ; Approved Most recent IF: 8.867  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:142602UA @ admin @ c:irua:142602 Serial 4695  
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Author Leca, V.; Blank, D.H.A.; Rijnders, G.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Superconducting single-phase Sr1-xLaxCuO2 thin films with improved crystallinity grown by pulsed laser deposition Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2006 Publication Applied physics letters Abbreviated Journal Appl Phys Lett  
  Volume 89 Issue 9 Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Sr1-xLaxCuO2-delta (x=0.10-0.20) thin films exhibiting an oxygen-deficient 2 root 2a(p)x2 root a(p) x c structure (a(p) and c represent the cell parameters of the perovskite subcell) were epitaxially grown by means of pulsed laser deposition in low-pressure oxygen ambient. (001) KTaO3 and (001) SrTiO3 single crystals were used as substrates, with BaTiO3 as buffer layer. The Sr1-xLaxCuO2-delta films were oxidized during cooling down in order to yield the infinite-layer-type structure. By applying this method, high quality single-phase Sr1-xLaxCuO2 thin films could be obtained for 0.10 <= x <= 0.175 doping range. The films grown on BaTiO3/KTaO3 show superconductivity for 0.15 <= x <= 0.175 with optimum doping at x=0.15, in contrast with previously reported data. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher American Institute of Physics Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor  
  Language Wos 000240236600077 Publication Date 2006-08-31  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-6951; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.411 Times cited 32 Open Access  
  Notes Fom; Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 3.411; 2006 IF: 3.977  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:60817 Serial 3366  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Bals, S.; Van Aert, S.; Romero, C.P.; Lauwaet, K.; Van Bael, M.J.; Schoeters, B.; Partoens, B.; Yuecelen, E.; Lievens, P.; Van Tendeloo, G. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Atomic scale dynamics of ultrasmall germanium clusters Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication Nature communications Abbreviated Journal Nat Commun  
  Volume 3 Issue 897 Pages 897  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)  
  Abstract (up) Starting from the gas phase, small clusters can be produced and deposited with huge flexibility with regard to composition, materials choice and cluster size. Despite many advances in experimental characterization, a detailed morphology of such clusters is still lacking. Here we present an atomic scale observation as well as the dynamical behaviour of ultrasmall germanium clusters. Using quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy in combination with ab initio calculations, we are able to characterize the transition between different equilibrium geometries of a germanium cluster consisting of less than 25 atoms. Seven-membered rings, trigonal prisms and some smaller subunits are identified as possible building blocks that stabilize the structure.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000306099900024 Publication Date 2012-06-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2041-1723; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.124 Times cited 90 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo; Iap; Iwt Approved Most recent IF: 12.124; 2012 IF: 10.015  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:100340 Serial 183  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Prabhakara, V.; Nuytten, T.; Bender, H.; Vandervorst, W.; Bals, S.; Verbeeck, J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Linearized radially polarized light for improved precision in strain measurements using micro-Raman spectroscopy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Optics Express Abbreviated Journal Opt Express  
  Volume 29 Issue 21 Pages 34531  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Strain engineering in semiconductor transistor devices has become vital in the semiconductor industry due to the ever-increasing need for performance enhancement at the nanoscale. Raman spectroscopy is a non-invasive measurement technique with high sensitivity to mechanical stress that does not require any special sample preparation procedures in comparison to characterization involving transmission electron microscopy (TEM), making it suitable for inline strain measurement in the semiconductor industry. Indeed, at present, strain measurements using Raman spectroscopy are already routinely carried out in semiconductor devices as it is cost effective, fast and non-destructive. In this paper we explore the usage of linearized radially polarized light as an excitation source, which does provide significantly enhanced accuracy and precision as compared to linearly polarized light for this application. Numerical simulations are done to quantitatively evaluate the electric field intensities that contribute to this enhanced sensitivity. We benchmark the experimental results against TEM diffraction-based techniques like nano-beam diffraction and Bessel diffraction. Differences between both approaches are assigned to strain relaxation due to sample thinning required in TEM setups, demonstrating the benefit of Raman for nondestructive inline testing.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000708940500144 Publication Date 2021-10-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1094-4087 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.307 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, 823717 – ESTEEM3 ; GOA project, “Solarpaint” ; Herculesstichting;; esteem3jra; esteem3reported; Approved Most recent IF: 3.307  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:182472 Serial 6816  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Fatermans, J.; Romolini, G.; Altantzis, T.; Hofkens, J.; Roeffaers, M.B.J.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Atomic-scale detection of individual lead clusters confined in Linde Type A zeolites Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract (up) Structural analysis of metal clusters confined in nanoporous materials is typically performed by X-ray-driven techniques. Although X-ray analysis has proved its strength in the characterization of metal clusters, it provides averaged structural information. Therefore, we here present an alternative workflow for bringing the characterization of confined metal clusters towards the local scale. This workflow is based on the combination of aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM), TEM image simulations, and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) with advanced statistical techniques. In this manner, we were able to characterize the clustering of Pb atoms in Linde Type A (LTA) zeolites with Pb loadings as low as 5 wt%. Moreover, individual Pb clusters could be directly detected. The proposed methodology thus enables a local-scale characterization of confined metal clusters in zeolites. This is important for further elucidation of the connection between the structure and the physicochemical properties of such systems.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000809619900001 Publication Date 0000-00-00  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.7 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge the Research Foundation Flanders through project fundings (FWO, G026718N, G050218N, ZW15_09-G0H6316N, and W002221N) and through a PhD scholarship to G.R. (grant 11C6920N), as well as iBOF-21-085 PERSIST. T.A. and S.V.A. acknowledge funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). J.H. acknowledges the Flemish government through long-term structural funding Methusalem (CASAS2, Meth/15/04) and the MPI as MPI fellow. M.R. acknowledges funding by the KU Leuven Research Fund (C14/19/079). S.B. and S.V.A. 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 authors thank Dr. D. Chernyshov for the collection of XRD measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 6.7  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:189061 Serial 7076  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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 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 (up) 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  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Johnson, G.; Yang, M.Y.; Liu, C.; Zhou, H.; Zuo, X.; Dickie, D.A.; Wang, S.; Gao, W.; Anaclet, B.; Perras, F.A.; Ma, F.; Zeng, C.; Wang, D.; Bals, S.; Dai, S.; Xu, Z.; Liu, G.; Goddard III, W.A.; Zhang, S. doi  openurl
  Title Nanocluster superstructures assembled via surface ligand switching at high temperature Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Nature synthesis Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 2 Issue 9 Pages 828-837  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Superstructures with nanoscale building blocks, when coupled with precise control of the constituent units, open opportunities in rationally designing and manufacturing desired functional materials. Yet, synthetic strategies for the large-scale production of superstructures are scarce. We report a scalable and generalized approach to synthesizing superstructures assembled from atomically precise Ce24O28(OH)8 and other rare-earth metal-oxide nanoclusters alongside a detailed description of the self-assembly mechanism. Combining operando small-angle X-ray scattering, ex situ molecular and structural characterizations, and molecular dynamics simulations indicates that a high-temperature ligand-switching mechanism, from oleate to benzoate, governs the formation of the nanocluster assembly. The chemical tuning of surface ligands controls superstructure disassembly and reassembly, and furthermore, enables the synthesis of multicomponent superstructures. This synthetic approach, and the accurate mechanistic understanding, are promising for the preparation of superstructures for use in electronics, plasmonics, magnetics and catalysis. Synthesizing superstructures with precisely controlled nanoscale building blocks is challenging. Here the assembly of superstructures is reported from atomically precise Ce24O28(OH)8 and other rare-earth metal-oxide nanoclusters and their multicomponent combinations. A high-temperature ligand-switching mechanism controls the self-assembly.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001124824000001 Publication Date 2023-05-01  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:202180 Serial 9060  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Grünewald, L.; Chezganov, D.; De Meyer, R.; Orekhov, A.; Van Aert, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Bals, S.; Verbeeck, J. doi  openurl
  Title Supplementary Information for “In-situ Plasma Studies using a Direct Current Microplasma in a Scanning Electron Microscope” Type Dataset
  Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords Dataset; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract (up) Supplementary information for the article “In-situ Plasma Studies using a Direct Current Microplasma in a Scanning Electron Microscope” containing the videos of in-situ SEM imaging (mp4 files), raw data/images, and Jupyter notebooks (ipynb files) for data treatment and plots. Link to the preprint: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2308.15123 Explanation of the data files can be found in the Information.pdf file. The Videos folder contains the in-situ SEM image series mentioned in the paper. If there are any questions/bugs, feel free to contact me at lukas.grunewaldatuantwerpen.be  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:203389 Serial 9100  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Verbruggen, S.W.; Deng, S.; Kurttepeli, M.; Cott, D.J.; Vereecken, P.M.; Bals, S.; Martens, J.A.; Detavernier, C.; Lenaerts, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Photocatalytic acetaldehyde oxidation in air using spacious TiO2 films prepared by atomic layer deposition on supported carbonaceous sacrificial templates Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication Applied catalysis : B : environmental Abbreviated Journal Appl Catal B-Environ  
  Volume 160 Issue Pages 204-210  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract (up) Supported carbon nanosheets and carbon nanotubes served as sacrificial templates for preparing spacious TiO2 photocatalytic thin films. Amorphous TiO2 was deposited conformally on the carbonaceous template material by atomic layer deposition (ALD). Upon calcination at 550 °C, the carbon template was oxidatively removed and the as-deposited continuous amorphous TiO2 layers transformed into interlinked anatase nanoparticles with an overall morphology commensurate to the original template structure. The effect of type of template, number of ALD cycles and gas residence time of pollutant on the photocatalytic activity, as well as the stability of the photocatalytic performance of these thin films was investigated. The TiO2 films exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity toward photocatalytic degradation of acetaldehyde in air as a model reaction for photocatalytic indoor air pollution abatement. Optimized films outperformed a reference film of commercial PC500.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000340687900024 Publication Date 2014-05-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0926-3373; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.446 Times cited 37 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes 335078 Colouratom; Iap-Pai P7/05; Fwo; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 9.446; 2014 IF: 7.435  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:117094 Serial 2608  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, Y.; Sentosun, K.; Li, A.; Coronado-Puchau, M.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Li, S.; Su, X.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Engineering Structural Diversity in Gold Nanocrystals by Ligand-Mediated Interface Control Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater  
  Volume 27 Issue 27 Pages 8032-8040  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Surface and interface control is fundamentally important for crystal growth engineering, catalysis, surface enhanced spectroscopies, and self-assembly, among other processes and applications. Understanding the role of ligands in regulating surface properties of plasmonic metal nanocrystals during growth has received considerable attention. However, the underlying mechanisms and the diverse functionalities of ligands are yet to be fully addressed. In this contribution,

we report a systematic study of ligand-mediated interface control in seeded growth of gold nanocrystals, leading to diverse and exotic nanostructures with an improved surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity. Three dimensional transmission electron microscopy (3D TEM) revealed an intriguing gold shell growth process mediated by the bifunctional ligand 1,4-benzenedithiol (BDT), which leads to a unique crystal growth mechanism as compared to other ligands, and subsequently to the concept of interfacial energy control mechanism. Volmer-Weber growth mode was proposed to be responsible for BDT-mediated seeded growth, favoring the strongest interfacial energy and generating an asymmetric island growth pathway with internal crevices/gaps. This additionally favors incorporation of BDT at the plasmonic nanogaps, thereby generating strong SERS activity with a maximum efficiency for a core-semishell configuration obtained along seeded growth. Numerical modeling was used to explain this observation. Interestingly, the same strategy can be used to engineer the structural diversity of this system, by using gold nanoparticle seeds with various sizes and shapes, and varying the [Au3+]/[Au0] ratio. This rendered a series of diverse and exotic plasmonic nanohybrids such as semishell-coated gold nanorods, with embedded Raman-active tags and Janus surface with distinct surface functionalities.

These would greatly enrich the plasmonic nanostructure toolbox for various studies and applications such as anisotropic nanocrystal engineering, SERS, and high-resolution Raman bioimaging or nanoantenna devices.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000366223200023 Publication Date 2015-10-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756;1520-5002; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.466 Times cited 18 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors thank Bart Goris for his help with electron tomography. This work was funded by the European Commission (Grant #310445-2, SAVVY). The authors acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant # 267867- PLASMAQUO, ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS). The authors also appreciate financial support from the European Union under the Seventh Framework Program (Integrated Infrastructure Initiative N. 262348 European Soft Matter Infrastructure, ESMI). Wang Y. and Su X. would like to acknowledge the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, for the financial support under the Grant JCO 14302FG096. M. C.-P. acknowledges an FPU scholarship from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 9.466; 2015 IF: 8.354  
  Call Number c:irua:129598 c:irua:129598 Serial 3972  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, Y.; Belén Serrano, A.; Sentosun, K.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Stabilization and encapsulation of gold nanostars mediated by dithiols Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume 11 Issue 11 Pages 4314-4320  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) 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  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Goris, B.; Guzzinati, G.; Fernández-López, C.; Pérez-Juste, J.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Trügler, A.; Hohenester, U.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasmon mapping in Au@Ag nanocube assemblies Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 118 Issue 28 Pages 15356-15362  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Surface plasmon modes in metallic nanostructures largely determine their optoelectronic properties. Such plasmon modes can be manipulated by changing the morphology of the nanoparticles or by bringing plasmonic nanoparticle building blocks close to each other within organized assemblies. We report the EELS mapping of such plasmon modes in pure Ag nanocubes, Au@Ag coreshell nanocubes, and arrays of Au@Ag nanocubes. We show that these arrays enable the creation of interesting plasmonic structures starting from elementary building blocks. Special attention will be dedicated to the plasmon modes in a triangular array formed by three nanocubes. Because of hybridization, a combination of such nanotriangles is shown to provide an antenna effect, resulting in strong electrical field enhancement at the narrow gap between the nanotriangles.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000339368700031 Publication Date 2014-06-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 41 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fwo; 246791 Countatoms; 278510 Vortex; 335078 Colouratom; 262348 Esmi ECASJO;; ECASSara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2014 IF: 4.772  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:118099UA @ admin @ c:irua:118099 Serial 2644  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Micelle-directed chiral seeded growth on anisotropic gold nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 368 Issue 368 Pages 1472-1477  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) 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  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Aerts, A.; Follens, L.R.A.; Biermans, E.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Loppinet, B.; Kirschhock, C.E.A.; Martens, J.A. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Modelling of synchrotron SAXS patterns of silicalite-1 zeolite during crystallization Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2011 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 13 Issue 10 Pages 4318-4325  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to characterize silicalite-1 zeolite crystallization from TEOS/TPAOH/water clear sol. SAXS patterns were recorded over a broad range of length scales, enabling the simultaneous monitoring of nanoparticles and crystals occurring at various stages of the synthesis. A simple two-population model accurately described the patterns. Nanoparticles were modeled by polydisperse coreshell spheres and crystals by monodisperse oblate ellipsoids. These models were consistent with TEM images. The SAXS results, in conjunction with in situ light scattering, showed that nucleation of crystals occurred in a short period of time. Crystals were uniform in size and shape and became increasingly anisotropic during growth. In the presence of nanoparticles, crystal growth was fast. During crystal growth, the number of nanoparticles decreased gradually but their size was constant. These observations suggested that the nanoparticles were growth units in an aggregative crystal growth mechanism. Crystals grown in the presence of nanoparticles developed a faceted habit and intergrowths. In the final stages of growth, nanoparticles were depleted. Concurrently, the crystal growth rate decreased significantly.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Cambridge Editor  
  Language Wos 000287584700017 Publication Date 2011-01-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9076;1463-9084; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.123 Times cited 22 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo; Iap; Esteem 026019 Approved Most recent IF: 4.123; 2011 IF: 3.573  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:87602 Serial 2155  
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Author Xia, C.; Winckelmans, N.; Prins, P.T.; Bals, S.; Gerritsen, H.C.; de Mello Donegá, C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Near-Infrared-Emitting CuInS2/ZnS Dot-in-Rod Colloidal Heteronanorods by Seeded Growth Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal of the American Chemical Society Abbreviated Journal J Am Chem Soc  
  Volume 140 Issue 140 Pages 5755-5763  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Synthesis protocols for anisotropic CuInX2 (X = S, Se, Te)-based heteronanocrystals (HNCs) are scarce due to the difficulty in balancing the reactivities of multiple precursors and the high solid-state diffusion rates of the cations involved in the CuInX2 lattice. In this work, we report a multistep seeded growth synthesis protocol that yields colloidal wurtzite CuInS2/ZnS dot core/rod shell HNCs with photoluminescence in the NIR (∼800 nm). The wurtzite CuInS2 NCs used as seeds are obtained by topotactic partial Cu+ for In3+ cation exchange in template Cu2–xS NCs. The seed NCs are injected in a hot solution of zinc oleate and hexadecylamine in octadecene, 20 s after the injection of sulfur in octadecene. This results in heteroepitaxial growth of wurtzite ZnS primarily on the Sulfur-terminated polar facet of the CuInS2 seed NCs, the other facets being overcoated only by a thin (∼1 monolayer) shell. The fast (∼21 nm/min) asymmetric axial growth of the nanorod proceeds by addition of [ZnS] monomer units, so that the polarity of the terminal (002) facet is preserved throughout the growth. The delayed injection of the CuInS2 seed NCs is crucial to allow the concentration of [ZnS] monomers to build up, thereby maximizing the anisotropic heteroepitaxial growth rates while minimizing the rates of competing processes (etching, cation exchange, alloying). Nevertheless, a mild etching still occurred, likely prior to the onset of heteroepitaxial overgrowth, shrinking the core size from 5.5 to ∼4 nm. The insights provided by this work open up new possibilities in designing multifunctional Cu-chalcogenide based colloidal heteronanocrystals.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000431600000016 Publication Date 2018-03-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0002-7863 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.858 Times cited 43 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Chenghui Xia acknowledges China Scholarship Council (CSC) for financial support (NO. 201406330055). S.B and N.W. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. COLOURATOMS 335078). C.d.M.D. acknowledge financial support from the division of Chemical Sciences (CW) of The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) under Grant Number ECHO.712.014.001. The authors thank Xiaobin Xie and Da Wang for some TEM measurements, Donglong Fu for XRD measurements, Christina H. M. van Oversteeg for ICP-OES measurements, and Chun-Che Lin for suggestions regarding the synthesis. ECAS_Sara (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 13.858  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:150362UA @ admin @ c:irua:150362 Serial 4917  
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Author van der Stam, W.; Gradmann, S.; Altantzis, T.; Ke, X.; Baldus, M.; Bals, S.; de Mello Donega, C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Shape Control of Colloidal Cu2-x S Polyhedral Nanocrystals by Tuning the Nucleation Rates Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater  
  Volume 28 Issue 28 Pages 6705-6715  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Synthesis protocols for colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) with narrow size and shape distributions are of particular interest for the successful implementation of these nanocrystals into devices. Moreover, the preparation of NCs with well-defined crystal phases is of key importance. In this work, we show that Sn(IV)-thiolate complexes formed in situ strongly influence the nucleation and growth rates of colloidal Cu2-x S polyhedral NCs, thereby dictating their final size, shape, and crystal structure. This allowed us to successfully synthesize hexagonal bifrustums and hexagonal bipyramid NCs with low-chalcocite crystal structure, and hexagonal nanoplatelets with various thicknesses and aspect ratios with the djurleite crystal structure, by solely varying the concentration of Sn(IV)-additives (namely, SnBr4) in the reaction medium. Solution and solid-state 119Sn NMR measurements show that SnBr4 is converted in situ to Sn(IV)-thiolate complexes, which increase the Cu2-x S nucleation barrier without affecting the precursor conversion rates. This influences both the nucleation and growth rates in a concentration-dependent fashion and leads to a better separation between nucleation and growth. Our approach of tuning the nucleation and growth rates with in situ-generated Sn-thiolate complexes might have a more general impact due to the availability of various metal-thiolate complexes, possibly resulting in polyhedral NCs of a wide variety of metal-sulfide compositions.  
  Address Condensed Matter and Interfaces, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University , P.O. Box 80000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Wos 000384399000037 Publication Date 2016-09-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.466 Times cited 27 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes W.v.d.S. and C.d.M.D. acknowledge financial support from the division of Chemical Sciences (CW) of The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) under grant number ECHO.712.012.001. M.B. also gratefully acknowledges NWO for funding the NMR infrastructure (Middle Groot program, grant number 700.58.102). S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant # 335078-COLOURATOMS).; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 9.466  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:135928 Serial 4285  
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Author Dendooven, J.; Ramachandran, R.K.; Solano, E.; Kurttepeli, M.; Geerts, L.; Heremans, G.; Ronge, J.; Minjauw, M.M.; Dobbelaere, T.; Devloo-Casier, K.; Martens, J.A.; Vantomme, A.; Bals, S.; Portale, G.; Coati, A.; Detavernier, C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Independent tuning of size and coverage of supported Pt nanoparticles using atomic layer deposition Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Nature communications Abbreviated Journal Nat Commun  
  Volume 8 Issue 8 Pages 1074  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Synthetic methods that allow for the controlled design of well-defined Pt nanoparticles are highly desirable for fundamental catalysis research. In this work, we propose a strategy that allows precise and independent control of the Pt particle size and coverage. Our approach exploits the versatility of the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique by combining two ALD processes for Pt using different reactants. The particle areal density is controlled by tailoring the number of ALD cycles using trimethyl(methylcyclopentadienyl) platinum and oxygen, while subsequent growth using the same Pt precursor in combination with nitrogen plasma allows for tuning of the particle size at the atomic level. The excellent control over the particle morphology is clearly demonstrated by means of in situ and ex situ X-ray fluorescence and grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering experiments, providing information about the Pt loading, average particle dimensions, and mean center-to-center particle distance.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000413353500023 Publication Date 2017-10-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2041-1723 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.124 Times cited 88 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; This research was funded by the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO), the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (GOA 01G01513) and the Flemish Government (Medium-scale research infrastructure funding-Hercules funding). J. D., T. D. and M. M. M. acknowledge the FWO for a research fellowship. S. B. acknowledges the European Research Council, ERC grant no. 335078-Colouratom. For the GISAXS and XRF measurements at SOLEIL, the authors received funding from the European Community's Trans National Access Program CALIPSO. We are also grateful to the SOLEIL and ESRF staff for smoothly running the facilities. The authors thank G. Verellen for his help with drawing the 3D sketches. ; ecas_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 12.124  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:146668UA @ admin @ c:irua:146668 Serial 4786  
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Author Rehor, I.; Lee, K.L.; Chen, K.; Hajek, M.; Havlik, J.; Lokajova, J.; Masat, M.; Slegerova, J.; Shukla, S.; Heidari, H.; Bals, S.; Steinmetz, N.F.; Cigler, P. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Plasmonic nanodiamonds : targeted coreshell type nanoparticles for cancer cell thermoablation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication Advanced healthcare materials Abbreviated Journal Adv Healthc Mater  
  Volume 4 Issue 4 Pages 460-468  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) Targeted biocompatible nanostructures with controlled plasmonic and morphological parameters are promising materials for cancer treatment based on selective thermal ablation of cells. Here, coreshell plasmonic nanodiamonds consisting of a silica-encapsulated diamond nanocrystal coated in a gold shell are designed and synthesized. The architecture of particles is analyzed and confirmed in detail using electron tomography. The particles are biocompatibilized using a PEG polymer terminated with bioorthogonally reactive alkyne groups. Azide-modified transferrin is attached to these particles, and their high colloidal stability and successful targeting to cancer cells overexpressing the transferrin receptor are demonstrated. The particles are nontoxic to the cells and they are readily internalized upon binding to the transferrin receptor. The high plasmonic cross section of the particles in the near-infrared region is utilized to quantitatively ablate the cancer cells with a short, one-minute irradiation by a pulse 750-nm laser.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000349961600014 Publication Date 2015-02-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2192-2640; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.11 Times cited 30 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 5.11; 2015 IF: 5.797  
  Call Number c:irua:125375 Serial 2647  
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Author Arenas-Vivo, A.; Rojas, S.; Ocaña, I.; Torres, A.; Liras, M.; Salles, F.; Arenas-Esteban, D.; Bals, S.; Ávila, D.; Horcajada, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Ultrafast reproducible synthesis of a Ag-nanocluster@MOF composite and its superior visible-photocatalytic activity in batch and in continuous flow Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Materials Chemistry A Abbreviated Journal J Mater Chem A  
  Volume 9 Issue 28 Pages 15704-15713  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract (up) The (photo)catalytic properties of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can be enhanced by post-synthetic inclusion of metallic species in their porosity. Due to their extraordinarily high surface area and well defined porous structure, MOFs can be used for the stabilization of metal nanoparticles with adjustable size within their porosity. Originally, we present here an optimized ultrafast photoreduction protocol for the<italic>in situ</italic>synthesis of tiny and monodisperse silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) homogeneously supported on a photoactive porous titanium carboxylate MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>MOF. The strong metal–framework interaction between –NH<sub>2</sub>and Ag atoms influences the AgNC growth, leading to the surfactant-free efficient catalyst AgNC@MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>with improved visible light absorption. The potential use of AgNC@MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>was further tested in challenging applications: (i) the photodegradation of the emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) methylene blue (MB-dye) and sulfamethazine (SMT-antibiotic) in water treatment, and (ii) the catalytic hydrogenation of<italic>p</italic>-nitroaniline (4-NA) to<italic>p</italic>-phenylenediamine (PPD) with industrial interest. It is noteworthy that compared with the pristine MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>, the composite presents an improved catalytic activity and stability, being able to photodegrade 92% of MB in 60 min and 96% of SMT in 30 min, and transform 100% of 4-NA to PPD in 30 min. Aside from these very good results, this study describes for the first time the use of a MOF in a visible light continuous flow reactor for wastewater treatment. With only 10 mg of AgNC@MIL-125-NH<sub>2</sub>, high SMT removal efficiency over 70% is maintained after >2 h under water flow conditions found in real wastewater treatment plants, signaling a future real application of MOFs in water remediation.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000671839200001 Publication Date 2021-06-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2050-7488 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.867 Times cited 18 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Comunidad de Madrid, CAM PEJD-2016/IND-2828 Talento Modality 2, 2017-T2/IND-5149 ; Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, Raphuel project (ENE2016-79608-C2-1-R) Retos Project MAT2017-84385-R ; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Juan de la Cierva Incorporación Fellowship (grant agreement no. IJC2019-038894-I) MOFSEIDON project (PID2019-104228RB-I00) Ramón y Cajal, Grant Agreements 2014-15039 and 2015-18677 ; Fundación BBVA, IN[17]CBBQUI_0197 ; H2020 European Research Council, ERC Consolidator Grant REALNANO 815128 Grant Agreement no. 731019 (EUSMI) ; sygmaSB; Approved Most recent IF: 8.867  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179791 Serial 6802  
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Author Goris, B.; van den Broek, W.; Batenburg, K.J.; Heidari Mezerji, H.; Bals, S. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Electron tomography based on a total variation minimization reconstruction technique Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy  
  Volume 113 Issue Pages 120-130  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab  
  Abstract (up) The 3D reconstruction of a tilt series for electron tomography is mostly carried out using the weighted backprojection (WBP) algorithm or using one of the iterative algorithms such as the simultaneous iterative reconstruction technique (SIRT). However, it is known that these reconstruction algorithms cannot compensate for the missing wedge. Here, we apply a new reconstruction algorithm for electron tomography, which is based on compressive sensing. This is a field in image processing specialized in finding a sparse solution or a solution with a sparse gradient to a set of ill-posed linear equations. Therefore, it can be applied to electron tomography where the reconstructed objects often have a sparse gradient at the nanoscale. Using a combination of different simulated and experimental datasets, it is shown that missing wedge artefacts are reduced in the final reconstruction. Moreover, it seems that the reconstructed datasets have a higher fidelity and are easier to segment in comparison to reconstructions obtained by more conventional iterative algorithms.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000300554400006 Publication Date 2011-11-14  
  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 171 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2012 IF: 2.470  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:93637 Serial 987  
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