toggle visibility
Search within Results:
Display Options:

Select All    Deselect All
 |   | 
Details
   print
  Records Links
Author Attri, P.; Razzokov, J.; Yusupov, M.; Koga, K.; Shiratani, M.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Influence of osmolytes and ionic liquids on the Bacteriorhodopsin structure in the absence and presence of oxidative stress: A combined experimental and computational study Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication International Journal Of Biological Macromolecules Abbreviated Journal Int J Biol Macromol  
  Volume 148 Issue Pages 657-665  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Understanding the folding and stability of membrane proteins is of great importance in protein science. Recently, osmolytes and ionic liquids (ILs) are increasingly being used as drug delivery systems in the biopharmaceutical industry. However, the stability of membrane proteins in the presence of osmolytes and ILs is not yet fully understood. Besides, the effect of oxidative stress on membrane proteins with osmolytes or ILs has not been investigated. Therefore, we studied the influence of osmolytes and ILs as co-solvents on the stability of a model membrane protein (i.e., Bacteriorhodopsin in purple membrane of Halobacterium salinarum), using UV–Vis spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The MD simulations allowed us to determine the flexibility and solvent accessible surface area (SASA) of Bacteriorhodopsin protein in the presence and/or absence of cosolvents, as well as to carry out principal component analysis (PCA) to identify the most important movements in this protein. In addition, by means of UV–Vis spectroscopy we studied the effect of oxidative stress generated by cold atmospheric plasma on the stability of Bacteriorhodopsin in the presence and/or absence of co-solvents. This study is important for a better understanding of the stability of proteins in the presence of oxidative stress.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000522094600066 Publication Date 2020-01-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0141-8130 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.2 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Horizon2020, 743546 ; JSPS, 19H05462 16H03895 ; Nagoya University; We gratefully acknowledge the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship “Anticancer-PAM” within Horizon2020 (grant number 743546). This work was also supported by JSPS-KAKENHI 19H05462 and 16H03895, the joint usage/research program of Center for Low-temperature Plasma Science, Nagoya University and also supported by JSPS and RCL under the Japan-Lithuania Research Cooperative Program. 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. Approved Most recent IF: 8.2; 2020 IF: 3.671  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:165585 Serial 5444  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kang, T.-Y.; Kwon, J.-S.; Kumar, N.; Choi, E.; Kim, K.-M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Effects of a Non-Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet with Different Gas Sources and Modes of Treatment on the Fate of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Applied Sciences Abbreviated Journal Appl Sci-Basel  
  Volume 9 Issue 22 Pages 4819  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Despite numerous attempts to use human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in the field of tissue engineering, the control of their differentiation remains challenging. Here, we investigated possible applications of a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet (NTAPPJ) to control the differentiation of hMSCs. An air- or nitrogen-based NTAPPJ was applied to hMSCs in culture media, either directly or by media treatment in which the cells were plated after the medium was exposed to the NTAPPJ. The durations of exposure were 1, 2, and 4 min, and the control was not exposed to the NTAPPJ. The initial attachment of the cells was assessed by a water-soluble tetrazolium assay, and the gene expression in the cells was assessed through reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that the gene expression in the hMSCs was generally increased by the NTAPPJ exposure, but the enhancement was dependent on the conditions of the exposure, such as the source of the gas and the treatment method used. These results were attributed to the chemicals in the extracellular environment and the reactive oxygen species generated by the plasma. Hence, it was concluded that by applying the best conditions for the NTAPPJ exposure of hMSCs, the control of hMSC differentiation was possible, and therefore, exposure to an NTAPPJ is a promising method for tissue engineering.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000502570800096 Publication Date 2019-11-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2076-3417 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.679 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes The plasma source was kindly provided by the Plasma Bioscience Research Center, Kwangwoon University. Approved Most recent IF: 1.679  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:164893 Serial 5435  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:163477 Serial 5374  
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:163474 Serial 5372  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Van Loenhout, J.; Flieswasser, T.; Freire Boullosa, L.; De Waele, J.; Van Audenaerde, J.; Marcq, E.; Jacobs, J.; Lin, A.; Lion, E.; Dewitte, H.; Peeters, M.; Dewilde, S.; Lardon, F.; Bogaerts, A.; Deben, C.; Smits, E. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Cold Atmospheric Plasma-Treated PBS Eliminates Immunosuppressive Pancreatic Stellate Cells and Induces Immunogenic Cell Death of Pancreatic Cancer Cells Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Cancers Abbreviated Journal Cancers  
  Volume 11 Issue 10 Pages 1597  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Laboratory for Experimental Hematology (LEH); Center for Oncological Research (CORE)  
  Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive cancers with a low response to treatment and a five-year survival rate below 5%. The ineffectiveness of treatment is partly because of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, which comprises tumor-supportive pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are needed to tackle both the immunosuppressive PSC and pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs). Recently, physical cold atmospheric plasma consisting of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species has emerged as a novel treatment option for cancer. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxicity of plasma-treated phosphate-buffered saline (pPBS) using three PSC lines and four PCC lines and examined the immunogenicity of the induced cell death. We observed a decrease in the viability of PSC and PCC after pPBS treatment, with a higher efficacy in the latter. Two PCC lines expressed and released damage-associated molecular patterns characteristic of the induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD). In addition, pPBS-treated PCC were highly phagocytosed by dendritic cells (DCs), resulting in the maturation of DC. This indicates the high potential of pPBS to trigger ICD. In contrast, pPBS induced no ICD in PSC. In general, pPBS treatment of PCCs and PSCs created a more immunostimulatory secretion profile (higher TNF-α and IFN-γ, lower TGF-β) in coculture with DC. Altogether, these data show that plasma treatment via pPBS has the potential to induce ICD in PCCs and to reduce the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment created by PSCs. Therefore, these data provide a strong experimental basis for further in vivo validation, which might potentially open the way for more successful combination strategies with immunotherapy for PDAC.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000498826000194 Publication Date 2019-10-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2072-6694 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 6 Open Access  
  Notes Universiteit Antwerpen, NA ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 11E7719N 1121016N 1S32316N 12S9218N 12E3916N ; Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen, 141433 ; Kom op tegen Kanker, NA ; Stichting Tegen Kanker, STK2014-155 ; The authors express their gratitude to Christophe Hermans, Céline Merlin, Hilde Lambrechts, and Hans de Reu for technical assistance; and to VITO for the use of the MSD reader (Mol, Belgium). Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:163328 Serial 5436  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vanmeert, M.; Razzokov, J.; Mirza, M.U.; Weeks, S.D.; Schepers, G.; Bogaerts, A.; Rozenski, J.; Froeyen, M.; Herdewijn, P.; Pinheiro, V.B.; Lescrinier, E. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Rational design of an XNA ligase through docking of unbound nucleic acids to toroidal proteins Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Nucleic acids research Abbreviated Journal Nucleic Acids Res  
  Volume 47 Issue 13 Pages 7130-7142  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Xenobiotic nucleic acids (XNA) are nucleic acid analogues not present in nature that can be used for the storage of genetic information. In vivo XNA applications could be developed into novel biocontainment strategies, but are currently limited by the challenge of developing XNA processing enzymes such as polymerases, ligases and nucleases. Here, we present a structure-guided modelling-based strategy for the rational design of those enzymes essential for the development of XNA molecular biology. Docking of protein domains to unbound double-stranded nucleic acids is used to generate a first approximation of the extensive interaction of nucleic acid processing enzymes with their substrate. Molecular dynamics is used to optimise that prediction allowing, for the first time, the accurate prediction of how proteins that form toroidal complexes with nucleic acids interact with their substrate. Using the Chlorella virus DNA ligase as a proof of principle, we recapitulate the ligase's substrate specificity and successfully predict how to convert it into an XNA-templated XNA ligase.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000490556600047 Publication Date 2019-07-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0305-1048 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 10.162 Times cited 1 Open Access  
  Notes European Research Council, FP7/2007-2013 ERC-2012-ADG 20120216/320683 ; KU Leuven, OT/14/128 ; Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council, BB/N01023X/1 BB/N010221/1 ; Authors are grateful to Prof. Dr A.M.J.J. (Alexandre) Bonvin from the University of Utrecht and the WeNMR institute for his expert contribution. We have greatly benefited from discussions and help from numerous postdocs over the years (in particular, Dr E. Groaz, Dr E. Eremeeva, Dr J. Masschelein, Dr S. Xiaoping and Dr M. Renders) as well as graduate student D. Kestemont and undergraduate student M. Abdel Fattah Ismail. We express our gratitude to L. Margamuljana for helpful discussions and excellent technical assistance on in vitro experiments. Approved Most recent IF: 10.162  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:162105 Serial 5359  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Snoeckx, R.; Wang, W.; Zhang, X.; Cha, M.S.; Bogaerts, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasma-based multi-reforming for Gas-To-Liquid: tuning the plasma chemistry towards methanol Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Scientific reports Abbreviated Journal Sci Rep-Uk  
  Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 15929  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Because of its unique properties, plasma technology has gained much prominence in the

microelectronics industry. Recently, environmental and energy applications of plasmas have gained a lot of attention. In this area, the focus is on converting CO 2 and reforming hydrocarbons, with the goal of developing an efficient single-step ‘gas-to-liquid’ (GTL) process. Here we show that applying tri-reforming principles to plasma—further called ‘plasma-based multi-reforming’—allows us to better control the plasma chemistry and thus the formed products. To demonstrate this, we used chemical kinetics calculations supported by experiments and reveal that better control of the plasma chemistry can be achieved by adding O 2 or H 2 O to a mixture containing CH 4 and CO 2 (diluted in N 2 ). Moreover, by adding O 2 and H 2 O simultaneously, we can tune the plasma chemistry even further, improving the conversions, thermal efficiency and methanol yield. Unlike thermocatalytic reforming, plasma-based reforming is capable of producing methanol in a single step; and compared with traditional plasma-based dry reforming, plasma-based multi-reforming increases the methanol yield by more than seven times and the thermal efficiency by 49%, as revealed by our model calculations. Thus, we believe that by using plasma-based multi-reforming, ‘gas-to-liquid’ conversion may be made efficient and scalable.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000448589200005 Publication Date 2018-10-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2045-2322 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.259 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support from the Competitive Research Funding from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship “GlidArc” within Horizon2020 (Grant No. 657304), the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO) (grant nos G.0217.14 N, G.0254.14 N and G.0383.16 N) and the IAP/7 (Inter-university Attraction Pole) program ‘PSI-Physical Chemistry of Plasma-Surface Interactions’, financially supported by the Belgian Federal Office for Science Policy (BELSPO). This work was carried out, in part, 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 University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 4.259  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:154868 Serial 5066  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Shah, J.; Wang, W.; Bogaerts, A.; Carreon, M.L. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Ammonia Synthesis by Radio Frequency Plasma Catalysis: Revealing the Underlying Mechanisms Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication ACS applied energy materials Abbreviated Journal ACS Appl. Energy Mater.  
  Volume 1 Issue 9 Pages 4824-4839  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Nonthermal plasma is a promising alternative for ammonia synthesis at gentle conditions. Metal meshes of Fe, Cu, Pd, Ag, and Au were employed as catalysts in radio frequency plasma for ammonia synthesis. The energy yield for all these transition metal catalysts ranged between 0.12 and 0.19 g-NH3/kWh at 300 W and, thus, needs further improvement. In addition, a semimetal, pure gallium, was used for the first time as catalyst for ammonia synthesis, with energy yield of 0.22 g-NH3/kWh and with a maximum yield of ∼10% at 150 W. The emission spectra, as well as computer simulations, revealed hydrogen recombination as a primary governing parameter, which depends on the concentration or flux of H atoms in the plasma and on the catalyst surface. The simulations helped to elucidate the underlying mechanism, implicating the dominance of surface reactions and surface adsorbed species. The rate limiting step appears to be NH2 formation on the surface of the reactor wall and on the catalyst surface, which is different from classical catalysis.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000458706500048 Publication Date 2018-09-24  
  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 Not_Open_Access  
  Notes M.L.C. acknowledges financial support from The University of Tulsa Faculty Startup Funds and The University of Tulsa Faculty Development Summer Fellowship Grant (FDSF). A.B. acknowledges financial support from the Excellence of Science program of the Fund for Scientific Research (FWO-FNRS; Grant no. G0F91618N; 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: NA  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:153804 Serial 5051  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Mannaerts, D.; Faes, E.; Cos, P.; Briedé, J.J.; Gyselaers, W.; Cornette, J.; Gorbanev, Y.; Bogaerts, A.; Spaanderman, M.; Van Craenenbroeck, E.; Jacquemyn, Y.; Torrens, C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Oxidative stress in healthy pregnancy and preeclampsia is linked to chronic inflammation, iron status and vascular function Type University Hospital Antwerp
  Year 2018 Publication PLoS ONE Abbreviated Journal Plos One  
  Volume 13 Issue 9 Pages e0202919  
  Keywords University Hospital Antwerp; A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Antwerp Surgical Training, Anatomy and Research Centre (ASTARC); Translational Pathophysiological Research (TPR)  
  Abstract Background

During normal pregnancy, placental oxidative stress (OS) is present during all three trimesters and is necessary to obtain normal cell function. However, if OS reaches a certain level, pregnancy complications might arise. In preeclampsia (PE), a dangerous pregnancy specific hypertensive disorder, OS induced in the ischemic placenta causes a systemic inflammatory response and activates maternal endothelial cells. In this study, we aimed to quantify superoxide concentrations (as a measure of systemic OS) using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and correlate them to markers of systemic inflammation, iron status and vascular function.

Methods

Fifty-nine women with a healthy pregnancy (HP), 10 non-pregnant controls (NP) and 28 PE patients (32±3.3weeks) were included. During HP, blood samples for superoxide, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), mean platelet volume (MPV) and iron status were taken at 10, 25 and 39 weeks. Vascular measurements for arterial stiffness (carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CF-PWV), augmentation index (AIx), augmentation Pressure (AP)) and microvascular endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index (RHI)) were performed at 35 weeks. In PE, all measurements were performed at diagnosis. CMH (1-hydroxy-3-methoxycarbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine) was used as spin probe for EPR, since the formed CM radical

corresponds to the amount of superoxide.

Results

Superoxide concentration remains stable during pregnancy (p = 0.92), but is significantly higher compared to the NP controls (p<0.0001). At 25 weeks, there is a significant positive correlation between superoxide and ferritin concentration. (p = 0.04) In PE, superoxide, systemic inflammation and iron status are much higher compared to HP (all p<0.001). During HP, superoxide concentrations correlate significantly with arterial stiffness (all p<0.04), while in PE superoxide is significantly correlated to microvascular endothelial function (p = 0.03).

Conclusions

During HP there is an increased but stable oxidative environment, which is correlated to ferritin concentration. If superoxide levels increase, there is an augmentation in arterial stiffness. In PE pregnancies, systemic inflammation and superoxide concentrations are higher and result in a deterioration of endothelial function. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that vascular function is directly linked to the amount of OS and that measurement of OS in combination with vascular function tests might be used in the prediction of PE.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000444355500010 Publication Date 2018-09-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-6203 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.806 Times cited 15 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This study is part of a PhD-thesis which is supported by the University of Antwerp and the Department Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the Antwerp University Hospital. The University of Antwerp provides the earnings for the principal investigator (DM) who is responsible for the design of the study, data collection and interpretation and writing of the manuscript. The Antwerp University Hospital supports the financial part of data collection. EMVC is supported by the fund for scientific research-Flanders (FWO) as senior clinical investigator. Approved Most recent IF: 2.806  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:153802c:irua:153644 Serial 5048  
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:153651 Serial 5057  
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:153059 Serial 5049  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Razzokov, J.; Yusupov, M.; Cordeiro, R.M.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Atomic scale understanding of the permeation of plasma species across native and oxidized membranes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal of physics: D: applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Phys D Appl Phys  
  Volume 51 Issue 36 Pages 365203  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) have attracted significant interest for their potential benefits in medical applications, including cancer therapy. The therapeutic effects of CAPs are related to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) present in the plasma. The impact of ROS has been extensively studied, but the role of RNS in CAP-treatment remains poorly understood at the molecular level. Here, we investigate the permeation of RNS and ROS across native and oxidized phospholipid bilayers (PLBs) by means of computer simulations. The results reveal significantly lower free energy barriers for RNS (i.e. NO, NO2, N2O4) and O3 compared to hydrophilic ROS, such as OH, HO2 and H2O2. This suggests that the investigated RNS and O3 can permeate more easily through both native and oxidized PLBs in comparison to hydrophilic ROS, indicating their potentially important role in plasma medicine.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000441182400002 Publication Date 2018-08-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0022-3727 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.588 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes M Y gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO), grant 1200216N. 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. RMC thanks FAPESP and CNPq for financial support (grants 2012/50680-5 and 459270/2014-1, respectively). Approved Most recent IF: 2.588  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:152824 Serial 5005  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author De Backer, J.; Razzokov, J.; Hammerschmid, D.; Mensch, C.; Hafideddine, Z.; Kumar, N.; van Raemdonck, G.; Yusupov, M.; Van Doorslaer, S.; Johannessen, C.; Sobott, F.; Bogaerts, A.; Dewilde, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The effect of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species on the structure of cytoglobin: A potential tumor suppressor Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Redox Biology Abbreviated Journal Redox Biol  
  Volume 19 Issue Pages 1-10  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Molecular Spectroscopy (MolSpec)  
  Abstract Many current anti-cancer therapies rely on increasing the intracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) contents with the aim to induce irreparable damage, which subsequently results in tumor cell death. A novel tool in cancer therapy is the use of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), which has been found to be very effective in the treatment of many different cancer cell types in vitro as well as in vivo, mainly through the vast generation of RONS. One of the key determinants of the cell's fate will be the interaction of RONS, generated by CAP, with important proteins, i.e. redox-regulatory proteins. One such protein is cytoglobin (CYGB), a recently discovered globin proposed to be involved in the protection of the cell against oxidative stress. In this study, the effect of plasma-produced RONS on CYGB was investigated through the treatment of CYGB with CAP for different treatment times. Spectroscopic analysis of CYGB showed that although chemical modifications occur, its secondary structure remains intact. Mass spectrometry experiments identified these modifications as oxidations of mainly sulfur-containing and aromatic amino acids. With longer treatment time, the treatment was also found to induce nitration of the heme. Furthermore, the two surface-exposed cysteine residues of CYGB were oxidized upon treatment, leading to the formation of intermolecular disulfide bridges, and potentially also intramolecular disulfide bridges. In addition, molecular dynamics and docking simulations confirmed, and further show, that the formation of an intramolecular disulfide bond, due to oxidative conditions, affects the CYGB 3D structure, thereby opening the access to the heme group, through gate functioning of His117. Altogether, the results obtained in this study (1) show that plasma-produced RONS can extensively oxidize proteins and (2) that the oxidation status of two redox-active cysteines lead to different conformations of CYGB.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000449722100002 Publication Date 2018-07-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2213-2317 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.337 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes M.Y. and N.K. gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), Grant nos. 1200216N and 12J5617N. 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). C.M acknowledges the financial support provided by the Flemish Community and the University of Antwerp (BOF-NOI) for the pre-doctoral scholarship is under grant number/project ID: 28465. S.V.D., S. D. and Z.H. acknowledge the FWO (Grant G.0687.13) and the GOA-BOF UA 2013–2016 (project-ID 28312) for funding. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the HPC core facility CalcUA of the Universiteit Antwerpen, and VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and the Flemish Government – department EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 6.337  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:152818 Serial 5006  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yusupov, M.; Lackmann, J.-W.; Razzokov, J.; Kumar, S.; Stapelmann, K.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Impact of plasma oxidation on structural features of human epidermal growth factor Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Plasma processes and polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym  
  Volume 15 Issue 8 Pages 1800022  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We perform computer simulations supported by experiments to investigate the oxidation of an important signaling protein, that is, human epidermal growth factor (hEGF), caused by cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment. Specifically, we study the conformational changes of hEGF with different degrees of oxidation, to mimic short and long CAP treatment times. Our results indicate that the oxidized structures become more flexible, due to their conformational changes and breakage of the disulfide bonds, especially at higher oxidation degrees. MM/GBSA calculations reveal that an increasing oxidation level leads to a lower binding free energy of hEGF with its receptor. These results help to understand the fundamentals of the use of CAP for wound healing versus cancer treatment at short and longer treatment times.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000441895700004 Publication Date 2018-05-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1612-8850 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.846 Times cited 7 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1200216N ; Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, 03Z22DN12 ; Approved Most recent IF: 2.846  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:152815 Serial 5008  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Rezaei, F.; Gorbanev, Y.; Chys, M.; Nikiforov, A.; Van Hulle, S.W.H.; Cos, P.; Bogaerts, A.; De Geyter, N. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Investigation of plasma-induced chemistry in organic solutions for enhanced electrospun PLA nanofibers Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Plasma processes and polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym  
  Volume 15 Issue 6 Pages 1700226  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Electrospinning is a versatile technique for the fabrication of polymer-based nano/microfibers. Both physical and chemical characteristics of pre-electrospinning polymer solutions affect the morphology and chemistry of electrospun nanofibers. An atmospheric-pressure plasma jet has previously been shown to induce physical modifications in polylactic acid (PLA) solutions. This work aims at investigating the plasma-induced chemistry in organic solutions of PLA, and their effects on the resultant PLA nanofibers. Therefore, very broad range of gas, liquid, and solid (nanofiber) analyzing techniques has been applied. Plasma alters the acidity of the solutions. SEM studies illustrated that complete fiber morphology enhancement only occurred when both PLA and solvent molecules were exposed to preelectrospinning plasma treatment.

Additionally, the surface

chemistry of the PLA nanofibers

was mostly preserved.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000436407300005 Publication Date 2018-03-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1612-8850 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.846 Times cited 12 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0379.15N ; FP7 Ideas: European Research Council, 335929 (PLASMATS) ; European Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship “LTPAM”, 657304 ; Approved Most recent IF: 2.846  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:152173 Serial 4992  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Aussems, D.U.B.; Bal, K.M.; Morgan, T.W.; van de Sanden, M.C.M.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Mechanisms of elementary hydrogen ion-surface interactions during multilayer graphene etching at high surface temperature as a function of flux Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Carbon Abbreviated Journal Carbon  
  Volume 137 Issue Pages 527-532  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract In order to optimize the plasma-synthesis and modification process of carbon nanomaterials for applications such as nanoelectronics and energy storage, a deeper understanding of fundamental hydrogengraphite/graphene interactions is required. Atomistic simulations by Molecular Dynamics have proven to be indispensable to illuminate these phenomena. However, severe time-scale limitations restrict them to very fast processes such as reflection, while slow thermal processes such as surface diffusion and molecular desorption are commonly inaccessible. In this work, we could however reach these thermal processes for the first time at time-scales and surface temperatures (1000 K) similar to high-flux plasma exposure experiments during the simulation of multilayer graphene etching by 5 eV H ions. This was achieved by applying the Collective Variable-Driven Hyperdynamics biasing technique, which extended the inter-impact time over a range of six orders of magnitude, down to a more realistic ion-flux of 1023m2s1. The results show that this not only causes a strong shift from predominant ion-to thermally induced interactions, but also significantly affects the hydrogen uptake and surface evolution. This study thus elucidates H ion-graphite/graphene interaction mechanisms and stresses the importance of including long time-scales in atomistic simulations at high surface temperatures to understand the dynamics of the ion-surface system.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000440661700056 Publication Date 2018-05-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0008-6223 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.337 Times cited 4 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 25.05.2020  
  Notes DIFFER is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). K.M.B. is funded as PhD fellow (aspirant) of the FWO-Flanders (Fund for Scientific Research-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 e department EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 6.337  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:152172 Serial 4993  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Gao, M.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, H.; Guo, B.; Zhang, Q.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Mode Transition of Filaments in Packed-Bed Dielectric Barrier Discharges Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Catalysts Abbreviated Journal Catalysts  
  Volume 8 Issue 6 Pages 248  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We investigated the mode transition from volume to surface discharge in a packed bed dielectric barrier discharge reactor by a two-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision method. The calculations are performed at atmospheric pressure for various driving voltages and for gas mixtures with different N2 and O2 compositions. Our results reveal that both a change of the driving voltage and gas mixture can induce mode transition. Upon increasing voltage, a mode transition from hybrid (volume+surface) discharge to pure surface discharge occurs, because the charged species can escape much more easily to the beads and charge the bead surface due to the strong electric field at high driving voltage. This significant surface charging will further enhance the tangential component of the electric field along the dielectric bead surface, yielding surface ionization waves (SIWs). The SIWs will give rise to a high concentration of reactive species on the surface, and thus possibly enhance the surface activity of the beads, which might be of interest for plasma catalysis. Indeed, electron impact excitation and ionization mainly take place near the bead surface. In addition, the propagation speed of SIWs becomes faster with increasing N2 content in the gas mixture, and slower with increasing O2 content, due to the loss of electrons by attachment to O2

molecules. Indeed, the negative O-2 ion density produced by electron impact attachment is much higher than the electron and positive O+2 ion density. The different ionization rates between N2 and O2 gases will create different amounts of electrons and ions on the dielectric bead surface, which might also have effects in plasma catalysis.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000436128600027 Publication Date 2018-06-15  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2073-4344 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.082 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors are very grateful to Wei Jiang for the useful discussions on the particle-incell/ Monte-Carlo collision model. Approved Most recent IF: 3.082  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:152171 Serial 4991  
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:151529c:irua:152816 Serial 5000  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:150969 Serial 4922  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:150968 Serial 4921  
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:150357 Serial 4916  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Razzokov, J.; Yusupov, M.; Vanuytsel, S.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Phosphatidylserine flip-flop induced by oxidation of the plasma membrane: a better insight by atomic scale modeling Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Plasma processes and polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym  
  Volume 14 Issue 10 Pages 1700013  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We perform molecular dynamics simulations to study the flip-flop motion of phosphatidylserine (PS) across the plasma membrane upon increasing oxidation degree of the membrane. Our computational results show that an increase of the oxidation degree in the lipids leads to a decrease of the free energy barrier for translocation of PS through the membrane. In other words, oxidation of the lipids facilitates PS flip-flop motion across the membrane, because in native phospholipid bilayers this is only a “rare event” due to the high energy barriers for the translocation of PS. The present study provides an atomic-scale insight into the mechanisms of the PS flip-flop upon oxidation of lipids, as produced for example by cold atmospheric plasma, in living cells.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000413045800010 Publication Date 2017-04-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1612-8850 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.846 Times cited 9 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1200216N ; Approved Most recent IF: 2.846  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:149567 Serial 4910  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kumar, N.; Shaw, P.; Razzokov, J.; Yusupov, M.; Attri, P.; Uhm, H.S.; Choi, E.H.; Bogaerts, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Enhancement of cellular glucose uptake by reactive species: a promising approach for diabetes therapy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication RSC advances Abbreviated Journal Rsc Adv  
  Volume 8 Issue 18 Pages 9887-9894  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract It is generally known that antidiabetic activity is associated with an increased level of glucose uptake in adipocytes and skeletal muscle cells. However, the role of exogenous reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in muscle development and more importantly in glucose uptake is largely unknown. We investigate the effect of RONS generated by cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in glucose uptake. We show that the glucose uptake is significantly enhanced in differentiated L6 skeletal muscle cells after CAP treatment. We also observe a significant increase of the intracellular Ca++ and ROS level, without causing toxicity. One of the possible reasons for an elevated level of glucose uptake as well as intracellular ROS and Ca++ ions is probably the increased oxidative stress leading to glucose transport.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000430451800036 Publication Date 2018-03-08  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2046-2069 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.108 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We gratefully acknowledge nancial support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), grant numbers 12J5617N, 1200216N and from the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship “Anticancer-PAM” within Horizon2020 (grant number 743546). We are also thankful to the Plasma Bioscience Research Center at Kwangwoon University for providing the core facilities for the experimental work as well as nancial support by the Leading Foreign Research Institute Recruitment program (Grant # NRF-2016K1A4A3914113) through the Basic Science Research Program of the National Research Founda Approved Most recent IF: 3.108  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:149564 Serial 4909  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Alves, L.L.; Bogaerts, A.; Guerra, V.; Turner, M.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Foundations of modelling of nonequilibrium low-temperature plasmas Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Plasma sources science and technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T  
  Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 023002  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract This work explains the need for plasma models, introduces arguments for choosing the type of model that better fits the purpose of each study, and presents the basics of the most common nonequilibrium low-temperature plasma models and the information available from each one, along with an extensive list of references for complementary in-depth reading. The paper presents the following models, organised according to the level of multi-dimensional description of the plasma: kinetic models, based on either a statistical particle-in-cell/Monte-Carlo approach or the solution to the Boltzmann equation (in the latter case, special focus is given to the description of the electron kinetics); multi-fluid models, based on the solution to the hydrodynamic equations; global (spatially-average) models, based on the solution to the particle and energy rate-balance equations for the main plasma species, usually including a very complete reaction chemistry; mesoscopic models for plasma–surface interaction, adopting either a deterministic approach or a stochastic dynamical Monte-Carlo approach. For each plasma model, the paper puts forward the physics context, introduces the fundamental equations, presents advantages and limitations, also from a numerical perspective, and illustrates its application with some examples. Whenever pertinent, the interconnection between models is also discussed, in view of multi-scale hybrid approaches.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000425688600001 Publication Date 2018-02-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1361-6595 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.302 Times cited 17 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors would like to thank A Tejero-Del-Caz and A Berthelot for their technical contributions in writing the manuscript. This work was partially funded by Portuguese FCT —Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, under projects UID/ FIS/50010/2013, PTDC/FISPLA/1243/2014 (KIT-PLAS- MEBA) and PTDC/FIS-PLA/1420/2014 (PREMiERE). Approved Most recent IF: 3.302  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:149391 Serial 4810  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yusupov, M.; Yan, D.; Cordeiro, R.M.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Atomic scale simulation of H2O2permeation through aquaporin: toward the understanding of plasma cancer treatment Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Journal of physics: D: applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Phys D Appl Phys  
  Volume 51 Issue 12 Pages 125401  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Experiments have demonstrated the potential selective anticancer capacity of cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using computer simulations, we try to shed light on the mechanism of selectivity, based on aquaporins (AQPs), i.e. transmembrane protein channels transferring external H 2 O 2 and other reactive oxygen species, created e.g. by CAPs, to the cell interior. Specifically, we perform molecular dynamics simulations for the permeation of H 2 O 2 through AQP1 (one of the members of the AQP family) and the palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) phospholipid bilayer (PLB). The free energy barrier of H 2 O 2 across AQP1 is lower than for the POPC PLB, while the permeability coefficient, calculated using the free energy and diffusion rate profiles, is two orders of magnitude higher. This indicates that the delivery of H 2 O 2 into the cell interior should be through AQP. Our study gives a better insight into the role of AQPs in the selectivity of CAPs for treating cancer cells.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000426378100001 Publication Date 2018-02-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0022-3727 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.588 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes MY gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO) via Grant No. 1200216N and a travel grant to George Washington University (GWU). 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 Super- computer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UA. Work at GWU was supported by the National Science Foundation, grant 1465061. RMC thanks FAPESP and CNPq for finan- cial support (Grant Nos. 2012/50680-5 and 459270/2014-1, respectively). Approved Most recent IF: 2.588  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:149382 Serial 4811  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Bal, K.M.; Huygh, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Effect of plasma-induced surface charging on catalytic processes: application to CO2activation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Plasma sources science and technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T  
  Volume 27 Issue 2 Pages 024001  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Understanding the nature and effect of the multitude of plasma–surface interactions in plasma catalysis is a crucial requirement for further process development and improvement. A particularly intriguing and rather unique property of a plasma-catalytic setup is the ability of the plasma to modify the electronic structure, and hence chemical properties, of the catalyst through charging, i.e. the absorption of excess electrons. In this work, we develop a quantum chemical model based on density functional theory to study excess negative surface charges in a heterogeneous catalyst exposed to a plasma. This method is specifically applied to investigate plasma-catalytic CO2 activation on supported M/Al2O3 (M=Ti, Ni, Cu) single atom catalysts. We find that (1) the presence of a negative surface charge dramatically improves the reductive power of the catalyst, strongly promoting the splitting of CO2 to CO and oxygen, and (2) the relative activity of the investigated transition metals is also changed upon charging, suggesting that controlled surface charging is a powerful additional parameter to tune catalyst activity and selectivity. These results strongly point to plasma-induced surface charging of the catalyst as an important factor contributing to the plasma-catalyst synergistic effects frequently reported for plasma catalysis.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000424520100001 Publication Date 2018-02-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1361-6595 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.302 Times cited 19 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes KMB 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: 3.302  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:149285 Serial 4813  
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:147193 Serial 4765  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ramakers, M.; Medrano, J.A.; Trenchev, G.; Gallucci, F.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Revealing the arc dynamics in a gliding arc plasmatron: a better insight to improve CO2conversion Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Plasma sources science and technology Abbreviated Journal Plasma Sources Sci T  
  Volume 26 Issue 12 Pages 125002  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract A gliding arc plasmatron (GAP) is very promising for CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals, but to further improve this important application, a better understanding of the arc behavior is indispensable. Therefore, we study here for the first time the dynamic arc behavior of the GAP by means of a high-speed camera, for different reactor configurations and in a wide range of operating conditions. This allows us to provide a complete image of the behavior of the gliding arc. More specifically, the arc body shape, diameter, movement and rotation speed are analyzed and discussed. Clearly, the arc movement and shape relies on a number of factors, such as gas turbulence, outlet diameter, electrode surface, gas contraction and buoyance force. Furthermore, we also compare the experimentally measured arc movement to a state-of-the-art 3D-plasma model, which predicts the plasma movement and rotation speed with very good accuracy, to gain further insight in the underlying mechanisms. Finally, we correlate the arc dynamics with the CO2 conversion and energy efficiency, at exactly the same conditions, to explain the effect of these parameters on the CO2 conversion process. This work is important for understanding and optimizing the GAP for CO2 conversion.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000414675000001 Publication Date 2017-11-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1361-6595 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.302 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the Belgian Federal Office for Science Policy (BELSPO) and the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO; grant numbers G.0383.16N and 11U5316N). Approved Most recent IF: 3.302  
  Call Number (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:147023 Serial 4761  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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.
 
  Address  
  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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:146665 Serial 4759  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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 (down) PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:145519 Serial 4707  
Permanent link to this record
Select All    Deselect All
 |   | 
Details
   print

Save Citations:
Export Records: