Records |
Author |
Juneja, R.; Thebaud, S.; Pandey, T.; Polanco, C.A.; Moseley, D.H.; Manley, M.E.; Cheng, Y.Q.; Winn, B.; Abernathy, D.L.; Hermann, R.P.; Lindsay, L. |
Title |
Quasiparticle twist dynamics in non-symmorphic materials |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Materials Today Physics |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
21 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
100548 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
Abstract |
Quasiparticle physics underlies our understanding of the microscopic dynamical behaviors of materials that govern a vast array of properties, including structural stability, excited states and interactions, dynamical structure factors, and electron and phonon conductivities. Thus, understanding band structures and quasiparticle interactions is foundational to the study of condensed matter. Here we advance a 'twist' dynamical description of quasiparticles (including phonons and Bloch electrons) in nonsymmorphic chiral and achiral materials. Such materials often have structural complexity, strong thermal resistance, and efficient thermoelectric performance for waste heat capture and clean refrigeration technologies. The twist dynamics presented here provides a novel perspective of quasiparticle behaviors in such complex materials, in particular highlighting how non-symmorphic symmetries determine band crossings and anti-crossings, topological behaviors, quasiparticle interactions that govern transport, and observables in scattering experiments. We provide specific context via neutron scattering measurements and first-principles calculations of phonons and electrons in chiral tellurium dioxide. Building twist symmetries into the quasiparticle dynamics of non-symmorphic materials offers intuition into quasi particle behaviors, materials properties, and guides improved experimental designs to probe them. More specifically, insights into the phonon and electron quasiparticle physics presented here will enable materials design strategies to control interactions and transport for enhanced thermoelectric and thermal management applications. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000708226400009 |
Publication Date |
2021-09-30 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
2542-5293 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:184040 |
Serial |
7016 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Shaw, P. |
Title |
Dual action of reactive species as signal and stress agents in plasma medicine : combined computational and experimental research |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
191 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Center for Oncological Research (CORE) |
Abstract |
Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) generated by cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) can activate discrete signaling transduction pathways or disrupt redox cellular homeostasis, depending on their concentration. This makes that CAP possesses therapeutic potential towards wound healing, cancer, and other diseases. In order to effectively use CAP in the clinic, a clear understanding of the interaction of RONS with biomolecules (lipids, proteins and nucleic acids) from the atomic to the macro scale, and their biological significance, is needed. In this work, I have therefore studied the dual role of CAP-derived RONS, i.e., (i) in the signaling pathways involved in wound healing, and (ii) in their reaction with biomolecules to cause oxidation-mediated damage. I performed computer simulations to provide fundamental insight about the occurring processes that are difficult or even impossible to obtain experimentally. Furthermore, next to computational studies, I used both 2D and 3D tissue cultures. 3D model allows proliferation in a more physiologically relevant geometry that stimulates the production of extracellular matrix proteins. I investigated the treatment of human gingival fibroblasts with low doses of CAP-generated RONS. This treatment demonstrated that it can inhibit colony formation but does not induce cell death, induce the expression of metalloprotease proteins, induce extracellular matrix degradation, and promote cell migration, which could result in enhanced wound healing. In contrast, at high concentrations, RONS can disrupt the cell membrane integrity and induce cancer cell death through oxidative stress-mediated pathways. I discovered how oxidation of the cell membrane (lipid-peroxidation) can facilitate the access of a drug (Melittin) into cancer cells, and in this way, reduce the required therapeutic dose of Melittin in melanoma and breast cancer cells (demonstrated using in vitro, in ovo and in silico approaches). Furthermore, I studied how excessive lipid-oxidation in chemoresistant pancreatic cancer cells promotes ferroptotic cell death. This was due to the stimulation of the iron-dependent Fenton reaction by targeting a redox specific signaling network. However, upon oxidative stress, cells protect themselves via a sophisticated intracellular antioxidant system that involves the regulation of glutathione/glutathione peroxidase 4 (lipid repair enzyme). Cancer cells exhibited increased levels of intracellular RONS due to their hyper metabolism, leading to high expression of anti-oxidant systems. I therefore focus on the effect of reactive species on the intracellular anti-oxidant system and corresponding DNA damages in both temozolomide-sensitive as well as temozolomide-resistant glioblastoma spheroids, in a 3-dimensional tumor model with a more complex tumor microenvironment than cell monolayers. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:183751 |
Serial |
7828 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Baij, L.; Liu, C.; Buijs, J.; Alvarez Martin, A.; Westert, D.; Raven, L.; Geels, N.; Noble, P.; Sprakel, J.; Keune, K. |
Title |
Understanding and optimizing Evolon® CR for varnish removal from oil paintings |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Heritage science |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
9 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
155-17 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; AXES (Antwerp X-ray Analysis, Electrochemistry and Speciation); Antwerp X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy (AXIS) |
Abstract |
|
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
|
Publication Date |
2021-11-27 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
2050-7445 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
Not_Open_Access |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:183747 |
Serial |
8707 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Peeters, M. |
Title |
The added value of Smart Product-Service Systems to real estate developments |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
117 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Economics; Engineering Management (ENM); Internet Data Lab (IDLab) |
Abstract |
Socially responsible investments can be defined as an investment process that integrates ethical values and environmental protection, improving social conditions, and good governance into a traditional investment decision. This integration is mainly a consequence of the growing importance that investors give to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, resulting in more sustainable development. Also, in the real estate sector, increased attention is being paid to the contributions made to integrate economic, environmental, and social factors into decisions. The ESG framework looks closely at how companies are managed, and the impact related to their market value. The factors for investors’ focus are summarized as environmental, social, and governance. The term ESG was coined in a 2004 United Nations (UN) report titled “Who Cares Wins,” aimed at raising awareness regarding the importance of environmental, social, and corporate governance issues in financial markets. The ESG criteria’s specific purpose is to guide investors in recognizing sustainable investments without evaluating how sustainable the asset is or the investment value represented by sustainability. It is essential to underline that ESG does not take specific economic interests into account. The rationale behind this apparent gap is that investors investigate the economic aspects before investing. However, by not explicitly linking ESG and economic criteria, attractive investments are often misjudged and not implemented. For example, investments that only show their value in the longer term or indirectly influence value by achieving a higher retention rate among incumbent tenants, reducing or eliminating friction costs. A product–service system (PSS) refers to a market proposition (business model) that builds on a product’s traditional functionality by incorporating additional services. Although services are already offered, the PSS function is to link the service to a product. The service thereby supports the operation of the product and generates additional benefits. It encompasses the integrated solutions of products and services to satisfy customers' needs and generate maximum value. According to Sutanto et al., a PSS is designed to focus on sustainability characterized in three dimensions. 1. The economic dimension 2. The environmental dimension 3. The social dimension When discussing sustainability in this thesis, we use the criteria listed above related to socially responsible investments. The link between PSS and ESG is that a PSS focuses on creating a sustainable system, and ESG makes sustainability more visible to investors. Therefore, when PSS are recognized and implemented in buildings, they must be evaluated using ESG analysis methods. Product-Service Systems (PSS) try to find a way to offer services on top of a product. The product is essentially secondary to the result that is delivered from the services. For example, the modem (product) that a cable company provides will be of secondary importance to the connectivity (service). Alternatively, it will be less critical how heat is made (product) than the intended set point is achieved in the building. PSSs transform the supply of products into services. In doing so, the responsibility shifts from delivering a product (once only) to continuous service delivery. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the service provider to deliver the outcome of the service as efficiently (read: lowest cost) as possible. A direct consequence of this is that the service provider will want to use the product as efficiently as possible and as long as possible to reduce his costs. Therefore, the supplier will also want to recover and maximize the reuse of his product based on the same rationale. A positive impact on the environment and the used raw materials is thus to be expected. The whole process of servitization (transforming products into services) in real estate will positively impact the Economic, Environmental and Social factors. Therefore, demonstrating this proposition is the main objective of this thesis. Smart PSS is the same idea as Product-Service systems but in which the digitization of the services plays a key role. It will be shown that by digitizing services, a broader range can be offered. It will be demonstrated that products that provide services at the building level can, through their interconnectedness, also provide services to external systems (e.g. electricity grid, urban planning, mobility, ...). At the same time, digitizing the products and services will also underpin trust in the systems and allow for proper remuneration. In this PhD, different standard systems in a building, such as the reservation system, the water heater, or the fire detection system, are equipped with additional services. A PSS is often specifically designed to focus on economic, social, and environmental dimensions. These dimensions correspond to the investor’s examination as part of the ESG analysis before investing. As the PSS is often specifically designed to integrate sustainability, there is a close link between the sustainability performance of the PSS and the ESG criteria evaluated by the investor. Throughout the work, the owner is considered to be the user of the building. It is not the case that only an owner-user can generate cash flow. In essence, if they have sufficient rights to the underlying product, any building user can activate services that generate cash flow. In today's market, it is logical that this is viewed in the owner-user context as they will usually choose the products to be installed in larger technical installations. They may have previously used a PSS or choose to move to one. However, a building’s tenant could choose to lease out their meeting rooms if they are not contractually prohibited from doing so since, in practice, contracts have begun to prohibit certain services. For example, rental contracts that actively prohibit renting out a property through platforms such as Airbnb. Thus, the user’s function could potentially impact how the PSS is designed. This work does not explicitly explore the impact of this aspect. The owner-user is assumed throughout this manuscript. The second chapter describes the state of affairs concerning PSSs in a broad framework evolving towards focusing on the real estate sector. After which, in the second chapter, ESG and the link to real estate and how smart real estate (smart buildings) is missing from this evaluation are discussed in more detail. Chapter 3 shows from a fire alarm system, which was extended with an evacuation support system, the usefulness, and the risk of data. Further work was done to demonstrate the added value in terms of Economic, Environmental and Social factors of standard installations in buildings. In Chapter 4, a simple sanitary hot water boiler is extended with a service that allows controlling this boiler according to the status of the electricity grid (surplus or shortage of energy). The supply and demand of energy on the power grid must be equal at all times. By equipping a classic water heater (product) with additional intelligence (service), it becomes possible to adjust the energy use to the grid's needs. The grid operators are prepared to pay for this. This payment can be linked to different energy markets (long term market, spot market, ...). This study looked at the fee that would have to be paid when the adjustment of the energy use can be made instantaneously so that the fee must be settled according to the prices on the imbalance market. In chapter 5, we look at the impact of the service to rent out free spaces as co-working places on a broad market (external to the building), compared to a regular reservation system. By renting out unused workplaces on a broad market, the utilization of the existing patrimony will be higher. The demand for new square meters with the same function will decrease as the supply-demand curve changes, and so will the price. This makes it less interesting to build new buildings. Less construction of new buildings will result in fewer resources being used, which will positively affect the environment. In addition, fewer new buildings with an office function will leave more space for buildings with another function. Also, the city's infrastructure will be less burdened (roads, sewerage, electricity grid,...). In The Hague, the decreasing need for new square meters of office buildings can lead to more space for affordable housing, for which the city has a great need. Chapter 6 will frame the valuation of service as a real options method that gives an impetus to a general valuation methodology to value the flexibility that Smart PSS inherently has. Finally, this thesis demonstrates that (smart) PSSs impact real estate profitability, while positively influencing environmental and social factors. Further research and the limitations of the studies conducted are documented. This PhD concludes that Product-Service systems should break the silos between different stakeholders, resulting in a lower total cost of ownership of buildings in the longer term. This can only be achieved if the valuation of Product-Service systems is done correctly and is recognized by every stakeholder in the real estate process. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:183415 |
Serial |
6912 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Alemam, E. |
Title |
Cleaning of wall paintings by Polyvinyl alcohol–Borax/Agarose (PVA–B/AG) double network hydrogels : characterization, assessment, and applications |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
184 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Engineering sciences. Technology; Art; AXES (Antwerp X-ray Analysis, Electrochemistry and Speciation); Antwerp Cultural Heritage Sciences (ARCHES); Antwerp X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy (AXIS) |
Abstract |
Wall paintings make up an important section of cultural heritage. They resemble time portals that can be used to travel back into the past and witness the life of our ancestors. In these paintings, the ancient artists depicted the different aspects of their life, such as cooking, baking, farming, manufacturing, as well as thoughts and beliefs. Unfortunately, wall paintings are susceptible to degradation over time in the form of the accumulations of dirt and deposits on the painted surfaces and loss of adhesion of the paint layers at the surface. Therefore, the removal of these deposits is one of the primary duties of conservator-restorers. Such operations are intended to restore the painted surface to a condition close enough to its original state. Since cleaning artworks may cause undesirable physicochemical alterations and is nonreversible, the proper cleaning procedure should be adopted. In this regard, numerous gels have been developed and exploited for the cleaning of various artwork surfaces. Lately, polyvinyl alcohol-borax (PVA-B) and agarose (AG) hydrogels have been widely employed as cleaning materials by conservator-restorers. However, both hydrogels have shown limitations in specific cleaning practices. In this work, we investigated a new double network hydrogel based on blending PVA-B and agarose to avoid the limitations posed by the constituting hydrogels. For this reason, a detailed characterization of the PVA–B/AG double network hydrogel was performed, including chemical structure, liquid phase retention, mechanical strength, rheological behavior, and self-healing behavior of various PVA-B/AG hydrogels. These new hydrogels revealed better properties than PVA-B and agarose hydrogels and obviated their limitations. A laboratory experiment on the removal of deteriorated Paraloid® B72 proved that the PVA-B/AG hydrogel loaded 10%/10% MEK/1-PeOH was able to remove these layers efficiently. Therefore, the hydrogel was tested on a wall painting from the Temple of Seti I in Abydos – Egypt. It removed the glossy/darkened consolidant from the wall painting and restored the original matt appearance of the painted surface. In another application on the painted ceiling of the same temple, the hydrogel was tested for removing thick soot layers. The hydrogel formulation (loaded with 5% ammonia, 0.3% ammonium carbonate, and 0.3% EDTA) removed these layers with no noticeable damage to the paint layers. In a wide-scale application of the hydrogel (loaded with 10% propylene carbonate), it removed a highly deteriorated varnish layer from a 19-c wall painting. All the traditional cleaning methods employed caused damage to the paint layers, proving that gel cleaning can be a safer cleaning alternative in some cases. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:183381 |
Serial |
7671 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Aerts, A.; Janssens, K.; Adams, F. |
Title |
A chemical investigation of altered Chinese jade art objects |
Type |
H3 Book chapter |
Year |
1997 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
170-171 |
Keywords |
H3 Book chapter; AXES (Antwerp X-ray Analysis, Electrochemistry and Speciation) |
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 |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:18317 |
Serial |
5515 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Zhang, L. |
Title |
Characteristic diagnosis of atmospheric discharge plasma and kinetics study of reactive species |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
XVIII, 148 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT) |
Abstract |
Low-temperature plasma has received extensive attention due to its promising application prospects in the field of air pollutants degradation and energy conversion. To fulfill the need for particular applications, constructing stable plasma sources and investigating the interaction mechanisms between plasma and substances have been hot research topics. This thesis reports the diagnosis and improvement of plasma sources, diagnosis of the active species in plasma and a modeling study of chemical kinetics processes. The main research contents are as follows: In Chapter 3, a diffuse sine AC dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is successfully obtained by optimizing the electrode structure. It is found that using double-layer dielectric plates can limit the discharge current intensity and significantly improve the discharge uniformity. The electrical characteristics and gas temperature with different operating time show that the discharge stability is also improved by using double-layer dielectric plates. In Chapter 4, nanosecond pulses are employed to generate diffuse DBD plasmas. Three main discharge stages are distinguished by ICCD images, i.e., the streamer breakdown from the needle tip to the plate electrode, the regime transition from streamer to diffuse plasma, and the propagation of surface discharge on the plate electrode surface. The chapter reveales that in nanosecond pulsed discharges the vibrational temperature of N2 increases with the discharge duration, while the rotational temperature mainly stays constant, which means electron energy is transferred into the vibrational levels, but gas heating is not obvious during the discharge pulse. In Chapter 5, both sine AC DBD and nanosecond pulsed DBD, studied in Chapter 2 and 3, are used for formaldehyde degradation. It is found that nanosecond pulsed DBD has more homogenous characteristics, better stability, and lower plasma gas temperature. Moreover, the energy consumption of nanosecond pulsed DBD is much lower than that of AC DBD. In Chapter 6, a 0D chemical kinetics model is developed to investigate the underlying plasma chemistry of methane dry reforming in a nanosecond pulsed discharge. An overview of the dominant reaction pathways of CO2 and CH4 conversion into the major products is given. Furthermore, most of the CO2 molecules are populated into vibrational states during the pulse. Hence, the vibrational states of CO2 play an important role in its dissociation process. In general, this PhD thesis contributes to a better insight in the mechanisms of sinusoidal AC DBD and nanosecond pulsed DBD plasmas and their applications, i.e., decomposition of formaldehyde and dry reforming of methane. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:183166 |
Serial |
7605 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Esguerra, J.L. |
Title |
Developing strategies for improved economic performance and reduced climate impact of landfill mining in Europe |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
xiv, 99 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Economics; Engineering Management (ENM) |
Abstract |
Landfill mining refers to the re-circulation of resources from the previously deposited wastes–integrating resource recovery with traditional site remediation. Several resources that can be recovered include scrap metals, combustibles, and inert materials. In addition, land can be recovered or landfill void space can be liberated for future wastes. At present, landfill mining is still an emerging concept with few project implementations. Consequently, the assessments of its economic and climate implications are case study-specific, limiting the understanding of its potential in a wider geographical scope. This thesis aims to assess the economic performance and climate impact of landfill mining in Europe towards the development of sound strategies for implementation. Different project setups are assessed in relation to varying factors at the site level such as waste composition and landfill settings, and at the system level such as policy and market conditions and background material and energy. In doing so, a factor-based method is developed and applied to generate multiple scenarios (531, 441 scenarios per project setup) and determine the underlying important factors and their interrelations that drive the results. Such understanding is used to develop and discuss strategies for improvement by addressing relevant questions for specific stakeholders, including project investors (i.e., which landfill sites to prioritize?), landfill mining practitioners (i.e., how to set up such projects?), and policymakers (i.e., which policy instruments can effectively support such projects?). Results show that landfill mining is preferable in terms of climate than economy. Possible improvements are shown by internalizing thermal treatment of combustibles and extending fines residue utilization as construction aggregates. In relation to the choice of project setups, preferable site and system-level conditions are identified in general but it is also discussed that the plausibility of finding such conditions may be difficult at present. This steers the development of more tailored strategies on what can be done now by the landfill practitioners in terms of setting up projects under current policy and market conditions in specific regions, or what can be done by the policymakers in terms of implementing various policy instruments that can drive such changes at the system level. Through this thesis, the future of landfill mining research is guided towards addressing key challenges and potential solutions for improvement. Furthermore, this thesis highlights the role of assessment as a tool for learning and guiding the development of emerging concepts such as landfill mining. |
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 |
978-91-7929-056-6 |
Additional Links |
UA library record |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
|
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:183155 |
Serial |
6920 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Parrilla, M.; Vanhooydonck, A.; Watts, R.; De Wael, K. |
Title |
Wearable wristband-based electrochemical sensor for the detection of phenylalanine in biofluids |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2022 |
Publication |
Biosensors and bioelectronics |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
197 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
|
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Product development; Antwerp Electrochemical and Analytical Sciences Lab (A-Sense Lab) |
Abstract |
Wearable electrochemical sensors are driven by the user-friendly capability of on-site detection of key biomarkers for health management. Despite the advances in biomolecule monitoring such as glucose, still, several unmet clinical challenges need to be addressed. For example, patients suffering from phenylketonuria (PKU) should be able to monitor their phenylalanine (PHE) level in a rapid, decentralized, and affordable manner to avoid high levels of PHE in the body which can lead to a profound and irreversible mental disability. Herein, we report a wearable wristband electrochemical sensor for the monitoring of PHE tackling the necessity of controlling PHE levels in PHE hydroxylase deficiency patients. The proposed electrochemical sensor is based on a screen-printed electrode (SPE) modified with a membrane consisting of Nafion, to avoid interferences in biofluids. The membrane also consists of sodium 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulphonate for the in situ derivatization of PHE into an electroactive product, allowing its electrochemical oxidation at the surface of the SPE in alkaline conditions. Importantly, the electrochemical sensor is integrated into a wristband configuration to enhance user interaction and engage the patient with PHE self-monitoring. Besides, a paper-based sampling strategy is designed to alkalinize the real sample without the need for sample pretreatment, and thus simplify the analytical process. Finally, the wearable device is tested for the determination of PHE in saliva and blood serum. The proposed wristband-based sensor is expected to impact the PKU self-monitoring, facilitating the daily lives of PKU patients toward optimal therapy and disease management. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000719366400003 |
Publication Date |
2021-11-02 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
0956-5663 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:183086 |
Serial |
8957 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Gielis, J. |
Title |
Er bestaan geen absurde, irrationele, onregelmatige of onderling niet-onmeetbare meetkundige getallen |
Type |
A2 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Wiskunde en onderwijs |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
47 |
Issue |
188 |
Pages |
23-33 |
Keywords |
A2 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL) |
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 |
2032-0485 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
|
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:183083 |
Serial |
7934 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Gielis, J.; Ricci, P.E.; Tavkhelidze, I. |
Title |
The Möbius phenomenon in Generalized Möbius-Listing surfaces and bodies, and Arnold's Cat phenomenon |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Advanced Studies : Euro-Tbilisi Mathematical Journal |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
14 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
17-35 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL) |
Abstract |
Möbius bands have been studied extensively, mainly in topology. Generalized Möbius-Listing surfaces and bodies providing a full geometrical generalization, is a quite new field, motivated originally by solutions of boundary value problems. Analogous to cutting of the original Möbius band, for this class of surfaces and bodies, results have been obtained when cutting such bodies or surfaces. In general, cutting leads to interlinked and intertwined different surfaces or bodies, resulting in very complex systems. However, under certain conditions, the result of cutting can be a single surface or body, which reduces complexity considerably. Our research is motivated by this reduction of complexity. In the study of cutting Generalized Möbius-Listing bodies with polygons as cross section, the conditions under which a single body results, displaying the Möbius phenomenon of a one-sided body, have been determined for even and odd polygons. These conditions are based on congruence and rotational symmetry of the resulting cross sections after cutting, and on the knife cutting the origin. The Möbius phenomenon is important, since the process of cutting (or separation of zones in a GML body in general) then results in a single body, not in different, intertwined domains. In all previous works it was assumed that the cross section of the GML bodies is constant, but the main result of this paper is that it is sufficient that only one cross section on the whole GML structure meets the conditions for the Möbius phenomenon to occur. Several examples are given to illustrate this. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000774655100002 |
Publication Date |
|
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
|
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:183081 |
Serial |
8258 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Janssens, K.; Adams, F. |
Title |
Microscopic X-ray fluorescence analysis at second and third generation synchrotron sources |
Type |
A3 Journal article |
Year |
1997 |
Publication |
Debye Institute synchrotron chronicle |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
9-14 |
Keywords |
A3 Journal article; AXES (Antwerp X-ray Analysis, Electrochemistry and Speciation) |
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 |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:18303 |
Serial |
5727 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Gonzalez Garcia, A. |
Title |
Tuning the properties of group III-As in the thinnest limit : a theoretical study of single layer and 2D-heterostructures |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
xvii, 175 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
Abstract |
In this thesis, a first-principles research to tune the physical properties of group III-V materials in the thinnest limit is carried out. Among the different methods to tune the mechanical, electronic and magnetic properties of these graphene related materials, we use: two-dimensional (2D) multilayers, straintronics, hydrogen functionalization, and transition metal adsorption. The first part of this research is devoted to a complete characterization of the structural, electronic, mechanical and vibrational properties of 2D group III-As monolayers, obtained from density functional theory. Our findings are used to understand the contribution of the |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182959 |
Serial |
7040 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Blidar, A.-M. |
Title |
The development of sensitive and selective electrochemical methods for the detection of antibiotics |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
139 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Pharmacology. Therapy; AXES (Antwerp X-ray Analysis, Electrochemistry and Speciation); Antwerp Electrochemical and Analytical Sciences Lab (A-Sense Lab) |
Abstract |
The discovery of antibiotics represented one of the greatest breakthroughs in medicine. Their success combined with an increasing intensive use is apparently bound to be also their undoing. This is due to the development of acquired antibiotic resistance, leading to inefficient antibiotherapy and even to the impossibility of treatment and death. The development and spread of antibiotic resistance are fueled by the widespread presence of trace levels of antibiotics residue, in various media, from environment to aliments. One of the solutions is the rigorous monitoring of the levels of antibiotics, which in term requires an almost constant development of new, more accessible analytical methods, especially screening methods, capable of decentralized analysis. In this direction, the electrochemical detection of antibiotics represents a very viable alternative. In this context, the aim of this thesis was to develop new electrochemical methods for the detection of antibiotics by employing and expanding on several strategies, like biomimetic sensors and electrochemical fingerprinting. Five studies were described in this thesis, that can be roughly divided in three categories, based on the analytical strategy employed. The first group is represented by direct electrochemical methods. The second group focuses on the use of biomimetic elements, molecularly imprinted polymers and aptamers. The hyphenation of electrochemical methods with other analytical methods was explored in the last group. In the last study, included in this group, the singlet oxygen-based photoelectrochemical approach was used for the detection of a phenolic antibiotic, rifampicin. The originality of the thesis consists in the testing and development of new approaches to various strategies used in electrochemical detection, revealing new insights in the field of electrochemical detection of antibiotics. The complex electrochemical fingerprint and the mechanism of the electrochemical oxidation were created and investigated, respectively, for the antibiotic vancomycin. New sensitive nanoplatforms were prepared by employing and combining new protocols. Additionally, important contributions were brought through the study involving the singlet oxygen-based detection of rifampicin. We demonstrated how a photocatalyst can exhibit analyte selectivity by strongly interacting with a complex phenolic compound, rifampicin. Summing up, the studies presented in this thesis will have an important impact in the field of electrochemical detection of antibiotics. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182955 |
Serial |
7804 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Mallick, S.; Khalsa, G.; Kaaret, J.Z.; Zhang, W.; Batuk, M.; Gibbs, A.S.; Hadermann, J.; Halasyamani, P.S.; Benedek, N.A.; Hayward, M.A. |
Title |
The influence of the 6s² configuration of Bi³+ on the structures of A ' BiNb₂O₇ (A ' = Rb, Na, Li) layered perovskite oxides |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Journal of the Chemical Society : Dalton transactions |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
50 |
Issue |
42 |
Pages |
15359-15369 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
Abstract |
Solid state compounds which exhibit non-centrosymmetric crystal structures are of great interest due to the physical properties they can exhibit. The 'hybrid improper' mechanism – in which two non-polar distortion modes couple to, and stabilize, a further polar distortion mode, yielding an acentric crystal structure – offers opportunities to prepare a range of novel non-centrosymmetric solids, but examples of compounds exhibiting acentric crystal structures stabilized by this mechanism are still relatively rare. Here we describe a series of bismuth-containing layered perovskite oxide phases, RbBiNb2O7, LiBiNb2O7 and NaBiNb2O7, which have structural frameworks compatible with hybrid-improper ferroelectricity, but also contain Bi3+ cations which are often observed to stabilize acentric crystal structures due to their 6s(2) electronic configurations. Neutron powder diffraction analysis reveals that RbBiNb2O7 and LiBiNb2O7 adopt polar crystal structures (space groups I2cm and B2cm respectively), compatible with stabilization by a trilinear coupling of non-polar and polar modes. The Bi3+ cations present are observed to enhance the magnitude of the polar distortions of these phases, but are not the primary driver for the acentric structure, as evidenced by the observation that replacing the Bi3+ cations with Nd3+ cations does not change the structural symmetry of the compounds. In contrast the non-centrosymmetric, but non-polar structure of NaBiNb2O7 (space group P2(1)2(1)2(1)) differs significantly from the centrosymmetric structure of NaNdNb2O7, which is attributed to a second-order Jahn-Teller distortion associated with the presence of the Bi3+ cations. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000706651100001 |
Publication Date |
2021-10-05 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
1477-9234 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182584 |
Serial |
6893 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Tiwari, S.; Vanherck, J.; Van de Put, M.L.; Vandenberghe, W.G.; Sorée, B. |
Title |
Computing Curie temperature of two-dimensional ferromagnets in the presence of exchange anisotropy |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Physical review research |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
3 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
043024 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
Abstract |
We compare three first-principles methods of calculating the Curie temperature in two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic materials (FM), modeled using the Heisenberg model, and propose a simple formula for estimating the Curie temperature with high accuracy that works for all common 2D lattice types. First, we study the effect of exchange anisotropy on the Curie temperature calculated using the Monte Carlo (MC), the Green's function, and the renormalized spin-wave (RNSW) methods. We find that the Green's function method overestimates the Curie temperature in high-anisotropy regimes compared to the MC method, whereas the RNSW method underestimates the Curie temperature compared to the MC and the Green's function methods. Next, we propose a closed-form formula for calculating the Curie temperature of 2D FMs, which provides an estimate of the Curie temperature that is greatly improved over the mean-field expression for magnetic material screening. We apply the closed-form formula to predict the Curie temperature 2D magnets screened from the C2DB database and discover several high Curie temperature FMs, with Fe2F2 and MoI2 emerging as the most promising 2D ferromagnets. Finally, by comparing to experimental results for CrI3, CrCl3, and CrBr3, we conclude that for small effective anisotropies, the Green's-function-based equations are preferable, while for larger anisotropies, MC-based results are more predictive. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000707506500001 |
Publication Date |
2021-10-11 |
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 |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182522 |
Serial |
6975 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Peeters, M.; Compernolle, T.; Van Passel, S. |
Title |
Leasing out unused meeting room capacity to reduce future office space needs : a case study of The Hague, Netherlands |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Journal of building engineering |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
44 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
102953 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Economics; Engineering sciences. Technology; Economics; Engineering Management (ENM) |
Abstract |
Meeting rooms are reserved 30% of working hours but only used for 20% of that time. By implementing a strategy where the available capacity is leased to the wider market rather than just the building users, there is a positive impact on the economic, environmental, and social factors of the building and its surroundings. This study uses the building 'The Globe' in The Hague as a case study, and then projects the results to the entire city. In case of The Globe, implementing a lease out strategy achieves a reduction of 36% of the annual rent of the meeting rooms to the building's tenant. The owner benefits from a revenue increase of 12.5%, with the same operational expenses (except the reservation system), leading to a proportional higher valuation of the building. Annual energy consumption may be lowered by 6.2%. This study contributes to the literature by considering the total benefits that could be obtained by more efficient use of office space that is currently underused. The application of technology generates added value for economic, environmental, and social factors. These factors are important in real estate as they (among others) have a direct link to the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) analysis that investors make before proceeding with an investment. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000701698300003 |
Publication Date |
2021-07-05 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
2352-7102 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
Not_Open_Access |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182469 |
Serial |
6936 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
McLachlan, G.; Majdak, P.; Reijniers, J.; Peremans, H. |
Title |
Towards modelling active sound localisation based on Bayesian inference in a static environment |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Acta Acustica |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
5 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
45 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering Management (ENM); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
Abstract |
Over the decades, Bayesian statistical inference has become a staple technique for modelling human multisensory perception. Many studies have successfully shown how sensory and prior information can be combined to optimally interpret our environment. Because of the multiple sound localisation cues available in the binaural signal, sound localisation models based on Bayesian inference are a promising way of explaining behavioural human data. An interesting aspect is the consideration of dynamic localisation cues obtained through self-motion. Here we provide a review of the recent developments in modelling dynamic sound localisation with a particular focus on Bayesian inference. Further, we describe a theoretical Bayesian framework capable to model dynamic and active listening situations in humans in a static auditory environment. In order to demonstrate its potential in future implementations, we provide results from two examples of simplified versions of that framework. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000709050000001 |
Publication Date |
2021-10-21 |
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 |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182453 |
Serial |
7035 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Jannis, D. |
Title |
Novel detection schemes for transmission electron microscopy |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
iv, 208 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
Abstract |
Electron microscopy is an excellent tool which provides resolution down to the atomic scale with up to pm precision in locating atoms. The characterization of materials in these length scales is of utmost importance to answer questions in biology, chemistry and material science. The successful implementation of aberration-corrected microscopes made atomic resolution imaging relatively easy, this could give the impression that the development of novel electron microscopy techniques would stagnate and only the application of these instruments as giant magnifying tools would continue. This is of course not true and a multitude of problems still exist in electron microscopy. Two of such issues are discussed below. One of the biggest problems in electron microscopy is the presence of beam damage which occurs due the fact that the highly energetic incoming electrons have sufficient kinetic energy to change the structure of the material. The amount of damage induced depends on the dose, hence minimizing this dose during an experiment is beneficial. This minimizing of the total dose comes at the expense of more noise due to the counting nature of the electrons. For this reason, the implementation of four dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D STEM) experiments has reduced the total dose needed per acquisition. However, the current cameras used to measure the diffraction patterns are still two orders of magnitude slower than to the conventional STEM methods. Improving the acquisition speed would make the 4D STEM technique more feasible and is of utmost importance for the beam sensitive materials since less dose is used during the acquisition. In TEM there is not only the possibility to perform imaging experiments but also spectroscopic measurements. There are two frequently used methods: electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). EELS measures the energy-loss spectrum of the incoming electron which gives information on the available excitations in the material providing elemental sensitivity. In EDX, the characteristic x-rays, arising from the decay of an atom which is initially excited due to the incoming electrons, are detected providing similar elemental analysis. Both methods are able to provide comparable elemental information where in certain circumstances one outperforms the other. However, both methods have a detection limit of approximately 100-1000 ppm which is not sufficient for some materials. In this thesis, two novel techniques which can make significant progress for the two problems discussed above. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182404 |
Serial |
6872 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Prabhakara, V. |
Title |
Strain measurement for semiconductor applications with Raman spectroscopy and Transmission electron microscopy |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
149 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
Abstract |
Scaling down the size of transistors has been a trend for several decades which has led to improved transistor performance, increased transistor density and hence the overall computation power of IC chips. The trend slowed in recent years due to reliability and power consumption issues at the nanoscale. Hence strain is introduced into transistor channels that has beneficial effects on improving the mobility of charge carriers, providing an alternative pathway for enhancing transistor performance. Therefore, monitoring strain is vital for the semiconductor industry. With the recent trend of decreasing device dimensions (FinFETS ~ 10-20nm) and strain modulation being used throughout, industry needs a reliable and fast method as quality control or defect characterisation. Such a universal strain measurement method does not exist, and one relies on a combination of quantitative in-line methods and complex off-line approaches. In this thesis, I investigated TEM and Raman spectroscopy-based methodologies for strain measurement. In terms of TEM methodologies, advancements are made for the STEM moiré imaging, targeting strain spatial resolution enhancement. I introduce advanced quadrature demodulation and phase stepping interferometry applied to STEM moiré that greatly enhances the spatial resolution while providing enhanced field of view and sensitivity for strain measurement. We introduce ways to reduce scan distortions in strain maps using an alternative scan strategy called “Block scanning” and the non-linear regression applied for strain extraction. Prospects for 3D strain analysis using high-resolution tomography is also investigated which gives direct access for the full second order strain tensors calculation. Finally, we compare strain measurements from TEM techniques with inline techniques like Raman spectroscopy. Raman stress measurement involves sensitive identification of the TO and LO phonon peaks. Raman spectrum of strained Ge transistor channel consists of strongly overlapping peaks within the spectral resolution of the spectrometer. Hence, the process of deconvolution of the two peaks is rather challenging. Hence, we explore new polarisation geometries like radially polarised incoming light which was shown to ease the deconvolution problem resulting in improved precision for Raman stress–strain measurements. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182261 |
Serial |
6847 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Sabzalipour, A. |
Title |
Charge transport in magnetic topological insulators |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
xiv, 185 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
Abstract |
Novel quantum phases of matter and developing practical control over their characteristics is one of the primary aims of current condensed matter physics. It offers the potential for a new generation of energy, electronic and photonic technologies. Among all the newly found phases of matter, topological insulators are novel phases of quantum matter with fascinating bulk band topology and surface states protected by specific symmetries. For example, at the boundary of a strong topological insulator and a trivial insulator, metallic surface states appear that are protected by time-reversal symmetry. As a result, the bulk continues to be insulating, while the surface can support exotic high-mobility spin-polarized electronic states. Since there is no such thing as a clean system, impurities and other disorders are always present in materials. Even while impurities appear to be unfavorable to a system at first look, doping the host system with impurities allows us to engineer different electronic properties of systems, such as the Fermi level or electron density. Because of the symmetry protected metallic states in topological insulators, charge transport responds distinctively to magnetic and non-magnetic impurities. This doctoral dissertation explores how the longitudinal charge transport in magnetic topological thin films and the anomalous Hall effect on the surface of 3D magnetic topological insulators is influenced by point-like and randomly distributed dilute magnetic impurities. We are interested in how charge transport in these systems responds to the orientation of the magnetization orientation and how this response evolves based on the system's main characteristics, such as the magnitude of the Fermi level or gate voltage. Because topological insulators have a strong spin-orbit coupling, the interaction between conducting electrons and local magnetic impurities is very anisotropic. We will show that this anisotropy even enhances when magnetic topological thin films are exposed to a substrate or gate voltage. Therefore, to properly capture this anisotropy in charge transport calculations, we rely on a generalized Boltzmann formalism together with a modified relaxation time scheme. We show that magnetic impurities affect the charge transport in topological insulators by inducing a transition selection rule that governs scatterings of electrons between various electronic states. We see that this selection rule is highly sensitive to the spin direction of the magnetic impurities as well as the position of the Fermi level. According to this selection rule and depending on the position of the Fermi level, two different transport regimes are realized in magnetic topological thin films. In one of these regimes, our findings show that a dissipation less charge current can be generated. In other words, even if there are many magnetic impurities in the system, electrons do not notice them and, remarkably, conduct charge without dissipation. Outside this regime, the charge transport is always dissipative and its sensitivity to the spatial orientation of the magnetic impurities can be effectively modulated by a substrate or gate voltage. In this doctoral thesis, we also explore the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) on the surface of 3D magnetic topological insulators. The AHE is generated by three mechanisms: the intrinsic effect (owing to a nonzero Berry curvature), the side jump effect, and the skew scattering effect. They compete to dominate the AHE in distinct regimes. Analytically, we calculate the contributions of all three mechanisms to the scattering of massive Dirac fermions by magnetic impurities. Our results reveal three transport regimes based on the relative importance of the engaged mechanisms. The identification of these three distinctive transport regimes can assist experimentalists in achieving a regime in which each contribution is dominant over the others, allowing them to measure them separately. Typically, this is not feasible empirically since the total value of the experimentally observed AHE conceals the specific information of each of the three contributions. Based on our analytical calculations, we prove that the AHE can change sign by varying the orientation of the surface magnetization, the concentration of impurities, and the location of the Fermi level, which is consistent with previous experimental findings. In addition, we show that by suitably adjusting the given parameters, any contribution to the AHE, or even the entire AHE, can be turned off. For example, in a system with in-plane magnetization, one can turn off the AHE by pushing the system into the completely metallic regime. Furthermore, we demonstrate that any contribution to the AHE, or even the whole AHE, can be turned off by appropriately changing the provided parameters. For example, in a system with in-plane magnetization, the AHE can be turned off by pushing the system into the fully metallic regime. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182192 |
Serial |
6973 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Xie, Y. |
Title |
Bioreactor strategies for sustainable nitrogen cycling based on mineralization/nitrification, partial nitritation/anammox or sulfur-based denitratation |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
iv, 205 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL) |
Abstract |
In the biogeochemical flows on Earth, the reactive nitrogen (Nr) level has three times surpassed the safe boundary. The severe transgression of this boundary goes against sustainable planetary development. The modern food production process excessively relies on synthetic Nr fertilizers from the Haber– Bosch process. However, the massive loss of valuable nitrogen resources (i.e., 78-89%) from agriculture has been causing severe nitrogen cascade. Besides, the domestic wastewater in some local areas is discharged without proper treatment, making it a nonnegligible source of Nr pollution for local water bodies. Anthropogenic activities keep pumping out Nr pollution via point-source and non-point-source (NPS) emissions. Compared to the NPS emissions, point sources give visible and identified waste streams. It is vital to intervene the nitrogen cascade from point sources and facilitate humanity back to the safe Nr boundary. The collected and collectible Nr streams from food production, waste management, and recycling secondary raw materials can be used as waste-based fertilizers for agricultural cultivation. Besides the well-investigated recovery of inorganic Nr, organic Nr accounts for a massive Nr proportion on the Earth. Proper handling and treatment make these useful organic fertilizers for soil-based cultivation. However, these organic Nr fertilizers cannot directly apply to fertigation or hydroponic cultivation systems, and further biological conversion via nitrogen mineralization and nitrification to nitrate is essential. Besides the direct Nr cycling, the indirect Nr cycling ‘over the atmosphere’ should also be considered. In this way, the nitrogen cycle can be completed via converting the waste Nr back to nitrogen gas (i.e., Nr removal) and then synthesizing into Nr again. The municipal wastewater treatment plants receive a vast amount of low-strength Nr wastewater (mainly as ammonium) daily. Compared to the conventional nitrification/denitrification process, partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) is considered a resource- and cost-effective technology for wastewater with a low COD/N ratio. Moreover, the novel autotrophic denitratation/anammox process could be a good Nr removal process for wastewater containing both ammonium and nitrate. This Ph.D. thesis aimed to develop Nr recovery, conversion, and removal bioreactor strategies for different types of waste streams and biomass. Nr recovery was investigated on high-strength Nr waste streams for fertigation or hydroponic applications in Chapters 2 and 3. On the other hand, Nr removal was studied on the medium- to low-strength Nr waste streams in Chapters 4 and 5. In Chapter 2, a novel mineralization and nitrification system was proposed, producing nutrient solutions from solid organic fertilizers for hydroponic systems. Batch tests showed that aerobic incubation at 35°C could realize the NO₃⁻-N production efficiency above 90% from a novel microbial fertilizer. Subsequently, in the stirred tank bioreactor test, NO₃⁻-N production efficiency stabilized in a range of 44-51% under the influent loading rate of 400 mg TN L⁻¹ d⁻¹ at a 5-day HRT. Using Ca(OH)₂ and Mg(OH)₂ as pH control reagents generated the nutrient solutions with different P, Ca, and Mg nutrient levels. After modeling the nutrient balancing process, the proportion of organic-sourced NO₃⁻-N in the Hoagland nutrient solution (HNS) of Ca(OH)₂ scenario was 92.7%, while only 37.4% in the Mg(OH)₂ scenario. Compared to commercial scenarios, the total costs of the organic-sourced HNS can be cost-competitive for hydroponic cultivation. In Chapter 3, the Nr recovery as nitrate (NO₃⁻-N) from diluted human urine (around 670 mg N L⁻¹) was explored in a trickling filter (TF) for the first time. A novel concept of in-situ integrating the TF system into hydroponic systems was proposed as meaningful progress towards sustainable agriculture. The difference between synthetic and real urine in nitrification efficiency was found to be negligible. The full nitrification of alkalinized real urine was realized in the pH-controlled TF by calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) at around pH 6. The TF could handle different urine collection batches and maintain relatively stable nitrification performance, with NO₃⁻-N production efficiency and rate of 88±3% and 136±4 mg N L⁻¹ d⁻¹, respectively. The optimal HLR to realize this nitrification performance was 2 m³ m⁻² h⁻¹, with energy consumption of 1.8 kWh electricity kg⁻¹ NO₃⁻-N production. Ca(OH)₂, as a cheap base, its triple advantages on urine alkalinization, full nitrification, and macronutrient supplementation were successfully demonstrated in our proposed concept. In Chapter 4, towards more sustainable wastewater treatment, the feasibility of one-stage partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) was investigated in three parallel packed-bed trickling filters (TFs), with three types of carrier materials of different specific surface areas. Synthetic wastewater containing 100-250 mg NH₄⁺-N L⁻¹ was tested to mimic medium-strength household waste streams after carbon removal. Interestingly, the cheap carrier based on expanded clay achieved similar rates as commercially used plastic carrier materials. The top passive ventilation combined with an optimum hydraulic loading rate of 1.8 m³ m⁻² h⁻¹ could reach approximately 60% total nitrogen (TN) removal at a rate of 300 mg N L⁻¹ d⁻¹. A relatively low NO₃⁻-N production (13%) via PN/A was achieved in TFs. Most of the TN removal took place in the top compartment, where anammox activity was the highest. Energy consumption estimation (0.78 kWh electricity g⁻¹ N removed) suggested that the proposed process could be a suitable low-cost alternative for nitrogen removal. In Chapter 5, coupling sulfur-driven denitratation (SDN) with anammox was proposed to treat the wastewater containing both NO₃⁻-N and NH₄⁺-N, like the secondary effluents of mainstream PN/A processes. To explore the feasibility of sufficient and stable NO₂⁻-N accumulation via SDN in the long term, the effects of pH setpoints, residual NO₃⁻-N level, and biomass-specific NO₃⁻-N loading rate (BSNLR) were investigated. Alternating the pH setpoints between 7.0 and 8.5 could temporarily stimulate the NO₂⁻-N accumulation. Both the residual NO₃⁻-N and BSNLR showed highly positive correlations with the NO₂⁻-N accumulation efficiency. Under the control of pH 8.5, 1.0±0.8 mg NO₃⁻-N L⁻¹ and 150±42 mg NO₃⁻-N g⁻¹ VSS d⁻¹, SDN could produce 6.4±1.0 mg NO₂⁻-N L⁻¹ in the short term. Thiobacillus members may play a crucial role in managing the NO₂⁻-N accumulation, but the reduction of abundance and possible adaptation significantly impaired the efficacy of control strategies in the long run. Overall, novel technologies have been proposed to sustainably convert Nr in waste streams and biomass. The decision for Nr recovery versus removal and synthesis should be based on specific cases with the best environmental, economic, and human-health sustainability. In the future, the Nr management concepts should be further improved to make the nitrogen cycle more sustainable with higher resource use efficiency and less Nr emissions to the environment. Although the thesis is mainly focused on limited types of Nr waste streams, it pointed out the direction of sustainable Nr management and could facilitate the Nr back to the safe boundary in the long run. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:182099 |
Serial |
7563 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Yildiz, A.; Chouki, T.; Atli, A.; Harb, M.; Verbruggen, S.W.; Ninakanti, R.; Emin, S. |
Title |
Efficient iron phosphide catalyst as a counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
ACS applied energy materials |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
4 |
Issue |
10 |
Pages |
10618-10626 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL) |
Abstract |
Developing an efficient material as a counter electrode (CE) with excellent catalytic activity, intrinsic stability, and low cost is essential for the commercial application of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Transition metal phosphides have been demonstrated as outstanding multifunctional catalysts in a broad range of energy conversion technologies. Here, we exploited different phases of iron phosphide as CEs in DSSCs with an I–/I3–-based electrolyte. Solvothermal synthesis using a triphenylphosphine precursor as a phosphorus source allows to grow a Fe2P phase at 300 °C and a FeP phase at 350 °C. The obtained iron phosphide catalysts were coated on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates and heat-treated at 450 °C under an inert gas atmosphere. The solar-to-current conversion efficiency of the solar cells assembled with the Fe2P material reached 3.96 ± 0.06%, which is comparable to the device assembled with a platinum (Pt) CE. DFT calculations support the experimental observations and explain the fundamental origin behind the improved performance of Fe2P compared to FeP. These results indicate that the Fe2P catalyst exhibits excellent performance along with desired stability to be deployed as an efficient Pt-free alternative in DSSCs. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000711236300022 |
Publication Date |
2021-10-08 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
2574-0962 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:181953 |
Serial |
7853 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Muhammad, S.; Wuyts, K.; De Wael, K.; Samson, R. |
Title |
Does leaf micro-morphology influence the recognition of particles on SEM images? |
Type |
A3 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
International Journal of Environmental Pollution and Remediation |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
9 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
22-37 |
Keywords |
A3 Journal article; AXES (Antwerp X-ray Analysis, Electrochemistry and Speciation); Antwerp Electrochemical and Analytical Sciences Lab (A-Sense Lab) |
Abstract |
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) remains a popular approach to determine the shape, size, density and elemental composition of particles collected on leaf surfaces, but the effect of leaf micro-morphology on particle counts is not very well known. In this study, leaves of sixteen urban plant species were examined for particle density in June and September 2016 using SEM. The investigated plant species differed in leaf micro-morphology involving trichomes, raised stomata, epicuticular wax crystals and convex epidermal cells forming deep grooves between cells. The particle density on leaves of the investigated plant species was estimated by particle size fraction and leaf side. Particle density was significantly higher on the adaxial (AD) leaf side compared to the abaxial (AB) leaf side and higher for fine-particles than coarse-particles. The effect of trichome density on particle density of the AB and the AD leaf side was indicated to be significant and positive for both coarse and fine-particles in June but not in September. The successive repeated measurements elucidated that features constructing the topography of a leaf surface such as trichomes, stomata, and epidermal cells frequently contributed towards the edge enhancement effect, resulting in exaggerated particle counts. Besides, the mechanical drift contributed to the disparity in particle density measurements. Lastly, the reduction in particle density between successive measurements were imputed on the charging effect. These results enable us to suggest that in addition to characterization of micro-morphological features on a leaf surface, SEM will continue to be a useful approach for determining the particle: shape, size, elemental composition and density of the deposited particles. Nonetheless, the disparity in particle density measurements can occur due to abnormal particle recognition. Based on the results of September, we recommend that within-session successive repeated measurements (~ n ≥ 5) need to be performed to remove measurement uncertainties and obtain reliable quantitative data of particle counts using SEM. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
|
Publication Date |
2021-09-15 |
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 |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:181797 |
Serial |
7822 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Thiruvottriyur Shanmugam, S.; Trashin, S.; De Wael, K. |
Title |
Singlet oxygen-based photoelectrochemical detection of DNA |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2022 |
Publication |
Biosensors and bioelectronics |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
195 |
Issue |
|
Pages |
113652 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Antwerp Electrochemical and Analytical Sciences Lab (A-Sense Lab) |
Abstract |
The current work, designed for the photoelectrochemical detection of DNA, evaluates light-responsive DNA probes carrying molecular photosensitizers generating singlet oxygen (1O2). We take advantage of their chromophore’s ability to produce 1O2 upon photoexcitation and subsequent photocurrent response. Type I, fluorescent and type II photosensitizers were studied using diode lasers at 406 nm blue, 532 nm green and 659 nm red lasers in the presensce and absence of a redox reporter, hydroquinone (HQ). Only type II photosensitizers (producing 1O2) resulted in a noticeable photocurrent in 1–4 nA range upon illumination, in particular, dissolved DNA probes labeled with chlorin e6 and erythrosine were found to give a well-detectable photocurrent response in the presence of HQ. Whereas, Type I photosensitizers and fluorescent chromophores generate negligible photocurrents (<0.15 nA). The analytical performance of the sensing system was evaluated using a magnetic beads-based DNA assay on disposable electrode platforms, with a focus to enhance the sensitivity and robustness of the technique in detecting complementary DNA targets. Amplified photocurrent responses in the range of 70–100 nA were obtained and detection limits of 17 pM and 10 pM were achieved using magnetic beads-captured chlorin e6 and erythrosine labeled DNA probes respectively. The presented novel photoelectrochemical detection can further be optimized and employed in applications for which enzymatic amplification such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is not applicable owing to their limitations and as an effective alternative to colorimetric detection when rapid detection of specific nucleic acid targets is required. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000705223300003 |
Publication Date |
2021-09-23 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
0956-5663 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:181796 |
Serial |
8930 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Barbiellini, B.; Kuriplach, J.; Saniz, R. |
Title |
Study of rechargeable batteries using advanced spectroscopic and computational techniques |
Type |
Editorial |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Condensed Matter |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
6 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
26 |
Keywords |
Editorial; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
Abstract |
Improving the efficiency and longevity of energy storage systems based on Li- and Na-ion rechargeable batteries presents a major challenge. The main problems are essentially capacity loss and limited cyclability. These effects are due to a hierarchy of factors spanning various length and time scales, interconnected in a complex manner. As a consequence, and in spite of several decades of research, a proper understanding of the ageing process has remained somewhat elusive. In recent years, however, combinations of advanced spectroscopy techniques and first-principles simulations have been applied with success to tackle this problem. In this Special Issue, we are pleased to present a selection of articles that, by precisely applying these methods, unravel key aspects of the reduction-oxidation reaction and intercalation processes. Furthermore, the approaches presented provide improvements to standard diagnostic and characterisation techniques, enabling the detection of possible Li-ion flow bottlenecks causing the degradation of capacity and cyclability. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000699368400001 |
Publication Date |
2021-07-26 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
2410-3896 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:181630 |
Serial |
6890 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Psilodimitrakopoulos, S.; Orekhov, A.; Mouchliadis, L.; Jannis, D.; Maragkakis, G.M.; Kourmoulakis, G.; Gauquelin, N.; Kioseoglou, G.; Verbeeck, J.; Stratakis, E. |
Title |
Optical versus electron diffraction imaging of Twist-angle in 2D transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
npj 2D Materials and Applications |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
5 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
77 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT) |
Abstract |
Atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials can be vertically stacked with van der Waals bonds, which enable interlayer coupling. In the particular case of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) bilayers, the relative direction between the two monolayers, coined as twist-angle, modifies the crystal symmetry and creates a superlattice with exciting properties. Here, we demonstrate an all-optical method for pixel-by-pixel mapping of the twist-angle with a resolution of 0.55(degrees), via polarization-resolved second harmonic generation (P-SHG) microscopy and we compare it with four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D STEM). It is found that the twist-angle imaging of WS2 bilayers, using the P-SHG technique is in excellent agreement with that obtained using electron diffraction. The main advantages of the optical approach are that the characterization is performed on the same substrate that the device is created on and that it is three orders of magnitude faster than the 4D STEM. We envisage that the optical P-SHG imaging could become the gold standard for the quality examination of TMD superlattice-based devices. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000694849200001 |
Publication Date |
2021-09-09 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
2397-7132 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
4 |
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
This research has been co-financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the call European R & T Cooperation-Grant Act of Hellenic Institutions that have successfully participated in Joint Calls for Proposals of European Networks ERA NETS (National project code: GRAPH-EYE T8 Epsilon Rho Alpha 2-00009 and European code: 26632, FLAGERA). L.M., G.Ko. and G.Ki. acknowledge funding by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) under the “First Call for H.F.R.I. Research Projects to support Faculty members and Researchers and the procurement of high-cost research equipment grant” (Project No: HFRI-FM17-3034). GKi, S.P. and G.M.M. acknowledge funding from a research co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund-ESF) through the Operational Programme “Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning 2014-2020” in the context of the project “Crystal quality control of two-dimensional materials and their heterostructures via imaging of their non-linear optical properties” (MIS 5050340)“. J.V acknowledges funding from FWO G093417N ('Compressed sensing enabling low dose imaging in transmission electron microscopy') from the Flanders Research Fund, EU. J.V. and N.G. acknowledge funding from the European Union under the Horizon 2020 programme within a contract for Integrating Activities for Advanced Communities No 823717-ESTEEM3. J.V. N.G. and A.O. acknowledge funding through a GOA project ”Solarpaint" of the University of Antwerp. |
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:181610 |
Serial |
6877 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Lavor, I.R.; da Costa, D.R.; Covaci, L.; Milošević, M.V.; Peeters, F.M.; Chaves, A. |
Title |
Zitterbewegung of moiré excitons in twisted MoS₂/WSe₂ heterobilayers |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
Physical review letters |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
127 |
Issue |
10 |
Pages |
106801 |
Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
Abstract |
The moire pattern observed in stacked noncommensurate crystal lattices, such as heterobilayers of transition metal dichalcogenides, produces a periodic modulation of their band gap. Excitons subjected to this potential landscape exhibit a band structure that gives rise to a quasiparticle dubbed the moire exciton. In the case of MoS2/WSe2 heterobilayers, the moire trapping potential has honeycomb symmetry and, consequently, the moire exciton band structure is the same as that of a Dirac-Weyl fermion, whose mass can be further tuned down to zero with a perpendicularly applied field. Here we show that, analogously to other Dirac-like particles, the moire exciton exhibits a trembling motion, also known as Zitterbewegung, whose long timescales are compatible with current experimental techniques for exciton dynamics. This promotes the study of the dynamics of moire excitons in van der Waals heterostructures as an advantageous solid-state platform to probe Zitterbewegung, broadly tunable by gating and interlayer twist angle. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000692200800020 |
Publication Date |
2021-08-31 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
1079-7114 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
5 |
Open Access |
OpenAccess |
Notes |
|
Approved |
Most recent IF: NA |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:181599 |
Serial |
6896 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Van Loenhout, J. |
Title |
Targeting pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and glioblastoma with oxidative stress-mediated treatment strategies : focus on tumor cell death and modulation of the tumor microenvironment |
Type |
Doctoral thesis |
Year |
2021 |
Publication |
|
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
167 p. |
Keywords |
Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Center for Oncological Research (CORE) |
Abstract |
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are two of the most malignant solid tumor types with poor survival rates, which underscore the urgency of novel and efficacious treatment strategies. Within the last decade, immunotherapy has been established as a breakthrough in cancer therapy. This mainly has been driven by the clinical data and approval associated with several immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g. anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1/L1). Despite the clinical benefit in specific tumor types, these inhibitors have not yet fulfilled their promise in low immunogenic tumors such as PDAC and GBM. Oxidative stress in cancer cells due to elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and an inability to balance intracellular redox state has recently been highlighted as promising target for anticancer treatment strategies with possible immunogenic effects. In this PhD dissertation, I investigated novel oxidative stress-mediated treatment approaches to target PDAC and GBM and to enhance immunogenicity by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD). In the first part of this thesis (chapter 2), I reviewed the mechanistic responses of cancer cells towards different oxidative stress-inducing treatment strategies and their immunomodulating effects. The resulting literature demonstrated that different exogenous and endogenous ROS-inducing therapies show direct and indirect immunomodulating effects, which can be either immunostimulatory or immunosuppressive. One of the indirect immunostimulatory effects of the ROS-mediating therapies is the capacity of inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) in tumor cells, which can increase the immunogenicity and consequently can trigger an antitumoral immune response. In chapter 3, I investigated a novel exogenous ROS-inducing treatment method, namely cold atmospheric plasma, to determine the therapeutic and ICD-inducing effects in PDAC, in vitro. I revealed that plasma-treated PBS (pPBS) has the potential to induce ICD in pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) and to reduce the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) by attacking the tumor supportive pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). Although the cell death induced in PSCs was non-immunogenic as seen by the lack of danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) emission and DC activation, I showed that pPBS could disrupt the physical barrier and lower the immunosuppressive secretion profile (lower TGF-β) of PSCs. In contrast, DAMPs were released by PCCs after treatment with pPBS which resulted in activation and maturation of DCs and a more immunostimulatory secretion profile (higher TNF-α, IFN-γ). Hence, indirect plasma treatment via pPBS has the potential to enhance immunogenicity in PDAC by triggering ICD and by attacking the immunosuppressive PSCs. Tumor cells can evolve adaptation mechanisms to protect themselves against intrinsic oxidative stress by upregulation of pro-survival molecules and their antioxidant defense system to maintain the redox balance. As such, tumor cells can become resistant towards exogenous ROS-inducing therapies, like plasma. Dual targeting of the redox balance of tumor cells by increasing exogenous levels of ROS and inhibiting the antioxidant defense system can maximally exploit ROS-mediated cell death mechanisms as therapeutic anticancer strategy. In this regard, cold atmospheric plasma was combined with auranofin, a thioredoxin reductase inhibitor, in GBM (chapter 4). A synergistic effect was shown after this combination treatment in 2D and 3D, however, in 3D only high concentrations of auranofin synergized with plasma treatment. I confirmed a ROS-mediated response after combination treatment, which was able to induce distinct cell death mechanisms, specifically apoptosis and ferroptosis. Additionally, the auranofin and plasma combined treatment strategy induced cell death, which resulted in an increased release of DAMPs. Together with the observed DC maturation, these results indicates the potential increase in immunogenicity, though, the phagocytotic capacity of DCs was inhibited by auranofin. In chapter 5, I evaluated this promising oxidative stress combination therapy in GBM, in vivo. A decrease in tumor kinetics and an increased survival in GBM-bearing mice was observed when auranofin was sequentially combined with direct plasma treatment. No T cell infiltration was observed after auranofin monotherapy. However, further characterization of the TME after the combination therapy is necessary to provide more insight in the immunogenic effects in vivo. In conclusion, this PhD dissertation comprises novel and important therapeutic and immunogenic insights in cold atmospheric plasma and auranofin as promising oxidative stress-mediated treatment strategies for low immunogenic tumors, like PDAC and GBM. These preclinical results provide a solid basis for future research towards combinations with immunotherapeutic approaches. |
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 ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:181309 |
Serial |
8643 |
Permanent link to this record |
|
|
|
Author |
Tiwari, S.; Van de Put, M.L.; Sorée, B.; Vandenberghe, W.G. |
Title |
Carrier transport in a two-dimensional topological insulator nanoribbon in the presence of vacancy defects |
Type |
P1 Proceeding |
Year |
2018 |
Publication |
International Conference on Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and Devices : [proceedings]
T2 – International Conference on Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and, Devices (SISPAD), SEP 24-26, 2018, Austin, TX |
Abbreviated Journal |
|
Volume |
|
Issue |
|
Pages |
92-96 |
Keywords |
P1 Proceeding; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
Abstract |
We model transport through two-dimensional topological insulator (TI) nanoribbons. To model the quantum transport, we employ the non-equilibrium Green's function approach. With the presented approach, we study the effect of lattice imperfections on the carrier transport. We observe that the topologically protected edge states of TIs are robust against a high percentage (2%) of vacancy defects. We also investigate tunneling of the edge states in two decoupled TI nanoribbons. |
Address |
|
Corporate Author |
|
Thesis |
|
Publisher |
|
Place of Publication |
|
Editor |
|
Language |
|
Wos |
000516619300024 |
Publication Date |
2018-12-08 |
Series Editor |
|
Series Title |
|
Abbreviated Series Title |
|
Series Volume |
|
Series Issue |
|
Edition |
|
ISSN |
978-1-5386-6790-3; 1946-1577; 978-1-5386-6791-0 |
ISBN |
|
Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
Impact Factor |
|
Times cited |
|
Open Access |
|
Notes |
|
Approved |
no |
Call Number ![sorted by Call Number field, descending order (down)](img/sort_desc.gif) |
UA @ admin @ c:irua:181281 |
Serial |
7579 |
Permanent link to this record |