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	Author	Vasilakou, K.; Nimmegeers, P.; Billen, P.; Van Passel, S.
	Title	Geospatial environmental techno-economic assessment of pretreatment technologies for bioethanol production			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Renewable and sustainable energy reviews	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	187	Issue		Pages	113743-16
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Economics; Engineering sciences. Technology; Engineering Management (ENM); Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS)
	Abstract	Second-generation biofuels, starting from lignocellulosic biomass, are considered as a renewable alternative for fossil fuels with lower environmental impact and potentially higher supply and energy security. The economic and environmental performance of second-generation bioethanol production from corn stover in the European Union (EU) is studied, starting in Belgium as base case. A comparative environmental techno-economic assessment has been conducted, with process simulations in Aspen Plus and corn stover availability data in thirteen EU countries to calculate minimum ethanol selling prices (MESP) and Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe). In this analysis, the emphasis is on the comparison of different pretreatment technologies, namely (i) dilute acid, (ii) alkaline, (iii) steam explosion and (iv) liquid hot water. Dilute acid showed the best economic and environmental performance for the base case scenario. Within the EU, Hungary and Romania presented the lowest MESP for the steam explosion model at 0.39 and 0.43 EUR/L respectively. Poland showed the lowest GHGe, at 0.46 kg CO2eq/L for the alkaline model, mainly due to the avoided product allocation on electricity and its high carbon intensity in the electricity generation sector. The second lowest GHGe were obtained in France for the dilute acid model and are attributed to its low agricultural emissions intensity. This study identifies a location-dependence of the economic and environmental performance of pretreatment technologies, which can be extrapolated from the EU to other large regions around the world and should be taken into consideration by decision-makers.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001082526000001	Publication Date	2023-09-15
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1364-0321; 1879-0690	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor		Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:198804			Serial	9205
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Vasilakou, K.; Nimmegeers, P.; Thomassen, G.; Billen, P.; Van Passel, S.
	Title	Assessing the future of second-generation bioethanol by 2030 : a techno-economic assessment integrating technology learning curves			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Applied energy	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	344	Issue		Pages	121263-15
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Economics; Engineering sciences. Technology; Engineering Management (ENM); Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS)
	Abstract	Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant source of renewable biomass and is seen as a high-potential replacement for petroleum-based resources. The conversion technologies to advanced biofuels are still at a low maturity level, thus allowing for future cost reductions through technological learning. This fact is barely considered in state-of-the-art techno-economic assessments and a structured approach to account for technological learning in techno-economic assessments is needed. In this study, a framework for techno-economic assessments of advanced biofuels, integrating learning curves, is proposed. As a validation of this framework, the economic feasibility of the valorization of corn stover for the production of second-generation bioethanol in Belgium is studied. Process flowsheet simulations in Aspen Plus are developed, with an emphasis on the comparison of four different pretreatment technologies and two plant capacities at 156 dry kt biomass/y and 667 dry kt/y. The dilute acid pretreatment model of the large-scale biorefinery required the lowest minimum learning rate to reach an economically feasible biorefinery by 2030, being 3.9%, almost half as the one calculated for the smaller scale plant. This learning rate seems to be achievable based on learning rates commonly estimated in literature. We conclude that there is a potential for advanced ethanol production in Belgium under the current state of technology for large-scale biorefineries, which require additional biomass imports, when accounting for future cost reductions through learning
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001007488700001	Publication Date	2023-05-22
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0306-2619	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor		Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:196509			Serial	9186
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Vega-Paredes, M.; Aymerich-Armengol, R.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Marti-Sanchez, S.; Bals, S.; Scheu, C.; Manjon, A.G.
	Title	Electrochemical stability of rhodium-platinum core-shell nanoparticles : an identical location scanning transmission electron microscopy study			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	ACS nano	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	17	Issue	17	Pages	16943-16951
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
	Abstract	Rhodium-platinum core-shell nanoparticleson a carbonsupport (Rh@Pt/C NPs) are promising candidates as anode catalystsfor polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. However, their electrochemicalstability needs to be further explored for successful applicationin commercial fuel cells. Here we employ identical location scanningtransmission electron microscopy to track the morphological and compositionalchanges of Rh@Pt/C NPs during potential cycling (10 000 cycles,0.06-0.8 V-RHE, 0.5 H2SO4)down to the atomic level, which are then used for understanding thecurrent evolution occurring during the potential cycles. Our resultsreveal a high stability of the Rh@Pt/C system and point toward particledetachment from the carbon support as the main degradation mechanism.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001051495900001	Publication Date	2023-08-21
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1936-0851	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	17.1	Times cited	2	Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes	The authors would like to thank C. Bodirsky for providing the samples, N. Rivas Rivas for his corrections on the manuscript, and D. Chatain for providing her expertise on the equilibrium shape of nanoparticles. Special thanks to B. Breitbach for performing the XRD experiments. A.G.M. acknowledges the Grant RYC2021-033479- I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and, as appropriate, by European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR.			Approved	Most recent IF: 17.1; 2023 IF: 13.942
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:199253			Serial	8859
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	Author	Verbruggen, L.; Verheggen, L.; Vanhoutte, G.; Loly, C.; Lybaert, W.; Borbath, I.; Vergauwe, P.; Hendrickx, K.; Debeuckelaere, C.; de Haar-Holleman, A.; Van Laethem, J.-L.; Peeters, M.
	Title	A real-world analysis on the efficacy and tolerability of liposomal irinotecan plus 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in Belgium			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Therapeutic advances in medical oncology	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	15	Issue		Pages	1-13
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Center for Oncological Research (CORE)
	Abstract	Background: Currently, nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI) + 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid (5-FU/ LV) is the only approved second-line treatment for patients suffering from metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC). However, also other chemotherapeutic regimens are used in this setting and due to the lack of clear real-world data on the efficacy of the different regimens, there is no consensus on the optimal treatment sequence for mPDAC patients. Objectives: To provide information on the safe and efficacious use of nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV in clinical practice in Belgium, which is needed for healthcare professionals to estimate the risk-benefit ratio of the intervention. Methods: Medical data of adult patients with mPDAC who were treated with nal-IRI + 5-FU/ LV in one of the participating Belgian hospitals were retrospectively collected. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to obtain survival curves to estimate the median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). All other results were presented descriptively. Results: A total of 56 patients [median age at diagnosis: 69 years (range 43 years), 57.1% male] were included. Patients received a median of 5 (range 49 cycles) nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV cycles, extended over 10 weeks (range 130.8 weeks). The median start dose for nal-IRI was 70 mg/ m(2) (range 49.24 mg/m(2)) and chemotherapy dose reduction and delay occurred in, respectively, 42.8% and 37.5% of the patients. The median OS was 6.8 months (95% CI: 5.6-8.4 months) with a 6-month survival rate of 57.4% and a 1-year survival rate of 27.8% in the overall study population. The median OS for patients treated with nal-IRI as second-line therapy or as laterline treatment was, respectively, 6.8 months (95% CI: 5.9-7.0 months) and 5.6 months (95% CI: 4.2-no upper limit). In the overall study population, a median PFS of 3.1 months (95% CI: 2.4-4.6 months) and a disease control rate of 48.3%, comprising 30.4% stable disease, 16.1% partial and 1.8% complete response, was observed. The median PFS for patients treated with nal-IRI as second-line therapy was 3.9 months (95% CI: 2.8-4.8 months) while this was 2.4 months (95% CI: 1.9-9.1 months) for those that received nal-IRI in a later-line treatment. In terms of safety, gastrointestinal problems occurred most (64.3% of the patients) and from all reported treatment emergent adverse events, 39.2% were grade 3 or 4. Conclusion: Nal-IRI + 5-FU/LV is a valuable, effective, and safe sequential treatment option following gemcitabine-based therapy in patients with mPDAC.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001051446400001	Publication Date	2023-08-18
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1758-8340; 1758-8359	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor		Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:199296			Serial	9183
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Verbruggen, S.; Van Acker, M.; Furlan, C.; Mercelis, S.; Durt, A.
	Title	ATLANTES : the mATeriaL spAtial dimeNsion of wasTE flowS: visualising waste streams in the Province of Antwerp			Type	Minutes and reports
	Year	2023	Publication		Abbreviated Journal
	Volume		Issue		Pages
	Keywords	Minutes and reports; Economics; Engineering sciences. Technology; Internet Data Lab (IDLab); Research Group for Urban Development; Henry van de Velde
	Abstract
	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
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:199837			Serial	9187
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Verbruggen, S.W.; Mul, G.
	Title	Editorial overview : photocatalysis 2022 shining light on a diversity of research opportunities			Type	Editorial
	Year	2023	Publication	Current opinion in green and sustainable chemistry	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	42	Issue		Pages	100838-2
	Keywords	Editorial; Engineering sciences. Technology
	Abstract
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001034184800001	Publication Date	2023-06-03
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2452-2236	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor	9.3	Times cited		Open Access	Not_Open_Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 9.3; 2023 IF: NA
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:197220			Serial	8854
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	Author	Verdierre, G.; Gauquelin, N.; Jannis, D.; Birkhölzer, Y.A.; Mallik, S.; Verbeeck, J.; Bibes, M.; Koster, G.
	Title	Epitaxial growth of the candidate ferroelectric Rashba material SrBiO₃by pulsed laser deposition			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	APL materials	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	11	Issue	3	Pages	031109
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
	Abstract	Among oxides, bismuthates have been gaining much interest due to their unique features. In addition to their superconducting properties, they show potential for applications as topological insulators and as possible spin-to-charge converters. After being first investigated in their bulk form in the 1980s, bismuthates have been successfully grown as thin films. However, most efforts have focused on BaBiO<sub>3</sub>, with SrBiO<sub>3</sub>receiving only little attention. Here, we report the growth of epitaxial films of SrBiO<sub>3</sub>on both TiO<sub>2</sub>-terminated SrTiO<sub>3</sub>and NdO-terminated NdScO<sub>3</sub>substrates by pulsed laser deposition. SrBiO<sub>3</sub>has a pseudocubic lattice constant of ∼4.25 Å and grows relaxed on NdScO<sub>3</sub>. Counter-intuitively, it grows with a slight tensile strain on SrTiO<sub>3</sub>despite a large lattice mismatch, which should induce compressive strain. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that this occurs as a consequence of structural domain matching, with blocks of 10 SrBiO<sub>3</sub>unit planes matching blocks of 11 SrTiO<sub>3</sub>unit planes. This work provides a framework for the synthesis of high quality perovskite bismuthates films and for the understanding of their interface interactions with homostructural substrates.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000953363800004	Publication Date	2023-03-01
	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	OpenAccess
	Notes	This work received support from the ERC Advanced grant (Grant No. 833973) “FRESCO” and funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under Grant Agreement No. 823717—ESTEEM3, Van Gogh travel grant, Nuffic, The Netherlands (CF No. 42582SB).; esteem3reported; esteem3TA			Approved	Most recent IF: 6.1; 2023 IF: 4.335
	Call Number	EMAT @ emat @c:irua:196135			Serial	7377
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	Author	Verheyen, C.; van ’t Veer, K.; Snyders, R.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	Atomic oxygen assisted CO2 conversion: A theoretical analysis			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Journal of CO2 utilization	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	67	Issue		Pages	102347
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	With climate change still a pressing issue, there is a great need for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) methods. We propose a novel concept where CO2 conversion is accomplished by O2 splitting followed by the addition of O atoms to CO2. The latter is studied here by means of kinetic modelling. In the first instance, we study various CO2/O ratios, and we observe an optimal CO2 conversion of around 30–40% for 50% O addition. Gas temperature also has a large influence, with a minimum temperature of around 1000 K to a maximum of 2000 K for optimal conversion. In the second instance, we study various CO2/O/O2 ratios, due to O2 being a starting gas. Also here we define optimal regions for CO2 conversion, which reach maximum conversion for a CO2 fraction of 50% and an O/O2 ratio bigger than 1. Those can be expanded by heating on one hand, for low atomic oxygen availability, and by quenching after reaction on the other hand, for cases where the temperatures are too high. Our model predictions can serve as a guideline for experimental research in this domain.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000908384000005	Publication Date	0000-00-00
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2212-9820	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	7.7	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes	This research was supported by FWO – PhD fellowship-aspirant, Grant 1184820N. We also want to thank Bj¨orn Loenders and Joachim Slaets.			Approved	Most recent IF: 7.7; 2023 IF: 4.292
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:192321			Serial	7231
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	Author	Vermeulen, S.; Cools, J.; Staes, J.; Van Passel, S.
	Title	A review of economic assessments of drought risk reduction approaches in agriculture			Type	Administrative Services
	Year	2023	Publication	Journal of environmental management	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	345	Issue		Pages	118909-118912
	Keywords	Administrative Services; A1 Journal article; Economics; Ecosphere; Engineering Management (ENM)
	Abstract	Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of droughts are expected to increase. To improve resilience to droughts, proactive drought management is essential. Economic assessments are typically included to decide on the drought risk-reducing investments to make. The choice of both methods and scope of economic assessments influences the outcome, and thus the investment choice. This paper aims to identify how comprehensively economic assessments are applied in practice. Through a systematic literature review, 14 actual economic assessments are identified and their methods are evaluated based on seven criteria for economic assessments as derived from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The results show that in practice, economic assessments rarely address all criteria. Applying a limited number of criteria reduces the scope and narrows the approach, possibly leading to the underestimation of drought risk reduction approaches’ related benefits. Applying the seven criteria in practice will improve the results of economic assessments of drought risk reduction measures, allowing for optimal investment selection. Based on the different criteria, a Framework for Economic Assessments of Drought Risk-Reducing Applications (FEADRRA) is proposed. Applying the criteria of the framework can support decision-makers in drought risk management and in carrying out the most fitting drought interventions.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001080044100001	Publication Date	2023-08-31
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0301-4797	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor		Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:199661			Serial	9222
Permanent link to this record



	Author	Verswyvel, H.; Deben, C.; Wouters, A.; Lardon, F.; Bogaerts, A.; Smits, E.; Lin, A.
	Title	Phototoxicity and cell passage affect intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and sensitivity towards non-thermal plasma treatment in fluorescently-labeled cancer cells			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Journal of physics: D: applied physics	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	56	Issue	29	Pages	294001
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Center for Oncological Research (CORE)
	Abstract	Live-cell imaging with fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool, especially in cancer research, widely-used for capturing dynamic cellular processes over time. However, light-induced toxicity (phototoxicity) can be incurred from this method, via disruption of intracellular redox balance and an overload of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This can introduce confounding effects in an experiment, especially in the context of evaluating and screening novel therapies. Here, we aimed to unravel whether phototoxicity can impact cellular homeostasis and response to non-thermal plasma (NTP), a therapeutic strategy which specifically targets the intracellular redox balance. We demonstrate that cells incorporated with a fluorescent reporter for live-cell imaging have increased sensitivity to NTP, when exposed to ambient light or fluorescence excitation, likely through altered proliferation rates and baseline intracellular ROS levels. These changes became even more pronounced the longer the cells stayed in culture. Therefore, our results have important implications for research implementing this analysis technique and are particularly important for designing experiments and evaluating redox-based therapies like NTP.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000978180500001	Publication Date	2023-07-20
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0022-3727	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	3.4	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes	This work was partially funded by the Research Foundation— Flanders (FWO) and supported by the following Grants: 1S67621N (H V), 12S9221N (A L), and G044420N (A B and A L). We would also like to thank several patrons, as part of this research was funded by donations from different donors, including Dedert Schilde vzw, Mr Willy Floren, and the Vereycken family.			Approved	Most recent IF: 3.4; 2023 IF: 2.588
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:196441			Serial	7381
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	Author	Vertongen, R.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	How important is reactor design for CO2 conversion in warm plasmas?			Type	A1 Journal Article
	Year	2023	Publication	Journal of CO2 Utilization	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	72	Issue		Pages	102510
	Keywords	A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;
	Abstract	In this work, we evaluated several new electrode configurations for CO2 conversion in a gliding arc plasmatron (GAP) reactor. Although the reactor design influences the performance, the best results give only slightly higher CO2 conversion than the basic GAP reactor design, which indicates that this reactor may have reached its performance limits. Moreover, we compared our results to those of four completely different plasma reactors, also operating at atmospheric pressure and with contact between the plasma and the electrodes. Surprisingly, the performance of all these warm plasmas is very similar (CO2 conversion around 10 % for an energy efficiency around 30 %). In view of these apparent performance limits regarding the reactor design, we believe further improvements should focus on other aspects, such as the post-plasma-region where the implementation of nozzles or a carbon bed are promising. We summarize the performance of our GAP reactor by comparing the energy efficiency and CO2 conversion for all different plasma reactors reported in literature. We can conclude that the GAP is not the best plasma reactor, but its operation at atmospheric pressure makes it appealing for industrial application. We believe that future efforts should focus on process design, techno-economic assessments and large-scale demonstrations: these will be crucial to assess the real industrial potential of this warm plasma technology
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001024970900001	Publication Date	2023-06-16
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2212-9820	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	7.7	Times cited		Open Access	Not_Open_Access
	Notes	We acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO) Flanders (Grant ID 110221N) and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreements No 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project and No. 101081162 — “PREPARE” ERC Proof of Concept project). We also thank I. Tsonev, P. Heirman, F. Girard-Sahun and G. Trenchev for the interesting discussions and practical help with the experiments, as well as J. Creel for his ideas on the inserted anode designs.			Approved	Most recent IF: 7.7; 2023 IF: 4.292
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:197044			Serial	8799
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	Author	Vervloessem, E.
	Title	The role of pulsing and humidity in plasma-based nitrogen fixation : a combined experimental and modeling study			Type	Doctoral thesis
	Year	2023	Publication		Abbreviated Journal
	Volume		Issue		Pages	358 p.
	Keywords	Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	Nitrogen (N) is an indispensable building block for all living organisms as well as for pharmaceutical and chemical industry. In a nutshell, N is needed for plants to grow and beings to live and nitrogen fixation (NF) is the process that makes N available for plants as food by converting N2 into a reactive form, such as ammonia (NH3) or nitrogen oxides (NOx), upon reacting with O2 and H2. The aim of this thesis is to elucidate (wet) plasma-based nitrogen fixation with a focus on (1) the role of pulsing in achieving low energy consumption, (2) the role of H2O as a hydrogen source in nitrogen fixation and (3) elucidation of nitrogen fixation pathways in humid air and humid N2 plasma in a combined experimental and computational study. Furthermore, this thesis aims to take into account the knowledge-gaps and challenges identified in the discussion of the state of the art. Specifically, (1) we put our focus on branching out to another way of introducing water into the plasma system, i.e. H2O vapor, (2) we de-couple the problem for pathway elucidation by starting with characterization of the chosen plasma, next a simpler gas mixture and building up from there, (3) we include modelling, though not under wet conditions and (4) we focus on also analyzing species and performance outside liquid H2O. Firstly, based on the reaction analysis of a validated quasi-1D model, we can conclude that pulsing is indeed the key factor for energy-efficient NOx- formation, due to the strong temperature drop it causes. Secondly, the thesis shows that added H2O vapor, and not liquid H2O, is the main source of H for NH3 generation. Related to this, we discuss how the selectivity of plasma-based NF in humid air and humid N2 can be controlled by changing the humidity in the feed gas. Interestingly, NH3 production can be achieved in both N2 and air plasmas using H2O as a H source. Lastly, we identified a significant loss mechanism for NH3 and HNO2 that occurs in systems where these species are synthesized simultaneously, i.e. downstream from the plasma, HNO2 reacts with NH3 to form NH4NO2, which decomposes into N2 and H2O. This reduces the effective NF when not properly addressed, and should therefore be considered in future works aimed at optimizing plasma-based NF. In conclusion, this thesis adds further to the current state of the art of plasma-based NF both in the presence of H2O and in dry systems.
	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
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: NA
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:197038			Serial	9088
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	Author	Vervloessem, E.; Gromov, M.; De Geyter, N.; Bogaerts, A.; Gorbanev, Y.; Nikiforov, A.
	Title	NH₃and HNO_xFormation and Loss in Nitrogen Fixation from Air with Water Vapor by Nonequilibrium Plasma			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	11	Issue	10	Pages	4289-4298
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	The current global energy crisis indicated that increasing our insight into nonfossil fuel nitrogen fixation pathways for synthetic fertilizer production is more crucial than ever. Nonequilibrium plasma is a good candidate because it can use N2 or air as a N source and water directly as a H source, instead of H2 or fossil fuel (CH4). In this work, we investigate NH3 gas phase formation pathways from humid N2 and especially humid air up to 2.4 mol % H2O (100% relative humidity at 20 °C) by optical emission spectroscopy and Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy. We demonstrate that the nitrogen fixation capacity is increased when water vapor is added, as this enables HNO2 and NH3 production in both N2 and air. However, we identified a significant loss mechanism for NH3 and HNO2 that occurs in systems where these species are synthesized simultaneously; i.e., downstream from the plasma, HNO2 reacts with NH3 to form NH4NO2, which rapidly decomposes into N2 and H2O. We also discuss approaches to prevent this loss mechanism, as it reduces the effective nitrogen fixation when not properly addressed and therefore should be considered in future works aimed at optimizing plasma-based N2 fixation. In-line removal of HNO2 or direct solvation in liquid are two proposed strategies to suppress this loss mechanism. Indeed, using liquid H2O is beneficial for accumulation of the N2 fixation products. Finally, in humid air, we also produce NH4NO3, from the reaction of HNO3 with NH3, which is of direct interest for fertilizer application.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000953337700001	Publication Date	2023-03-13
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2168-0485	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	8.4	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes	This research is supported by the Excellence of Science FWOFNRS project (NITROPLASM, FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant No. 810182 − SCOPE ERC Synergy project), and the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO) Flanders Bioeconomy project (grant No. G0G2322N), funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU.			Approved	Most recent IF: 8.4; 2023 IF: 5.951
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:195878			Serial	7254
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	Author	Vervoort, P.; Grymonprez, H.; Bouckaert, N.; Derijcke, D.; De Wael, W.
	Title	Ruimte en gezondheidsongelijkheid aanpakken : een kwestie van sociale rechtvaardigheid			Type	H2 Book chapter
	Year	2023	Publication		Abbreviated Journal
	Volume		Issue		Pages
	Keywords	H2 Book chapter; Sociology; Law; Centre for Research on Environmental and Social Change
	Abstract	De bijdrage gaat dieper in op de relatie tussen ruimte en gezondheidsongelijkheid, bespreekt gezondheidsongelijkheid vanuit een rechtenperspectief en illustreert een aantal praktijken waarin de aandacht voor ruimte en gezondheidsongelijkheid samenkomen.
	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	978-2-509-04324-5	Additional Links	UA library record
	Impact Factor		Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	no
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:200534			Serial	9225
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	Author	Vijayakumar, J.; Savchenko, T.M.; Bracher, D.M.; Lumbeeck, G.; Béché, A.; Verbeeck, J.; Vajda, Š.; Nolting, F.; Vaz, Ca.f.; Kleibert, A.
	Title	Absence of a pressure gap and atomistic mechanism of the oxidation of pure Co nanoparticles			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Nature communications	Abbreviated Journal	Nat Commun
	Volume	14	Issue	1	Pages	174
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
	Abstract	Understanding chemical reactivity and magnetism of 3<italic>d</italic>transition metal nanoparticles is of fundamental interest for applications in fields ranging from spintronics to catalysis. Here, we present an atomistic picture of the early stage of the oxidation mechanism and its impact on the magnetism of Co nanoparticles. Our experiments reveal a two-step process characterized by (i) the initial formation of small CoO crystallites across the nanoparticle surface, until their coalescence leads to structural completion of the oxide shell passivating the metallic core; (ii) progressive conversion of the CoO shell to Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>and void formation due to the nanoscale Kirkendall effect. The Co nanoparticles remain highly reactive toward oxygen during phase (i), demonstrating the absence of a pressure gap whereby a low reactivity at low pressures is postulated. Our results provide an important benchmark for the development of theoretical models for the chemical reactivity in catalysis and magnetism during metal oxidation at the nanoscale.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000955726400021	Publication Date	2023-01-12
	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	16.6	Times cited	1	Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes	Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, 200021160186 2002153540 ; EC \| Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, 810310 823717 ; University of Basel \| Swiss Nanoscience Institute, P1502 ; This work is funded by Swiss National Foundation (SNF) (Grants. No 200021160186 and 2002153540) and the Swiss Nanoscience Institut (SNI) (Grant No. SNI P1502). S.V. acknowledges support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 810310, which corresponds to the J. Heyrovsky Chair project (“ERA Chair at J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry AS CR – The institutional approach towards ERA”). The funders had no role in the preparation of the article. Part of this work was performed at the Surface/Interface: Microscopy (SIM) beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS), Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland. We kindly acknowledge Anja Weber and Elisabeth Müller from PSI for their help in fabricating the sample markers. A.B. and J. Verbeeck received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructure – Integrating Activities for Advanced Communities under grant agreement No. 823717 – ESTEEM3 reported			Approved	Most recent IF: 16.6; 2023 IF: 12.124
	Call Number	EMAT @ emat @c:irua:196738			Serial	8804
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	Author	Vingerhoets, R.; Brienza, C.; Sigurnjak, I.; Buysse, J.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Spiller, M.; Meers, E.
	Title	Ammonia stripping and scrubbing followed by nitrification and denitrification saves costs for manure treatment based on a calibrated model approach			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Chemical engineering journal	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	477	Issue		Pages	146984-14
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
	Abstract	Resource-efficient nitrogen management is of high environmental and economic interest, and manure represents the major nutrient flow in livestock-intensive regions. Ammonia stripping/scrubbing (SS) is an appealing nitrogen recovery route from manure, yet its real-life implementation has been limited thus far. In nutrient surplus regions like Flanders, treatment of the liquid fraction (LF) of (co–)digested manure typically consists of nitrification/denitrification (NDN) removing most N as nitrogen gas. Integrating SS before NDN in existing plants would expand treatment capacity and recover N while maintaining low N effluent values, yet cost estimations of this novel approach after process optimisation are not yet available. A programming model was developed and calibrated to minimise the treatment costs of this approach and find the balance between N recovery versus N removal. Four crucial operational parameters (CO2 stripping time, NH3 stripping time, temperature and NaOH addition) were optimised for 18 scenarios which were different in terms of technical set-up, influent characteristics and scrubber acid. The model shows that SS before NDN can decrease the costs by 1 to 56% under optimal conditions compared to treatment with NDN only, with 1 to 8% reduction for the LF of manure (22–29% recovered of N treated), and 11 to 56% reduction for the LF of co-digested manure (42–67% recovered of N treated), primarily dependent on resource pricing. This study shows the power of modelling for minimum-cost design and operation of manure treatment yielding savings while producing useful N recovery products with SS followed by NDN.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001108935900001	Publication Date	2023-10-28
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1385-8947; 1873-3212	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor	15.1	Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 15.1; 2023 IF: 6.216
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:200649			Serial	9003
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	Author	Vingerhoets, R.; Spiller, M.; De Backer, J.; Adriaens, A.; Vlaeminck, S.E.; Meers, E.
	Title	Detailed nitrogen and phosphorus flow analysis, nutrient use efficiency and circularity in the agri-food system of a livestock-intensive region			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Journal of cleaner production	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	410	Issue		Pages	137278-13
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
	Abstract	The agri-food value chain is a major cause of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) emissions and associated environmental and health impacts. The EU's farm-to-fork strategy (F2F) demands an agri-food value chain approach to reduce nutrient emissions by 50% and fertilizer use by 20%. Substance flow analysis (SFA) is a method that can be applied to study complex systems such as the agri-food chain. A review of 60 SFA studies shows that they often lack detail by not sufficiently distinguishing between nodes, products and types of emissions. The present study aims to assess the added value of detail in SFAs and to illustrate that valuable indicators can be derived from detailed assessments. This aim will be attained by presenting a highly-detailed SFA for the livestock-intensive region of Flanders, Belgium. The SFA distinguishes 40 nodes and 1827 flows that are classified into eight different categories (e.g. by-products, point source emissions) following life cycle methods. Eight novel indicators were calculated, including indicators that assess the N and P recovery potential. Flanders has a low overall nutrient use efficiency (11% N, 18% P). About 55% of the N and 56% of the P embedded in recoverable streams are reused providing 35% and 37% of the total N and P input. Optimized nutrient recycling could replace 45% of N and 48% of P of the external nutrient input, exceeding the target set by the F2F strategy. Detailed accounting for N and P flows and nodes leads to the identification of more recoverable streams and larger N and P flows. More detailed flow accounting is a prerequisite for the quantification of technological intervention options. Future research should focus on including concentration and quality as a parameter in SFAs.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000991013600001	Publication Date	2023-04-21
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0959-6526	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	11.1	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 11.1; 2023 IF: 5.715
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:196227			Serial	7770
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	Author	Vizarim, N.P.
	Title	Dynamic behavior of Skyrmions under the influence of periodic pinning in chiral magnetic infinite thin films			Type	Doctoral thesis
	Year	2023	Publication		Abbreviated Journal
	Volume		Issue		Pages	212 p.
	Keywords	Doctoral thesis; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
	Abstract	The miniaturization of transistors for application in new processors and logic devices poses a significant challenge in the field of materials. Spintronics, which relies on controlled movement of magnetic nanostructures, offers a promising solution. Among the candidates, magnetic skyrmions are considered one of the most promising. These chiral spin structures, characterized by topological protection and enhanced stability compared to vortices or magnetic bubbles, have been extensively studied. To advance in the control of skyrmion motion, essential for practical applications, we investigated their dynamic behavior in a two-dimensional chiral magnet at zero temperature. Our study focused on the influence of periodic arrays of pinning centers. The simulations considered skyrmions as point-like particles considering the following interactions: skyrmion-skyrmion interactions, interactions with pinning center arrays, a current of polarized spins, and the Magnus force. We conducted calculations for scenarios involving a single skyrmion as well as different skyrmion density values in the material. The aim was to explore possibilities for controlled skyrmion motion, investigate different dynamic regimes, and examine collective effects. The results demonstrate that by adjusting the size, strength, and density of the pinning centers, we can effectively control the motion of individual skyrmions and manage the flow of multiple skyrmions. Furthermore, we discovered that periodic arrays of pinning centers can facilitate topological selection when different species of skyrmions with distinct Magnus components are present. Employing alternating currents, we observed the significant role of the ratchet effect in the skyrmion dynamics. By fine-tuning the amplitudes of the alternating currents, we achieved direct and controlled motion of skyrmions in specific directions. These findings hold potential for advancing our understanding of skyrmion dynamics and can inspire future technological applications involving these quasi-particles. Overall, we anticipate that our results will be valuable to the scientific community, contributing to a deeper comprehension of skyrmion dynamics and paving the way for future technological applications.
	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
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: NA
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:198101			Serial	8852
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	Author	Vladimirova, N.V.; Frolov, A.S.; Sanchez-Barriga, J.; Clark, O.J.; Matsui, F.; Usachov, D.Y.; Muntwiler, M.; Callaert, C.; Hadermann, J.; Neudachina, V.S.; Tamm, M.E.; Yashina, L.V.
	Title	Occupancy of lattice positions probed by X-ray photoelectron diffraction : a case study of tetradymite topological insulators			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Surfaces and interfaces	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	36	Issue		Pages	102516-10
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
	Abstract	Occupancy of different structural positions in a crystal lattice often seems to play a key role in material prop-erties. Several experimental techniques have been developed to uncover this issue, all of them being mostly bulk sensitive. However, many materials including topological insulators (TIs), which are among the most intriguing modern materials, are intended to be used in devices as thin films, for which the sublattice occupancy may differ from the bulk. One of the possible approaches to occupancy analysis is X-ray Photoelectron Diffraction (XPD), a structural method in surface science with chemical sensitivity. We applied this method in a case study of Sb2(Te1-xSex)3 mixed crystals, which belong to prototypical TIs. We used high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) as a reference method to verify our analysis. We revealed that the XPD data for vacuum cleaved bulk crystals are in excellent agreement with the reference ones. Also, we demonstrate that the anion occupancy near a naturally formed surface can be rather different from that of the bulk. The present results are relevant for a wide range of compositions where the system remains a topological phase, as we ultimately show by probing the transiently occupied topological surface state above the Fermi level by ultrafast photoemission.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000901694900001	Publication Date	2022-11-28
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2468-0230	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor	6.2	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 6.2; 2023 IF: NA
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:193502			Serial	7327
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	Author	Vlasov, E.; Denisov, N.; Verbeeck, J.
	Title	Low-cost electron detector for scanning electron microscope			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	HardwareX	Abbreviated Journal	HardwareX
	Volume	14	Issue		Pages	e00413
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
	Abstract	Electron microscopy is an indispensable tool for the characterization of (nano) materials. Electron microscopes are typically very expensive and their internal operation is often shielded from the user. This situation can provide fast and high quality results for researchers focusing on e.g. materials science if they have access to the relevant instruments. For researchers focusing on technique development, wishing to test novel setups, however, the high entry price can lead to risk aversion and deter researchers from innovating electron microscopy technology further. The closed attitude of commercial entities about how exactly the different parts of electron microscopes work, makes it even harder for newcomers in this field. Here we propose an affordable, easy-to-build electron detector for use in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The aim of this project is to shed light on the functioning of such detectors as well as show that even a very modest design can lead to acceptable performance while providing high flexibility for experimentation and customization.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001042486000001	Publication Date	2023-03-10
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2468-0672	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor		Times cited	1	Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes	The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) project SBO [Grant No. S000121N]. JV acknowledges funding from the HORIZON-INFRA-2022-TECH-01-01 project IMPRESS [Grant No. 101094299].			Approved	Most recent IF: NA
	Call Number	EMAT @ emat @c:irua:195886			Serial	7252
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	Author	Vlasov, E.; Skorikov, A.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S.
	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	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	Voordeckers, D.
	Title	Design to breathe : understanding and altering wind patterns in street canyons to reduce human exposure to air pollution			Type	Doctoral thesis
	Year	2023	Publication		Abbreviated Journal
	Volume		Issue		Pages	xxii, 303 p.
	Keywords	Doctoral thesis; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Research Group for Urban Development; Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS)
	Abstract	Air pollution is proclaimed by the World Health Organiaation (WHO) as the biggest environmental threat to human health. Street canyons, or urban roads flanked by a continuous row of high buildings on both sides, are perceived as typical bottleneck areas for air quality due to their lack of natural ventilation. This doctoral thesis aims to integrate expert knowledge on in-canyon flow fields and pollution dispersion in street canyons from the specialized field of (bio)engineering into the field of urban planning and vice versa. In Chapter 1, a Geospatial Information System (GIS) method was developed to detect exposure zones and hotspot street canyons. A critical combination between aspect ratio (AR > 0.65) and traffic volume (TVmax > 300) was detected and subsequently used to detect hotspot street canyons in three major European cities (Antwerp, London and Paris). Chapter 2 focusses on acquiring in-depth knowledge on flow and concentration fields in street canyons by conducting an extensive literature review on over 200 studies and translates this knowledge into nineteen guidelines and eleven spatial tools, comprised in a toolbox for urban planning. Subsequently, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used into a research trough design process (Chapter 4) to illustrate how the design tools can be applied to a specific case study (Belgiëlei, Antwerp). Alternations to traffic lanes (traffic lane reduction and lateral displacement) combined with low boundary walls (LBWs), were found to reduce NO2 levels in the entire pedestrian area up to – 3.6 % and peak pollutions were reduced by -8 %. A maximum NO2 reduction was reached by combining a traffic lane displacement with hedges, adjustments to the tree planting pattern and an increased ground-level permeability, leading to reductions up to – 4.5 % in the pedestrian areas. In conclusion, urban design was found to be a valuable tool to enhance the effect of emission reduction strategies and draw in-canyon concentrations closer to the value of the background concentration. However, the background concentration seemed to dominate the efficiency of the urban design interventions and therefore, additional measures should be taken to reduce background pollution levels. This dissertation aims to contribute to the awareness of air pollution in street canyons, as well as support local governments in taking action by delivering spatial tools and guidelines applicable for urban planning and represents a framework for the dissemination of expert information on air quality in street canyons to the field of urban planning.
	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
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: NA
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:196399			Serial	7767
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	Author	Voordeckers, D.; Lauriks, T.; Baetens, D.; Ysebaert, T.; Denys, S.; Billen, P.; Tytgat, T.; Van Acker, M.
	Title	Numerical study on the impact of traffic lane adjustments and low boundary walls on pedestrian exposure to NO2 in street canyons			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Landscape and urban planning	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	243	Issue		Pages	104974-13
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Economics; Law; Engineering sciences. Technology; Art; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL); Research Group for Urban Development; Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS); Research Group for Urban Development; Intelligence in PRocesses, Advanced Catalysts and Solvents (iPRACS)
	Abstract	Mitigating the adverse effects of air pollution, especially on human health, is one of the greater contemporary challenges for cities. Street canyons have herein been identified as bottleneck areas in urbanized environments. Focusing on the necessity of fast-response interventions, strategies to control source-receptor pathways (e.g. implementing low boundary walls (LBWs)) are gaining interest. A potential strategy which is greatly overlooked is the adjustment (reduction or displacement) of traffic lanes in order to increase the distance between source (traffic) and recipient (pedestrians). Within our study, computation fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to simulate the impact of alternations to traffic lanes (whether or not combined with LBWs) on the pedestrian exposure to NO2 for a specific case-study (Belgie center dot lei, Antwerp) under two prevailing wind directions. The average differences in NO2 concentrations for the entire pedestrian area ranged between +1.0 % to-3.6 %. On specific locations, reduction up to-8.0 % were reached. In case of perpendicular winds, a lateral displacement of all traffic lanes towards the windward facade including LBWs was found most beneficial to reduce pedestrian exposure. LBWs also showed to be efficient in reducing potential adverse effects of lane displacement under less frequent wind directions.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001134403700001	Publication Date	2023-12-06
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0169-2046	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor	9.1	Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 9.1; 2023 IF: 4.563
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:201400			Serial	9065
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	Author	Wahab, O.J.; Daviddi, E.; Xin, B.; Sun, P.Z.; Griffin, E.; Colburn, A.W.; Barry, D.; Yagmurcukardes, M.; Peeters, F.M.; Geim, A.K.; Lozada-Hidalgo, M.; Unwin, P.R.
	Title	Proton transport through nanoscale corrugations in two-dimensional crystals			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Nature	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	620	Issue	7975	Pages	1-17
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
	Abstract	Defect-free graphene is impermeable to all atoms(1-5) and ions(6,7) under ambient conditions. Experiments that can resolve gas flows of a few atoms per hour through micrometre-sized membranes found that monocrystalline graphene is completely impermeable to helium, the smallest atom(2,5). Such membranes were also shown to be impermeable to all ions, including the smallest one, lithium(6,7). By contrast, graphene was reported to be highly permeable to protons, nuclei of hydrogen atoms(8,9). There is no consensus, however, either on the mechanism behind the unexpectedly high proton permeability(10-14) or even on whether it requires defects in graphene's crystal lattice(6,8,15-17). Here, using high-resolution scanning electrochemical cell microscopy, we show that, although proton permeation through mechanically exfoliated monolayers of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride cannot be attributed to any structural defects, nanoscale non-flatness of two-dimensional membranes greatly facilitates proton transport. The spatial distribution of proton currents visualized by scanning electrochemical cell microscopy reveals marked inhomogeneities that are strongly correlated with nanoscale wrinkles and other features where strain is accumulated. Our results highlight nanoscale morphology as an important parameter enabling proton transport through two-dimensional crystals, mostly considered and modelled as flat, and indicate that strain and curvature can be used as additional degrees of freedom to control the proton permeability of two-dimensional materials. A study using high-resolution scanning electrochemical cell microscopy attributes proton permeation through defect-free graphene and hexagonal boron nitride to transport across areas of the structure that are under strain.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001153630400007	Publication Date	2023-08-23
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0028-0836; 1476-4687	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	64.8	Times cited		Open Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 64.8; 2023 IF: 40.137
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:203827			Serial	9078
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	Author	Wang, J.; Zhang, K.; Bogaerts, A.; Meynen, V.
	Title	3D porous catalysts for plasma-catalytic dry reforming of methane : how does the pore size affect the plasma-catalytic performance?			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Chemical engineering journal	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	464	Issue		Pages	142574-12
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	The effect of pore size on plasma catalysis is crucial but still unclear. Studies have shown plasma cannot enter micropores and mesopores, so catalysts for traditional thermocatalysis may not fit plasma catalysis. Here, 3D porous Cu and CuO with different pore sizes were prepared using uniform silica particles (10–2000 nm) as templates, and compared in plasma-catalytic dry reforming. In most cases, the smaller the pore size, the higher the conversion of CH4 and CO2. Large pores reachable by more electrons did not improve the reaction efficiency. We attribute this to the small surface area and large crystallite size, as indicated by N2-sorption, mercury intrusion and XRD. While the smaller pores might not be reachable by electrons, due to the sheath formed in front of them, as predicted by modeling, they can still be reached by radicals formed in the plasma, and ions can even be attracted into these pores. An exception are the samples synthesized from 1 μm silica, which show better performance. We believe this is due to the electric field enhancement for pore sizes close to the Debye length. The performances of CuO and Cu with different pore sizes can provide references for future research on oxide supports and metal components of plasma catalysts.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000966076400001	Publication Date	2023-03-21
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1385-8947; 1873-3212	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	15.1	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 15.1; 2023 IF: 6.216
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:194862			Serial	7262
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	Author	Wang, J.; Zhang, K.; Mertens, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Meynen, V.
	Title	Plasma-based dry reforming of methane in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor: Importance of uniform (sub)micron packings/catalysts to enhance the performance			Type	A1 Journal Article
	Year	2023	Publication	APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	337	Issue		Pages	122977
	Keywords	A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;
	Abstract	This study presents new insights on the effect of (sub)micrometer particle sized materials in plasma-based CO2- CH4 reforming by investigating the performance of SiO2 spheres (with/without supported metal) of varying particle sizes. (Sub)micron particles synthesized through the St¨ober method were used instead of (sub)millimeter particles employed in previous studies. Increasing particle size (from 120 nm to 2390 nm) was found to first increase and then decrease conversion and energy yield, with optimal performance achieved using 740 nm 5 wt% Ni loaded SiO2, which improved CO2 and CH4 conversion, and energy yield to 44%, 55%, and 0.271 mmol/kJ, respectively, compared to 20%, 27%, and 0.116 mmol/kJ in an empty reactor at the same flow rate. This is the first to achieve significant performance improvement in a fully packed reactor, highlighting the importance of selecting a suitable particle size. The findings can offer guidance towards rational design of catalysts for plasmabased reactions.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001056527600001	Publication Date	2023-06-09
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0926-3373	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor	22.1	Times cited		Open Access	Not_Open_Access
	Notes	This work is supported by the China Scholarship Council (No. 201806060123); and the VLAIO Catalisti transition project CO2PERATE (HBC.2017.0692). K.Z acknowledges the EASiCHEM project funded by the Flemish Strategic Basic Research Program of the Catalisti cluster and Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (HBC.2018.0484).			Approved	Most recent IF: 22.1; 2023 IF: 9.446
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:196955			Serial	8797
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	Author	Wang, J.; Zhang, K.; Mertens, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Meynen, V.
	Title	Plasma-based dry reforming of methane in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor: Importance of uniform (sub)micron packings/catalysts to enhance the performance			Type	A1 Journal Article
	Year	2023	Publication	APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	337	Issue		Pages	122977
	Keywords	A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;
	Abstract	This study presents new insights on the effect of (sub)micrometer particle sized materials in plasma-based CO2- CH4 reforming by investigating the performance of SiO2 spheres (with/without supported metal) of varying particle sizes. (Sub)micron particles synthesized through the St¨ober method were used instead of (sub)millimeter particles employed in previous studies. Increasing particle size (from 120 nm to 2390 nm) was found to first increase and then decrease conversion and energy yield, with optimal performance achieved using 740 nm 5 wt% Ni loaded SiO2, which improved CO2 and CH4 conversion, and energy yield to 44%, 55%, and 0.271 mmol/kJ, respectively, compared to 20%, 27%, and 0.116 mmol/kJ in an empty reactor at the same flow rate. This is the first to achieve significant performance improvement in a fully packed reactor, highlighting the importance of selecting a suitable particle size. The findings can offer guidance towards rational design of catalysts for plasmabased reactions.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001056527600001	Publication Date	2023-06-09
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0926-3373	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record
	Impact Factor	22.1	Times cited		Open Access	Not_Open_Access
	Notes	This work is supported by the China Scholarship Council (No. 201806060123); and the VLAIO Catalisti transition project CO2PERATE (HBC.2017.0692). K.Z acknowledges the EASiCHEM project funded by the Flemish Strategic Basic Research Program of the Catalisti cluster and Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (HBC.2018.0484).			Approved	Most recent IF: 22.1; 2023 IF: 9.446
	Call Number	PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:196955			Serial	8798
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	Author	Wang, J.; Zhang, K.; Meynen, V.; Bogaerts, A.
	Title	Dry reforming in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor with non-uniform discharge gap : effects of metal rings on the discharge behavior and performance			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Chemical engineering journal	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume		Issue		Pages	142953-29
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
	Abstract	The application of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactors is promising in various environmental and energy processes, but is limited by their low energy yield. In this study, we put a number of stainless steel rings over the inner electrode rod of the DBD reactor to change the local discharge gap and electric field, and we studied the dry reforming performance. At 50 W supplied power, the metal rings mostly have a negative impact on the performance, which we attribute to the non-uniform spatial distribution of the discharges caused by the rings. However, at 30 W supplied power, the energy yield is higher than at 50 W and the placement of the rings improves the performance of the reactor. More rings and with a larger cross-sectional diameter can further improve the performance. The reactor with 20 rings with a 3.2 mm cross-sectional diameter exhibits the best performance in this study. Compared to the reactor without rings, it increases the CO2 conversion from 7% to 16 %, the CH4 conversion from 12% to 23%, and the energy yield from 0.05 mmol/kJ supplied power to 0.1 mmol/kJ (0.19 mmol/kJ if calculated from the plasma power), respectively. The presence of the rings increases the local electric field, the displaced charge and the discharge fraction, and also makes the discharge more stable and with more uniform intensity. It also slightly improves the selectivity to syngas. The performance improvement observed by placing stainless steel rings in this study may also be applicable to other plasma-based processes.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000986051300001	Publication Date	2023-04-17
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	1385-8947; 1873-3212	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	15.1	Times cited		Open Access	OpenAccess
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 15.1; 2023 IF: 6.216
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:195603			Serial	7264
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	Author	Wang, L.; Shi, P.; Chen, L.; Gielis, J.; Niklas, K.J.
	Title	Evidence that Chinese white olive (Canarium album(Lour.) DC.) fruits are solids of revolution			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Botany letters	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume		Issue		Pages	1-7
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
	Abstract	Although many fruit geometries resemble a solid of revolution, this assumption has rarely been rigorously examined. To test this assumption, 574 fruits of Canarium album (Lour.) DC. which appear to have an ellipsoidal shape, were examined to determine the validity of a general avian-based egg-shape equation, referred to as the explicit Preston equation (EPE). The assumption that the C. album fruit geometry is a solid of revolution is tested by applying the volume formula for a solid of revolution using the EPE. The goodness of fit of the EPE was assessed using the adjusted root-mean-square error (RMSEadj). The relationship between the observed volume (Vobs) of each fruit, as measured by water displacement in a graduated cylinder, and the predicted volumes (Vpre) based on the EPE was also evaluated using the equation Vpre = slope * Vobs. All the RMSEadj values were smaller than 0.05, which demonstrated the validity of the EPE based on C. album fruit profiles. The 95% confidence interval of the slope of Vpre vs. Vobs included 1.0, indicating that there was no significant difference between Vpre and Vobs. The data confirm that C. album fruits are solids of revolution. This study provides a new approach for calculating the volume and surface area of geometrically similar fruits, which can be extended to other species with similar fruit geometries to further explore the ontogeny and evolution of angiosperm reproductive organs.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	001033135400001	Publication Date	2023-07-25
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	2381-8107; 2381-8115	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	1.5	Times cited		Open Access	Not_Open_Access: Available from 24.01.2024
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 1.5; 2023 IF: NA
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:198001			Serial	8864
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	Author	Wang, S.; Tian, H.; Sun, M.
	Title	Valley-polarized and enhanced transmission in graphene with a smooth strain profile			Type	A1 Journal article
	Year	2023	Publication	Journal of physics : condensed matter	Abbreviated Journal
	Volume	35	Issue	30	Pages	304002-304013
	Keywords	A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
	Abstract	We explore the influence of strain on the valley-polarized transmission of graphene by employing the wave-function matching and the non-equilibrium Green's function technique. When the transmission is along the armchair direction, we show that the valley polarization and transmission can be improved by increasing the width of the strained region and increasing (decreasing) the extensional strain in the armchair (zigzag) direction. It is noted that the shear strain does not affect transmission and valley polarization. Furthermore, when we consider the smooth strain barrier, the valley-polarized transmission can be enhanced by increasing the smoothness of the strain barrier. We hope that our finding can shed new light on constructing graphene-based valleytronic and quantum computing devices by solely employing strain.
	Address
	Corporate Author				Thesis
	Publisher		Place of Publication		Editor
	Language		Wos	000977124700001	Publication Date	2023-04-11
	Series Editor		Series Title		Abbreviated Series Title
	Series Volume		Series Issue		Edition
	ISSN	0953-8984	ISBN		Additional Links	UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
	Impact Factor	2.7	Times cited		Open Access	Not_Open_Access
	Notes				Approved	Most recent IF: 2.7; 2023 IF: 2.649
	Call Number	UA @ admin @ c:irua:196718			Serial	8953
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