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Author De Bie, C.; van Dijk, J.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title CO2Hydrogenation in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Revealed Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 120 Issue 120 Pages 25210-25224  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The hydrogenation of carbon dioxide in a dielectric barrier discharge plasma is studied with a one-dimensional fluid model. The spatially averaged densities of the most important end products formed in the CO2/H2 mixture are determined as a function of the initial gas mixing ratio. CO and H2O are found to be present at the highest densities and to a lower content also CH4, C2H6, CH2O, CH3OH, O2, and some other higher hydrocarbons and oxygenates. The main underlying reaction

pathways for the conversion of the inlet gases and the formation of CO, CH4, CH2O, and CH3OH are pointed out for various gas mixing ratios. The CO2 conversion and the production of value added products is found to be quite low, also in comparison to a CO2/CH4 mixture, and this can be explained by the model.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000387737900007 Publication Date 2016-11-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 16 Open Access  
  Notes Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:140082 c:irua:139167 Serial 4414  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Martens, J.A.; Bogaerts, A.; De Kimpe, N.; Jacobs, P.A.; Marin, G.B.; Rabaey, K.; Saeys, M.; Verhelst, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The Chemical Route to a Carbon Dioxide Neutral World Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemsuschem Abbreviated Journal Chemsuschem  
  Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 1039-1055  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Excessive CO2 emissions in the atmosphere from anthropogenic activity can be divided into point sources and diffuse sources. The capture of CO2 from flue gases of large industrial installations and its conversion into fuels and chemicals with fast catalytic processes seems technically possible. Some emerging technologies are already being demonstrated on an industrial scale. Others are still being tested on a laboratory or pilot scale. These emerging chemical technologies can be implemented in a time window ranging from 5 to 20 years. The massive amounts of energy needed for capturing processes and the conversion of CO2 should come from low-carbon energy sources, such as tidal, geothermal, and nuclear energy, but also, mainly, from the sun. Synthetic methane gas that can be formed from CO2 and hydrogen gas is an attractive renewable energy carrier with an existing distribution system. Methanol offers advantages as a liquid fuel and is also a building block for the chemical industry. CO2 emissions from diffuse sources is a difficult problem to solve, particularly for CO2 emissions from road, water, and air transport, but steady progress in the development of technology for capturing CO2 from air is being made. It is impossible to ban carbon from the entire energy

supply of mankind with the current technological knowledge, but a transition to a mixed carbon–hydrogen economy can reduce net CO2 emissions and ultimately lead to a CO2-neutral world.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000398182800002 Publication Date 2017-02-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1864-5631 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.226 Times cited 75 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This paper is written by members of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB) and external experts. KVAB is acknowledged for supporting the writing and publishing of this viewpoint. Valuable suggestions made by colleagues Jan Kretzschmar, Stan Ulens, and Luc Sterckx are highly appreciated. Special thanks go to Mr. Bert Seghers and Mrs. N. Boelens of KVAB for practical assistance. Mr. Tim Lacoere is acknowledged for graphic design and layout of the figures, and Steven Heylen and Elke Verheyen are acknowledged for data collection and editorial assistance. Approved Most recent IF: 7.226  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:141916 Serial 4532  
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Author Verlackt, C.C.W.; Van Boxem, W.; Dewaele, D.; Lemière, F.; Sobott, F.; Benedikt, J.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Mechanisms of Peptide Oxidation by Hydroxyl Radicals: Insight at the Molecular Scale Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 121 Issue 121 Pages 5787-5799  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to provide atomic scale insight in the initial interaction between hydroxyl radicals (OH) and peptide systems in solution. These OH radicals are representative reactive oxygen species produced by cold atmospheric plasmas. The use of plasma for biomedical applications is gaining increasing interest, but the fundamental mechanisms behind the plasma modifications still remain largely elusive. This study helps to gain more insight in the underlying mechanisms of plasma medicine but is also more generally applicable to peptide oxidation, of interest for other applications. Combining both reactive and nonreactive MD simulations, we are able to elucidate the reactivity of the amino acids inside the peptide systems and their effect on their structure up to 1 μs. Additionally, experiments were performed, treating the simulated peptides with a plasma jet. The computational results presented here correlate well with the obtained experimental data and highlight the importance of the chemical environment for the reactivity of the individual amino acids, so that specific amino acids are attacked in higher numbers than expected. Furthermore, the long time scale simulations suggest that a single oxidation has an effect on the 3D conformation due to an increase in hydrophilicity and intra- and intermolecular interactions.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000396969900037 Publication Date 2017-03-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G012413N ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:142202 Serial 4537  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Khalilov, U.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Toward the Understanding of Selective Si Nano-Oxidation by Atomic Scale Simulations Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Accounts of chemical research Abbreviated Journal Accounts Chem Res  
  Volume 50 Issue 50 Pages 796-804  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The continuous miniaturization of nanodevices, such as transistors, solar cells, and optical fibers, requires the controlled synthesis of (ultra)thin gate oxides (<10 nm), including Si gate-oxide (SiO2) with high quality at the atomic scale. Traditional thermal growth of SiO2 on planar Si surfaces, however, does not allow one to obtain such ultrathin oxide due to either the high oxygen diffusivity at high temperature or the very low sticking ability of incident oxygen at low temperature. Two recent techniques, both operative at low (room) temperature, have been put forward to overcome these obstacles: (i) hyperthermal oxidation of planar Si surfaces and (ii) thermal or plasma-assisted oxidation of nonplanar Si surfaces, including Si nanowires (SiNWs). These nanooxidation processes are, however, often difficult to study experimentally, due to the key intermediate processes taking place on the nanosecond time scale.

In this Account, these Si nano-oxidation techniques are discussed from a computational point of view and compared to both hyperthermal and thermal oxidation experiments, as well as to well-known models of thermal oxidation, including the Deal−Grove, Cabrera−Mott, and Kao models and several alternative mechanisms. In our studies, we use reactive molecular dynamics (MD) and hybrid MD/Monte Carlo simulation techniques, applying the Reax force field. The incident energy of oxygen species is chosen in the range of 1−5 eV in hyperthermal oxidation of planar Si surfaces in order to prevent energy-induced damage. It turns out that hyperthermal growth allows for two growth modes, where the ultrathin oxide thickness depends on either (1) only the kinetic energy of the incident oxygen species at a growth temperature below Ttrans = 600 K, or (2) both the incident energy and the growth temperature at a growth temperature above Ttrans. These modes are specific to such ultrathin oxides, and are not observed in traditional thermal oxidation, nor theoretically considered by already existing models. In the case of thermal or plasma-assisted oxidation of small Si nanowires, on the other hand, the thickness of the ultrathin oxide is a function of the growth temperature and the nanowire diameter. Below Ttrans, which varies with the nanowire diameter, partially oxidized SiNW are formed, whereas complete oxidation to a SiO2 nanowire occurs only above Ttrans. In both nano-oxidation processes at lower temperature (T < Ttrans), final sandwich c-Si|SiOx|a-SiO2 structures are obtained due to a competition between overcoming the energy barrier to penetrate into Si subsurface layers and the compressive stress (∼2−3 GPa) at the Si crystal/oxide interface. The overall atomic-simulation results strongly indicate that the thickness of the intermediate SiOx (x < 2) region is very limited (∼0.5 nm) and constant irrespective of oxidation parameters. Thus, control over the ultrathin SiO2 thickness with good quality is indeed possible by accurately tuning the oxidant energy, oxidation temperature and surface curvature.

In general, we discuss and put in perspective these two oxidation mechanisms for obtaining controllable ultrathin gate-oxide films, offering a new route toward the fabrication of nanodevices via selective nano-oxidation.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000399859800016 Publication Date 2017-04-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0001-4842 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 20.268 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 12M1315N ; Approved Most recent IF: 20.268  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:142638 Serial 4561  
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Author Berthelot, A.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Modeling of CO2Splitting in a Microwave Plasma: How to Improve the Conversion and Energy Efficiency Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 121 Issue 121 Pages 8236-8251  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Microwave plasmas are one of the most promising techniques for CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals and fuels since they are very energy efficient. Nevertheless, experiments show that this high energy efficiency is only reached at low pressures and significantly drops toward atmospheric pressure, which is a clear limitation for industrial applications. In this paper, we use a zerodimensional reaction kinetics model to simulate a CO2 microwave plasma in a pressure range from 50 mbar to 1 bar, in order to evaluate the reasons for this decrease in energy efficiency at atmospheric pressure. The code includes a detailed description of the vibrational kinetics of CO2, CO, and O2 as well as the energy exchanges between them because the vibrational kinetics is known to be crucial for energy efficient CO2 splitting. First, we use a self-consistent gas temperature calculation in order to assess the key performance indicators for CO2 splitting, i.e., the CO2 conversion and corresponding energy efficiency. Our results indicate that lower pressures and higher power densities lead to more vibrational excitation, which is beneficial for the conversion. We also demonstrate the key role of the gas temperature. The model predicts the highest conversion and energy efficiencies at pressures around 300 mbar, which is in agreement with experiments from the literature. We also show the beneficial aspect of fast gas cooling in the afterglow at high pressure. In a second step, we study in more detail the effects of pressure, gas temperature, and power density on the vibrational distribution function and on the dissociation and recombination mechanisms of CO2, which define the CO2 splitting efficiency. This study allows us to identify the limiting factors of CO2 conversion and to propose potential solutions to improve the process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000400039300002 Publication Date 2017-04-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 47 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:142809 Serial 4567  
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Author Ramakers, M.; Trenchev, G.; Heijkers, S.; Wang, W.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Gliding Arc Plasmatron: Providing an Alternative Method for Carbon Dioxide Conversion Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemsuschem Abbreviated Journal Chemsuschem  
  Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 2642-2652  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Low-temperature plasmas are gaining a lot of interest for environmental and energy applications. A large research field in these applications is the conversion of CO2 into chemicals and fuels. Since CO2 is a very stable molecule, a key performance indicator for the research on plasma-based CO2 conversion is the energy efficiency. Until now, the energy efficiency in atmospheric plasma reactors is quite low, and therefore we employ here a novel type of plasma reactor, the gliding arc plasmatron (GAP). This paper provides a detailed experimental and computational study of the CO2 conversion, as well as the energy cost and efficiency in a GAP. A comparison with thermal conversion, other plasma types and other novel CO2 conversion technologies is made to find out whether this novel plasma reactor can provide a significant contribution to the much-needed efficient conversion of CO2. From these comparisons it becomes evident that our results are less than a factor of two away from being cost competitive and already outperform several other new technologies. Furthermore, we indicate how the performance of the GAP can still be improved by further exploiting its non-equilibrium character. Hence, it is clear that the GAP is very promising for CO2 conversion.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000403934400014 Publication Date 2017-05-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1864-5631 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.226 Times cited 42 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0383.16N 11U5316N ; Horizon 2020, 657304 ; Approved Most recent IF: 7.226  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:144184 Serial 4616  
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Author Shirazi, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title A DFT study of H-dissolution into the bulk of a crystalline Ni(111) surface: a chemical identifier for the reaction kinetics Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 19 Issue 19 Pages 19150-19158  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract In this study, we investigated the diffusion of H-atoms to the subsurface and their further diffusion into the bulk of a Ni(111) crystal by means of density functional theory calculations in the context of thermal and plasma-assisted catalysis. The H-atoms at the surface can originate from the dissociative adsorption of H2 or CH4 molecules, determining the surface H-coverage. When a threshold H-coverage is passed, corresponding to 1.00 ML for the crystalline Ni(111) surface, the surface-bound H-atoms start to diffuse to the subsurface. A similar threshold coverage is observed for the interstitial H-coverage. Once the interstitial sites are filled up with a coverage above 1.00 ML of H, dissolution of interstitial H-atoms to the layer below the interstitial sites will be initiated. Hence, by applying a high pressure or inducing a reactive plasma and high temperature, increasing the H-flux to the surface, a large amount of hydrogen can diffuse in a crystalline metal like Ni and can be absorbed. The formation of metal hydride may modify the entire reaction kinetics of the system. Equivalently, the H-atoms in the bulk can easily go back to the surface and release a large amount of heat. In a plasma process, H-atoms are formed in the plasma, and therefore the energy barrier for dissociative adsorption is dismissed, thus allowing achievement of the threshold coverage without applying a high pressure as in a thermal process. As a result, depending on the crystal plane and type of metal, a large number of H-atoms can be dissolved (absorbed) in the metal catalyst, explaining the high efficiency of plasma-assisted catalytic reactions. Here, the mechanism of H-dissolution is established as a chemical identifier for the investigation of the reaction kinetics of a chemical process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000406334300034 Publication Date 2017-06-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9076 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.123 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Financial support from the Reactive Atmospheric Plasma processIng – eDucation (RAPID) network, through the EU 7th Framework Programme (grant agreement no. 606889), is gratefully acknowledged. The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government department (EWI) and the Universiteit Antwerpen. Approved Most recent IF: 4.123  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:144794 Serial 4633  
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Author Michielsen, I.; Uytdenhouwen, Y.; Pype, J.; Michielsen, B.; Mertens, J.; Reniers, F.; Meynen, V.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title CO 2 dissociation in a packed bed DBD reactor: First steps towards a better understanding of plasma catalysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 326 Issue 326 Pages 477-488  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma catalysis is gaining increasing interest for CO2 conversion, but the interaction between the plasma and catalyst is still poorly understood. This is caused by limited systematic materials research, since most works combine a plasma with commercial supported catalysts and packings. In the present paper, we study the influence of specific material and reactor properties, as well as reactor/bead configuration, on the conversion and energy efficiency of CO2 dissociation in a packed bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. Of the various packing materials investigated, BaTiO3 yields the highest conversion and energy efficiency, i.e., 25% and 4.5%.

Our results show that, when evaluating the influence of catalysts, the impact of the packing (support) material itself cannot be neglected, since it can largely affect the conversion and energy efficiency. This shows the large potential for further improvement of packed bed plasma reactors for CO2 conversion and other chemical conversion reactions by adjusting both packing (support) properties and catalytically active sites. Moreover, we clearly prove that comparison of results obtained in different reactor setups should be done with care, since there is a large effect of the reactor setup and reactor/bead configuration.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000406137200047 Publication Date 2017-06-01  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 49 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was carried out with financial support of the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT Flanders) for both I. Michielsen (IWT-141093) and J. Pype (IWT-131229) and of the Walloon region through the excellence programme FLYCOAT (nr. 1318147) for the profilometry measurements. The authors also acknowledge financial support from an IOF-SBO project from the University of Antwerp and from the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO; grant number: G.0254.14 N). This research was carried out in the framework of the network on Physical Chemistry of Plasma-Surface Interactions – Interuniversity Attraction Poles, phase VII (http://psi-iap7.ulb. ac.be/), and supported by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The authors would also like to thank Koen Van Laer for the discussions on this manuscript. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:144802 Serial 4626  
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Author Wang, W.; Mei, D.; Tu, X.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Gliding arc plasma for CO 2 conversion: Better insights by a combined experimental and modelling approach Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 330 Issue Pages 11-25  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract A gliding arc plasma is a potential way to convert CO2 into CO and O2, due to its non-equilibrium character, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. In this paper, a self-consistent two-dimensional (2D) gliding arc model is developed, with a detailed non-equilibrium CO2 plasma chemistry, and validated with experiments. Our calculated values of the electron number density in the plasma, the CO2 conversion and energy efficiency show reasonable agreement with the experiments, indicating that the model can provide a realistic picture of the plasma chemistry. Comparison of the results with classical thermal conversion, as well as other plasma-based technologies for CO2 conversion reported in literature, demonstrates the non-equilibrium character of the gliding arc, and indicates that the gliding arc is a promising plasma reactor for CO2 conversion. However, some process modifications should be exploited to further improve its performance. As the model provides a realistic picture of the plasma behaviour, we use it first to investigate the plasma characteristics in a whole gliding arc cycle, which is necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms. Subsequently, we perform a chemical kinetics analysis, to investigate the different pathways for CO2 loss and formation. Based on the revealed discharge properties and the underlying CO2 plasma chemistry, the model allows us to propose solutions on how to further improve the

CO2 conversion and energy efficiency by a gliding arc plasma.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000414083300002 Publication Date 2017-07-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 38 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was supported by the European Marie Skłodowska- Curie Individual Fellowship “GlidArc” within Horizon 2020 (Grant No. 657304) and by the FWO project (grant G.0383.16N). The support of this experimental work by the EPSRC CO2Chem Seedcorn Grant and the FWO travel grant for study abroad (Grant K2.128.17N) is gratefully acknowledged. The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UAntwerpen. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:145033 Serial 4636  
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Author Aussems, D.U.B.; Bal, K. M.; Morgan, T.W.; van de Sanden, M.C.M.; Neyts, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Atomistic simulations of graphite etching at realistic time scales Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemical science Abbreviated Journal Chem Sci  
  Volume 8 Issue 10 Pages 7160-7168  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Hydrogen–graphite interactions are relevant to a wide variety of applications, ranging from astrophysics to fusion devices and nano-electronics. In order to shed light on these interactions, atomistic simulation using Molecular Dynamics (MD) has been shown to be an invaluable tool. It suffers, however, from severe timescale

limitations. In this work we apply the recently developed Collective Variable-Driven Hyperdynamics (CVHD) method to hydrogen etching of graphite for varying inter-impact times up to a realistic value of 1 ms, which corresponds to a flux of 1020 m2 s1. The results show that the erosion yield, hydrogen surface coverage and species distribution are significantly affected by the time between impacts. This can be explained by the higher probability of C–C bond breaking due to the prolonged exposure to thermal stress and the subsequent transition from ion- to thermal-induced etching. This latter regime of thermal-induced etching – chemical erosion – is here accessed for the first time using atomistic simulations. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that accounting for long time-scales significantly affects ion bombardment simulations and should not be neglected in a wide range of conditions, in contrast to what is typically assumed.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000411730500055 Publication Date 2017-08-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2041-6520 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.668 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes DIFFER is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientic Research (NWO). K. M. B. is funded as a PhD fellow (aspirant) of the FWO-Flanders (Fund for Scientic Research-Flanders), Grant 11V8915N. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and the Flemish Government – department EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 8.668  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:145519 Serial 4707  
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Author Snoeckx, R.; Bogaerts, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasma technology – a novel solution for CO2conversion? Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemical Society reviews Abbreviated Journal Chem Soc Rev  
  Volume 46 Issue 19 Pages 5805-5863  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals and fuels is considered as one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Due to the limitations of the traditional thermal approaches, several novel technologies are being developed. One promising approach in this field, which has received little attention to date, is plasma

technology. Its advantages include mild operating conditions, easy upscaling, and gas activation by energetic electrons instead of heat. This allows thermodynamically difficult reactions, such as CO2 splitting and the dry reformation of methane, to occur with reasonable energy cost. In this review, after exploring the traditional thermal approaches, we have provided a brief overview of the fierce competition between various novel approaches in a quest to find the most effective and efficient CO2 conversion technology. This is needed to critically assess whether plasma technology can be successful in an already crowded arena. The following questions need to be answered in this regard: are there key advantages to using plasma technology over other novel approaches, and if so, what is the flip side to the use of this technology? Can plasma technology be successful on its own, or can synergies be achieved by combining it with other technologies? To answer

these specific questions and to evaluate the potentials and limitations of plasma technology in general, this review presents the current state-of-the-art and a critical assessment of plasma-based CO2 conversion, as well as the future challenges for its practical implementation.
 
  Address  
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  Language Wos 000412141600006 Publication Date 2017-08-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0306-0012 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 38.618 Times cited 168 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We would like to thank W. Wang (University of Antwerp) for providing the data on the thermal equilibrium conversions. Furthermore, we acknowledge financial support from the IAP/7 (Inter-university Attraction Pole) programme ‘PSI-Physical Chemistry of Plasma-Surface Interactions’ by the Belgian Federal Office for Science Policy (BELSPO), the Methusalem financing of the University of Antwerp, the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO; Grant no. G.0383.16N, G.0254.14N and G.0217.14N), the TOP research project of the Research Fund of the University of Antwerp (grant ID. 32249). Approved Most recent IF: 38.618  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:145921 Serial 4709  
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Author Cleiren, E.; Heijkers, S.; Ramakers, M.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Dry Reforming of Methane in a Gliding Arc Plasmatron: Towards a Better Understanding of the Plasma Chemistry Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemsuschem Abbreviated Journal Chemsuschem  
  Volume 10 Issue 20 Pages 4025-4036  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Dry reforming of methane (DRM) in a gliding arc plasmatron is studied for different CH4 fractions in the mixture. The CO2 and CH4 conversions reach their highest values of approximately 18 and 10%, respectively, at 25% CH4 in the gas mixture, corresponding to an overall energy cost of 10 kJ L@1 (or 2.5 eV per molecule) and an energy efficiency of 66%. CO and H2 are the major products, with the formation of smaller fractions of C2Hx (x=2, 4, or 6) compounds and H2O. A chemical kinetics model is used to investigate the underlying chemical processes. The calculated CO2 and CH4 conversion and the energy efficiency are in good agreement with the experimental data. The model calculations reveal that the reaction of CO2 (mainly at vibrationally excited levels) with H radicals is mainly responsible for

the CO2 conversion, especially at higher CH4 fractions in the mixture, which explains why the CO2 conversion increases with increasing CH4 fraction. The main process responsible for CH4 conversion is the reaction with OH radicals. The excellent energy efficiency can be explained by the non-equilibrium character of the plasma, in which the electrons mainly activate the gas molecules, and by the important role of the vibrational kinetics of CO2. The results demonstrate that a gliding arc plasmatron is very promising for DRM.
 
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  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000413565100012 Publication Date 2017-10-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1864-5631 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.226 Times cited 23 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0383.16N ; Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid; Approved Most recent IF: 7.226  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:146665 Serial 4759  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Trenchev, G.; Kolev, S.; Wang, W.; Ramakers, M.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title CO2Conversion in a Gliding Arc Plasmatron: Multidimensional Modeling for Improved Efficiency Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 121 Issue 44 Pages 24470-24479  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The gliding arc plasmatron (GAP) is a highly efficient atmospheric plasma source, which is very promising for CO2 conversion applications. To understand its operation principles and to improve its application, we present here comprehensive modeling results, obtained by means of computational fluid dynamics simulations and plasma modeling. Because of the complexity of the CO2 plasma, a full 3D plasma model would be computationally impractical. Therefore, we combine a 3D turbulent gas flow model with a 2D plasma and gas heating model in order to calculate the plasma parameters and CO2 conversion characteristics. In addition, a complete 3D gas flow and plasma model with simplified argon chemistry is used to evaluate the gliding arc evolution in space and time. The calculated values are compared with experimental data from literature as much as possible in order to validate the model. The insights obtained in this study are very helpful for improving the application of CO2 conversion, as they allow us to identify the limiting factors in the performance, based on which solutions can be provided on how to further improve the capabilities of CO2 conversion in the GAP.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000415140400014 Publication Date 2017-11-09  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, 657304 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 11U5316N G038316N ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:147193 Serial 4765  
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Author Heijkers, S.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title CO2Conversion in a Gliding Arc Plasmatron: Elucidating the Chemistry through Kinetic Modeling Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 121 Issue 41 Pages 22644-22655  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract By means of chemical kinetics modeling, it is possible to elucidate the main dissociation mechanisms of CO2 in a gliding arc plasmatron (GAP). We obtain good agreement between the calculated and experimental conversions and energy efficiencies, indicating that the model can indeed be used to study the underlying mechanisms. The calculations predict that vibration-induced dissociation is the main dissociation mechanism of CO2, but it occurs mainly from the lowest vibrational levels because of fast thermalization of the vibrational distribution. Based on these findings, we propose ideas for improving the performance of the GAP, but testing of these ideas in the simulations reveals that they do not always lead to significant enhancement, because of other side effects, thus illustrating the complexity of the process. Nevertheless, the model allows more insight into the underlying mechanisms to be obtained and limitations to be identified.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000413617900007 Publication Date 2017-10-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, IAP/7 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0383.16N ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:147436 Serial 4801  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, W.; Kim, H.-H.; Van Laer, K.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Streamer propagation in a packed bed plasma reactor for plasma catalysis applications Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 334 Issue Pages 2467-2479  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract A packed bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is widely used for plasma catalysis applications, but the exact plasma characteristics in between the packing beads are far from understood. Therefore, we study here these plasma characteristics by means of fluid modelling and experimental observations using ICCD imaging, for packing materials with different dielectric constants. Our study reveals that a packed bed DBD reactor in dry air at atmospheric pressure may show three types of discharges, i.e. positive restrikes, filamentary microdischarges, which can also be localized between two packing beads, and surface discharges (so-called surface ionization

waves). Restrikes between the dielectric surfaces result in the formation of filamentary microdischarges, while surface charging creates electric field components parallel to the dielectric surfaces, leading to the formation of surface discharges. A transition in discharge mode occurs from surface discharges to local filamentary discharges between the packing beads when the dielectric constant of the packing rises from 5 to 1000. This may have implications for the efficiency of plasma catalytic gas treatment, because the catalyst activation may be limited by constraining the discharge to the contact points of the beads. The production of reactive species occurs most in the positive restrikes, the surface discharges and the local microdischarges in between the beads, and is less significant in the longer filamentary microdischarges. The faster streamer propagation and discharge development with higher dielectric constant of the packing beads leads to a faster production of reactive species. This study is of great interest for plasma catalysis, where packing beads with different dielectric constants are often used as supports for the catalytic materials. It allows us to better understand how different packing materials can influence the performance of packed bed plasma reactors for environmental applications.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000418533400246 Publication Date 2017-11-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 36 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 10.01.2020  
  Notes We acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO) (grant nos G.0217.14 N, G.0254.14 N and G.0383.16 N), the TOP-BOF project of the University of Antwerp, the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship “GlidArc” within Horizon2020 (Grant No. 657304) and the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT Flanders). This research was carried out in the framework of the network on Physical Chemistry of Plasma-Surface Interactions – Interuniversity Attraction Poles, phase VII (http://psi-iap7.ulb.ac.be/), and supported by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The calculations were carried out using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UAntwerpen. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:147864 Serial 4800  
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Author Gorbanev, Y.; Verlackt, C.C.W.; Tinck, S.; Tuenter, E.; Foubert, K.; Cos, P.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Combining experimental and modelling approaches to study the sources of reactive species induced in water by the COST RF plasma jet Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 20 Issue 4 Pages 2797-2808  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The vast biomedical potential of cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (CAPs) is governed by the formation of reactive species. These biologically active species are formed upon the interaction of CAPs with the surroundings. In biological milieu, water plays an essential role. The development of biomedical CAPs thus requires understanding of the sources of the reactive species in aqueous media exposed to the plasma. This is especially important in case of the COST RF plasma jet, which is developed as a reference microplasma system. In this work, we investigated the formation of the OH radicals, H atoms and H2O2 in aqueous solutions exposed to the COST plasma jet. This was done by combining experimental and modelling approaches. The liquid phase species were analysed using UV-Vis spectroscopy and spin trapping with hydrogen isotopes and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The discrimination between the species formed from the liquid phase and the gas phase molecules was performed by EPR and 1H-NMR analyses of the liquid samples. The concentrations of the reactive species in the gas phase plasma were obtained using a zero-dimensional (0D) chemical kinetics computational model. A three-dimensional (3D) fluid dynamics model was developed to provide information on the induced humidity in the plasma effluent. The comparison of the experimentally obtained trends for the formation of the species as a function of the feed gas and effluent humidity with the modelling results suggest that all reactive species detected in our system are mostly formed in the gas phase plasma inside the COST jet, with minor amounts arising from the plasma effluent humidity.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000423505500066 Publication Date 2018-01-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9076 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.123 Times cited 23 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We are grateful to Volker Schulz-von der Gathen (Experimental Physics II: Application Oriented Plasma Physics, Ruhr-Universita¨t Bochum, Germany) for providing the COST RF plasma jet. We thank our colleagues at the University of Antwerp: Gilles Van Loon (Mechanical Workshop), Karen Leyssens (Research group PLASMANT), and Sylvia Dewilde (Department of Biomedical Sciences) for their help with the equipment. This work was funded by the European Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship ‘LTPAM’ within Horizon2020 (grant no. 657304). Stefan Tinck thanks the Fund for Scientific Research – Flanders (FWO) for supporting his work (grant no. 0880.212.840). Approved Most recent IF: 4.123  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:148365 Serial 4808  
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Author Verlackt, C.C.W.; Van Boxem, W.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Transport and accumulation of plasma generated species in aqueous solution Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 20 Issue 10 Pages 6845-6859  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The interaction between cold atmospheric pressure plasma and liquids is receiving increasing attention for various applications. In particular, the use of plasma-treated liquids (PTL) for biomedical applications is of growing importance, in particular for sterilization and cancer treatment. However, insight into the

underlying mechanisms of plasma–liquid interactions is still scarce. Here, we present a 2D fluid dynamics model for the interaction between a plasma jet and liquid water. Our results indicate that the formed reactive species originate from either the gas phase (with further solvation) or are formed at the liquid interface. A clear increase in the aqueous density of H2O2, HNO2/NO2- and NO3-

is observed as a function of time, while the densities of O3, HO2/O2- and ONOOH/ONOO- are found to quickly reach a maximum due to chemical reactions in solution. The trends observed in our model correlate well with experimental observations from the literature.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000429286100009 Publication Date 2018-02-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9076 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.123 Times cited 35 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors thank Petr Luke`s (Institute of Plasma Physics AS CR, Czech Republic) and Yury Gorbanev (UAntwerp, group PLASMANT) for the fruitful discussions regarding the chemistry in the model and the plasma–liquid interactions. Approved Most recent IF: 4.123  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:149557 Serial 4908  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Modelling molecular adsorption on charged or polarized surfaces: a critical flaw in common approaches Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 20 Issue 13 Pages 8456-8459  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract A number of recent computational material design studies based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations have put forward a new class of materials with electrically switchable chemical characteristics that can be exploited in the development of tunable gas storage and electrocatalytic applications. We find systematic flaws in almost every computational study of gas adsorption on polarized or charged surfaces, stemming from an improper and unreproducible treatment of periodicity, leading to very large errors of up to 3 eV in some cases. Two simple corrective procedures that lead to consistent results are proposed, constituting a crucial course correction to the research in the field.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000428779700007 Publication Date 2018-03-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1463-9076 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.123 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes K. M. B. is funded as PhD fellow (aspirant) of the FWO-Flanders (Research Foundation – Flanders), Grant 11V8915N. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the FWO and the Flemish Government – department EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 4.123  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:150357 Serial 4916  
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Author Heyne, M.H.; de Marneffe, J.-F.; Nuytten, T.; Meersschaut, J.; Conard, T.; Caymax, M.; Radu, I.; Delabie, A.; Neyts, E.C.; De Gendt, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The conversion mechanism of amorphous silicon to stoichiometric WS2 Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal of materials chemistry C : materials for optical and electronic devices Abbreviated Journal J Mater Chem C  
  Volume 6 Issue 15 Pages 4122-4130  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The deposition of ultra-thin tungsten films and their related 2D chalcogen compounds on large area dielectric substrates by gas phase reactions is challenging. The lack of nucleation sites complicates the adsorption of W-related precursors and subsequent sulfurization usually requires high temperatures. We propose here a technique in which a thin solid amorphous silicon film is used as reductant for the gas phase precursor WF6 leading to the conversion to metallic W. The selectivity of the W conversion towards the underlying dielectric surfaces is demonstrated. The role of the Si surface preparation, the conversion temperature, and Si thickness on the formation process is investigated. Further, the in situ conversion of the metallic tungsten into thin stoichiometric WS2 is achieved by a cyclic approach based on WF6 and H2S pulses at the moderate temperature of 450 1C, which is much lower than usual oxide sulfurization processes.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000430538000036 Publication Date 2018-03-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2050-7526 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.256 Times cited 4 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported throughout a strategic fundamental research grant for M. H. by the agency Flanders innovation & entrepreneurship (VLAIO). Approved Most recent IF: 5.256  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:150968 Serial 4921  
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Author Wang, W.; Snoeckx, R.; Zhang, X.; Cha, M.S.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Modeling Plasma-based CO2and CH4Conversion in Mixtures with N2, O2, and H2O: The Bigger Plasma Chemistry Picture Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 122 Issue 16 Pages 8704-8723  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Because of the unique properties of plasma technology, its use in gas conversion applications is gaining significant interest around the globe. Plasma-based CO2 and CH4 conversion has become a major research area. Many investigations have already been performed regarding the single-component gases, that is, CO2 splitting and CH4 reforming, as well as for two-component mixtures, that is, dry reforming of methane

(CO2/CH4), partial oxidation of methane (CH4/O2), artificial photosynthesis (CO2/H2O), CO2 hydrogenation (CO2/H2), and even first steps toward the influence of N2 impurities have been taken, that is, CO2/N2 and CH4/N2. In this Feature Article we briefly discuss the advances made in literature for these different steps from a plasma chemistry modeling point of view. Subsequently, we present a comprehensive plasma chemistry set, combining the knowledge gathered in this field so far and supported with extensive experimental data. This set can be used for chemical kinetics plasma modeling for all possible combinations of CO2, CH4, N2, O2, and H2O to investigate the bigger picture of the underlying plasmachemical pathways for these mixtures in a dielectric barrier discharge plasma. This is extremely valuable

for the optimization of existing plasma-based CO2 conversion and CH4 reforming processes as well as for investigating the influence of N2, O2, and H2O on these processes and even to support plasma-based multireforming processes.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000431151200002 Publication Date 2018-04-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 28 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, IAP/7 ; King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, 657304 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0217.14N G.0383.16N G.0254.14N ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:150969 Serial 4922  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Uytdenhouwen, Y.; Van Alphen, S.; Michielsen, I.; Meynen, V.; Cool, P.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title A packed-bed DBD micro plasma reactor for CO 2 dissociation: Does size matter? Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 348 Issue Pages 557-568  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract DBD plasma reactors are of great interest for environmental and energy applications, such as CO2 conversion, but they suffer from limited conversion and especially energy efficiency. The introduction of packing materials has been a popular subject of investigation in order to increase the reactor performance. Reducing the discharge gap of the reactor below one millimetre can enhance the plasma performance as well. In this work, we combine both effects and use a packed-bed DBD micro plasma reactor to investigate the influence of gap size reduction, in combination with a packing material, on the conversion and efficiency of CO2 dissociation. Packing materials used in this work were SiO2, ZrO2, and Al2O3 spheres as well as glass wool. The results are compared to a regular size reactor as a benchmark. Reducing the discharge gap can greatly increase the CO2 conversion, although at a lower energy efficiency. Adding a packing material further increases the conversion when keeping a constant residence time, but is greatly dependent on the material composition, gap and sphere size used. Maximum conversions of 50–55% are obtained for very long residence times (30 s and higher) in an empty reactor or with certain packing material combinations, suggesting a balance in CO2 dissociation and recombination reactions. The maximum energy efficiency achieved is 4.3%, but this is for the regular sized reactor at a short residence time (7.5 s). Electrical characterization is performed to reveal some trends in the electrical behaviour of the plasma upon reduction of the discharge gap and addition of a packing material.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000434467000055 Publication Date 2018-05-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 22 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 03.05.2020  
  Notes We acknowledge financial support from the European Fund for Regional Development through the cross-border collaborative Interreg V program Flanders-the Netherlands (project EnOp), the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO; Grant Number: G.0254.14N) and an IOF-SBO (SynCO2Chem) project from the University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:151238 Serial 4956  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Huygh, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title High Coke Resistance of a TiO2Anatase (001) Catalyst Surface during Dry Reforming of Methane Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 122 Issue 17 Pages 9389-9396  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;  
  Abstract The resistance of a TiO2 anatase (001) surface to coke formation was studied in the context of dry reforming of methane using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. As carbon atoms act as precursors for coke formation, the resistance to coke formation can be measured by the carbon coverage of the surface. This is related to the stability of different CHx (x = 0−3) species and their rate of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation on the TiO2 surface. Therefore, we studied the reaction mechanisms and their corresponding rates as a function of the temperature for the dehydrogenation of the species on the surface. We found that the stabilities of C and CH are significantly lower than those of CH3 and CH2. The hydrogenation rates of the different species are significantly higher than the dehydrogenation rates in a temperature range of 300−1000 K. Furthermore, we found that dehydrogenation of CH3, CH2, and CH will only occur at appreciable rates starting from 600, 900, and 900 K, respectively. On the basis of these results, it is clear that the anatase (001) surface has a high coke resistance, and it is thus not likely that the surface will become poisoned by coke during dry reforming of methane. As the rate limiting step in dry reforming is the dissociative adsorption of CH4, we studied an alternative approach to thermal catalysis. We found that the temperature threshold for dry reforming is at least 700 K. This threshold temperature may be lowered by the use of plasma-catalysis, where the appreciable rates of adsorption of plasma-generated CHx radicals result in bypassing the rate limiting step of the reaction.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000431723700014 Publication Date 2018-05-03  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, IAP/7 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0217.14N ; Onderzoeksfonds, Universiteit Antwerpen, 32249 ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:151529c:irua:152816 Serial 5000  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Li, K.; Liu, J.-L.; Li, X.-S.; Lian, H.-Y.; Zhu, X.; Bogaerts, A.; Zhu, A.-M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Novel power-to-syngas concept for plasma catalytic reforming coupled with water electrolysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemical engineering journal Abbreviated Journal Chem Eng J  
  Volume 353 Issue Pages 297-304  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We propose a novel Power to Synthesis Gas (P2SG) approach, composed of two high-efficiency and renewable electricity-driven units, i.e., plasma catalytic reforming (PCR) and water electrolysis (WE), to produce high quality syngas from CH4, CO2 and H2O. As WE technology is already commercial, we mainly focus on the PCR unit, consisting of gliding arc plasma and Ni-based catalyst, for oxidative dry reforming of methane. An energy efficiency of 78.9% and energy cost of 1.0 kWh/Nm3 at a CH4 conversion of 99% and a CO2 conversion of 79% are obtained. Considering an energy efficiency of 80% for WE, the P2SG system yields an overall energy efficiency of 79.3% and energy cost of 1.8 kWh/Nm3. High-quality syngas is produced without the need for posttreatment units, featuring the ideal stoichiometric number of 2, with concentration of 94.6 vol%, and a desired CO2 fraction of 1.9 vol% for methanol synthesis. The PCR unit has the advantage of fast response to adapting to fluctuation of renewable electricity, avoiding local hot spots in the catalyst bed and coking, in contrast to conventional catalytic processes. Moreover, pure O2 from the WE unit is directly utilized by the PCR unit for oxidative dry reforming of methane, and thus, no air separation unit, like in conventional processes, is required. This work demonstrates the viability of the P2SG approach for large-scale energy storage of renewable electricity via electricity-to-fuel conversion.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000441527900029 Publication Date 2018-07-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1385-8947 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.216 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This project is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11705019, 11475041), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DUT16QY49, DUT16LK16) and the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO; grant G.0383.16N). Approved Most recent IF: 6.216  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:153059 Serial 5049  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Fuchs, J.; Aghaei, M.; Schachel, T.D.; Sperling, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Karst, U. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Impact of the Particle Diameter on Ion Cloud Formation from Gold Nanoparticles in ICPMS Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Analytical chemistry Abbreviated Journal Anal Chem  
  Volume 90 Issue 17 Pages 10271-10278  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The unique capabilities of microsecond dwell time (DT) single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICPMS) were utilized to characterize the cloud of ions generated from the introduction of suspensions of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into the plasma. A set of narrowly distributed particles with diameters ranging from 15.4 to 100.1 nm was synthesized and characterized according to established protocols. Statistically significant numbers of the short transient spICPMS events were evaluated by using 50 μs DT for their summed intensity, maximum intensity, and duration, of which all three were found to depend on the particle diameter. The summed intensity increases from 10 to 1661 counts and the maximum intensity from 6 to 309 counts for AuNPs with diameters from 15.4 to 83.2 nm. The event duration rises from 322 to 1007 μs upon increasing AuNP diameter. These numbers represent a comprehensive set of key data points of the ion clouds generated in ICPMS from AuNPs. The extension of event duration is of high interest to appoint the maximum possible particle number concentration at which separation of consecutive events in spICPMS can still be achieved. Moreover, the combined evaluation of all above-mentioned ion cloud characteristics can explain the regularly observed prolonged single-particle events. The transport and ionization behavior of AuNPs in the ICP was also computationally modeled to gain insight into the size-dependent signal generation. The simulated data reveals that the plasma temperature, and therefore the point of ionization of the particles, is the same for all diameters. However, the maximum number density of Au+, as well as the extent of the ion cloud, depends on the particle diameter, in agreement with the experimental data, and it provides an adequate explanation for the observed ion cloud characteristics.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000444060600028 Publication Date 2018-09-04  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-2700 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.32 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We thank Dr. Harald Rösner from the Institute of Materials Physics of the University of Münster for the TEM imaging. Approved Most recent IF: 6.32  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:153651 Serial 5057  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vermeiren, V.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Supersonic Microwave Plasma: Potential and Limitations for Energy-Efficient CO2Conversion Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 122 Issue 45 Pages 25869-25881  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;  
  Abstract Supersonic flows provide a high thermodynamic

nonequilibrium, which is crucial for energy-efficient conversion of

CO 2 in microwave plasmas and are therefore of great interest.

However, the effect of the flow on the chemical reactions is poorly

understood. In this work, we present a combined flow and plasma

chemical kinetics model of a microwave CO 2 plasma in a Laval

nozzle setup. The effects of the flow field on the different dissociation

and recombination mechanisms, the vibrational distribution, and the

vibrational transfer mechanism are discussed. In addition, the effect

of experimental parameters, like position of power deposition, outlet

pressure, and specific energy input, on the CO 2 conversion and

energy efficiency is examined. The short residence time of the gas in

the plasma region, the shockwave, and the maximum critical heat,

and thus power, that can be added to the flow to avoid thermal

choking are the main obstacles to reaching high energy efficiencies.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000451101400016 Publication Date 2018-11-15  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 5 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0383.16N ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:155412 Serial 5070  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Gorbanev, Y.; Privat-Maldonado, A.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Analysis of Short-Lived Reactive Species in Plasma–Air–Water Systems: The Dos and the Do Nots Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2018 Publication Analytical Chemistry Abbreviated Journal Anal Chem  
  Volume 90 Issue 22 Pages 13151-13158  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;  
  Abstract This Feature addresses the analysis of the reactive species generated by nonthermal atmospheric

pressure plasmas, which are widely employed in industrial and biomedical research, as well as first

clinical applications. We summarize the progress in detection of plasma-generated short-lived

reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in aqueous solutions, discuss the potential and limitations of

various analytical methods in plasma−liquid systems, and provide an outlook on the possible future

research goals in development of short-lived reactive species analysis methods for a general

nonspecialist audience.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000451246100002 Publication Date 2018-11-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-2700 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.32 Times cited 17 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes European Commission, 743151 ; This work was supported by the European Marie Sklodowska- Curie Individual Fellowship within Horizon2020 (“LTPAM”, Grant No. 743151). Approved Most recent IF: 6.32  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:156301 Serial 5152  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vermeiren, V.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Improving the Energy Efficiency of CO2Conversion in Nonequilibrium Plasmas through Pulsing Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 123 Issue 29 Pages 17650-17665  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Nonequilibrium plasmas offer a pathway for energy-efficient CO2 conversion through vibrationally induced dissociation. However, the efficiency of this pathway is limited by a rise in gas temperature, which increases vibrational−translational (VT) relaxation and quenches the vibrational levels. Therefore, we investigate here the effect of plasma pulsing on the VT nonequilibrium and on the CO2 conversion by means of a zerodimensional chemical kinetics model, with self-consistent gas temperature calculation. Specifically, we show that higher energy efficiencies can be reached by correctly tuning the plasma pulse and interpulse times. The ideal plasma pulse time corresponds to the time needed to reach the highest vibrational temperature. In addition, the highest energy efficiencies are obtained with long interpulse times, that is, ≥0.1 s, in which the gas temperature can entirely drop to room temperature. Furthermore, additional cooling of the reactor walls can give higher energy efficiencies at shorter interpulse times of 1 ms. Finally, our model shows that plasma pulsing can significantly improve the energy efficiency at low reduced electric fields (50 and 100 Td, typical for microwave and gliding arc plasmas) and intermediate ionization degrees (5 × 10−7 and 10−6).  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000477785000003 Publication Date 2019-07-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 1 Open Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0383.16N ; This research was supported by the FWO project (grant G.0383.16N). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI), and the UAntwerpen. We also like to thank N. Britun (ChIPS) for the interesting discussions. Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:161621 Serial 5289  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ghasemitarei, M.; Yusupov, M.; Razzokov, J.; Shokri, B.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Effect of oxidative stress on cystine transportation by xC‾ antiporter Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Archives of biochemistry and biophysics Abbreviated Journal Arch Biochem Biophys  
  Volume 674 Issue Pages 108114  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We performed computer simulations to investigate the effect of oxidation on the extracellular cystine (CYC) uptake by the xC− antiporter. The latter is important for killing of cancer cells. Specifically, applying molecular dynamics (MD) simulations we studied the transport of CYC across xCT, i.e., the light subunit of the xC− antiporter, in charge of bidirectional transport of CYC and glutamate. We considered the outward facing (OF) configuration of xCT, and to study the effect of oxidation, we modified the Cys327 residue, located in the vicinity of the extracellular milieu, to cysteic acid (CYO327). Our computational results showed that oxidation of Cys327 results in a free energy barrier for CYC translocation, thereby blocking the access of CYC to the substrate binding site of the OF system. The formation of the energy barrier was found to be due to the conformational changes in the channel. Analysis of the MD trajectories revealed that the reorganization of the side chains of the Tyr244 and CYO327 residues play a critical role in the OF channel blocking. Indeed, the calculated distance between Tyr244 and either Cys327 or CYO327 showed a narrowing of the channel after oxidation. The obtained free energy barrier for CYC translocation was found to be 33.9kJmol−1, indicating that oxidation of Cys327, by e.g., cold atmospheric plasma, is more effective in inhibiting the xC− antiporter than in the mutation of this amino acid to Ala (yielding a barrier of 32.4kJmol−1). The inhibition of the xC− antiporter may lead to Cys starvation in some cancer cells, eventually resulting in cancer cell death.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000525439700011 Publication Date 2019-09-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-9861 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.165 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of Iran; University of Antwerp; Research Foundation − Flanders, 1200219N ; Universiteit Antwerpen; Hercules Foundation; Flemish Government; UA; M. G. acknowledges funding from the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of Iran and from the University of Antwerp in Belgium. M. Y. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation − Flanders (FWO), grant number 1200219N. The computational work was carried out using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UA), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UA. Finally, we thank A. S. Mashayekh Esfehan and A. Mohseni for their important comments on the manuscript. Approved Most recent IF: 3.165  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:163474 Serial 5372  
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Author Oliveira, M.C.; Yusupov, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Cordeiro, R.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Molecular dynamics simulations of mechanical stress on oxidized membranes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Biophysical chemistry Abbreviated Journal Biophys Chem  
  Volume 254 Issue Pages 106266  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Biomembranes are under constant attack of free radicals that may lead to lipid oxidation in conditions of oxidative stress. The products generated during lipid oxidation are responsible for structural and dynamical changes which may jeopardize the membrane function. For instance, the local rearrangements of oxidized lipid molecules may induce membrane rupture. In this study, we investigated the effects of mechanical stress on oxidized phospholipid bilayers (PLBs). Model bilayers were stretched until pore formation (or poration) using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. We studied single-component homogeneous membranes composed of lipid oxidation products, as well as two-component heterogeneous membranes with coexisting native and oxidized domains. In homogeneous membranes, the oxidation products with —OH and —OOH groups reduced the areal strain required for pore formation, whereas the oxidation product with ]O group behaved similarly to the native membrane. In heterogeneous membranes composed of oxidized and non-oxidized domains, we tested the hypothesis according to which poration may be facilitated at the domain interface region. However, results were inconclusive due to their large statistical variance and sensitivity to simulation setup parameters. We pointed out important technical issues that need to be considered in future simulations of mechanically-induced poration of heterogeneous membranes. This research is of interest for photodynamic therapy and plasma medicine, because ruptured and intact plasma membranes are experimentally considered hallmarks of necrotic and apoptotic cell death.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000502890900015 Publication Date 2019-09-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0301-4622 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.402 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes São Paulo Research Foundation, 2012/50680-5 ; National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development, 459270/2014-1 ; We are thankful for the financial support received from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (grant no. 2012/50680-5) and from the National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) (grant no. 459270/2014-1). MCO acknowledges UFABC for the Master's scholarship granted. Approved Most recent IF: 2.402  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:163477 Serial 5374  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Van Alphen, S.; Vermeiren, V.; Butterworth, T.; van den Bekerom, D.C.M.; van Rooij, G.J.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Power Pulsing To Maximize Vibrational Excitation Efficiency in N2Microwave Plasma: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 124 Issue 3 Pages 1765-1779  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma is gaining increasing interest for N2 fixation, being a flexible, electricity-driven alternative for the current conventional fossil fuel-based N2 fixation processes. As the vibrational-induced dissociation of N2 is found to be an energy-efficient pathway to acquire atomic N for the fixation processes, plasmas that are in vibrational nonequilibrium seem promising for this application. However, an important challenge in using nonequilibrium plasmas lies in preventing vibrational−translational (VT) relaxation processes, in which vibrational energy crucial for N2 dissociation is lost to gas heating. We present here both experimental and modeling results for the vibrational and gas temperature in a microsecond-pulsed microwave (MW) N2 plasma, showing how power pulsing can suppress this unfavorable VT relaxation and achieve a maximal vibrational nonequilibrium. By means of our kinetic model, we demonstrate that pulsed plasmas take advantage of the long time scale on which VT processes occur, yielding a very pronounced nonequilibrium over the whole N2 vibrational ladder. Additionally, the effect of pulse parameters like the pulse frequency and pulse width are investigated, demonstrating that the advantage of pulsing to inhibit VT relaxation diminishes for high pulse frequencies (around 7000 kHz) and long power pulses (above 400 μs). Nevertheless, all regimes studied here demonstrate a clear vibrational nonequilibrium while only requiring a limited power-on time, and thus, we may conclude that a pulsed plasma seems very interesting for energyefficient vibrational excitation.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000509438600001 Publication Date 2020-01-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.7 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 30505023 GoF9618n ; This research was supported by the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO Grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023). The calculations were performed using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UAntwerpen. Approved Most recent IF: 3.7; 2020 IF: 4.536  
  Call Number (up) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:165586 Serial 5443  
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