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Author Ciocarlan, R.-G.; Seftel, E.M.; Gavrila, R.; Suchea, M.; Batuk, M.; Mertens, M.; Hadermann, J.; Cool, P.
Title Spinel nanoparticles on stick-like Freudenbergite nanocomposites as effective smart-removal photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants under visible light Type A1 Journal article
Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Alloys And Compounds Abbreviated Journal J Alloy Compd
Volume 820 Issue Pages 153403
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Abstract A series of mixed nanocomposite materials was synthetized, containing a Ferrite phase type Zn1-xNixFe2O4 and a Freudenbergite phase type Na2Fe2Ti6O16, where x = 0; 0.2; 0.4; 0.6; 0.8; 1. The choice for this combination is based on the good adsorption properties of Freudenbergite for dye molecules, and the small bandgap energy of Ferrite spinel, allowing activation of the catalysts under visible light irradiation. A two steps synthesis protocol was used to obtain the smart-removal nanocomposites. Firstly, the spinel structure was obtained via the co-precipitation route followed by the addition of the Ti-source and formation of the Freudenbergite system. The role of cations on the formation mechanism and an interesting interchange of cations between spinel and Freudenbergite structures was clarified by a TEM study. Part of the Ti4+ penetrated the spinel structure and, at the same time, part of the Fe3+ formed the Freudenbergite system. The photocatalytic activity was studied under visible light, reaching for the best catalysts a 67% and 40% mineralization degree for methylene blue and rhodamine 6G respectively, after 6 h of irradiation. In the same conditions, the well-known commercial P25 (Degussa) managed to mineralize only 12% and 3% of methylene blue and rhodamine 6G, respectively. Due to the remarkable magnetic properties of Ferrites, a convenient recovery and reuse of the catalysts is possible after the photocatalytic tests. Based on the excellent catalytic performance of the nanocomposites under visible light and their ease of separation out of the solution after the catalytic reaction, the newly developed composite catalysts are considered very effective for wastewater treatment.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000507854700130 Publication Date 2019-12-15
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0925-8388 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 6.2 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
Notes The authors acknowledge the FWO-Flanders (project nr. G038215N) for financial support. Approved Most recent IF: 6.2; 2020 IF: 3.133
Call Number (down) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:166447 Serial 6342
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Author Asapu, R.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; Claes, N.; Blommaerts, N.; Minjauw, M.; Ahmad, T.; Dendooven, J.; Cool, P.; Bals, S.; Denys, S.; Detavernier, C.; Lenaerts, S.; Verbruggen, S.W.
Title Plasmonic Near-Field Localization of Silver Core–Shell Nanoparticle Assemblies via Wet Chemistry Nanogap Engineering Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal Acs Appl Mater Inter
Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 41577-41585
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
Abstract Silver nanoparticles are widely used in the field of plasmonics because of their unique optical properties. The wavelength-dependent surface plasmon resonance gives rise to a strongly enhanced electromagnetic field, especially at so-called hot spots located in the nanogap in-between metal nanoparticle assemblies. Therefore, the interparticle distance is a decisive factor in plasmonic applications, such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). In this study, the aim is to engineer this interparticle distance for silver nanospheres using a convenient wet-chemical approach and to predict and quantify the corresponding enhancement factor using both theoretical and experimental tools. This was done by building a tunable ultrathin polymer shell around the nanoparticles using the layer-by-layer method, in which the polymer shell acts as the separating interparticle spacer layer. Comparison of different theoretical approaches and corroborating the results with SERS analytical experiments using silver and silver−polymer core−shell nanoparticle clusters as SERS substrates was also done. Herewith, an approach is provided to estimate the extent of plasmonic near-field enhancement both theoretically as well as experimentally.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000417005900057 Publication Date 2017-11-29
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 7.504 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes financial support through a research fellowship. C.D. wishes to thank the Hercules foundation for the financial support (SPINAL). P.C. and R.-G.C. acknowledge financial support by FWO Vlaanderen (project no. G038215N). N.C. and S.B. acknowledge the financial support from the European Research Council (ERC starting grant #335078-COLOURATOM). (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 7.504
Call Number (down) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147243 Serial 4804
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Author Kus, M.; Altantzis, T.; Vercauteren, S.; Caretti, I.; Leenaerts, O.; Batenburg, K.J.; Mertens, M.; Meynen, V.; Partoens, B.; Van Doorslaer, S.; Bals, S.; Cool, P.
Title Mechanistic Insight into the Photocatalytic Working of Fluorinated Anatase {001} Nanosheets 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 26275-26286
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Abstract Anatase nanosheets with exposed {001} facets

have gained increasing interest for photocatalytic applications. To

fully understand the structure-to-activity relation, combined

experimental and computational methods have been exploited.

Anatase nanosheets were prepared under hydrothermal conditions

in the presence of fluorine ions. High resolution scanning

transmission electron microscopy was used to fully characterize

the synthesized material, confirming the TiO2 nanosheet

morphology. Moreover, the surface structure and composition

of a single nanosheet could be determined by annular bright-field

scanning transmission electron microscopy (ABF-STEM) and

STEM electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS). The photocatalytic activity was tested for the decomposition of organic

dyes rhodamine 6G and methyl orange and compared to a reference TiO2 anatase sample. The anatase nanosheets with exposed

{001} facets revealed a significantly lower photocatalytic activity compared to the reference. In order to understand the

mechanism for the catalytic performance, and to investigate the role of the presence of F−, light-induced electron paramagnetic

resonance (EPR) experiments were performed. The EPR results are in agreement with TEM, proving the presence of Ti3+

species close to the surface of the sample and allowing the analysis of the photoinduced formation of paramagnetic species.

Further, ab initio calculations of the anisotropic effective mass of electrons and electron holes in anatase show a very high effective

mass of electrons in the [001] direction, having a negative impact on the mobility of electrons toward the {001} surface and thus

the photocatalysis. Finally, motivated by the experimental results that indicate the presence of fluorine atoms at the surface, we

performed ab initio calculations to determine the position of the band edges in anatase slabs with different terminations of the

{001} surface. The presence of fluorine atoms near the surface is shown to strongly shift down the band edges, which indicates

another reason why it can be expected that the prepared samples with a large amount of {001} surface, but with fluorine atoms

near the surface, show only a low photocatalytic activity.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000417228500017 Publication Date 2017-11-30
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 20 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes The authors acknowledge the University of Antwerp for financial support in the frame of a GOA project. S.B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the Seventh Framework Program (FP7), ERC Grant No. 335078 COLOURATOM. S.V.D. and V.M. acknowledge funding from the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (G.0687.13). T.A. acknowledges financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through a postdoctoral grant. (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536
Call Number (down) EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147240UA @ admin @ c:irua:147240 Serial 4771
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Author Zhuge, X.; Jinnai, H.; Dunin-Borkowski, R.E.; Migunov, V.; Bals, S.; Cool, P.; Bons, A.-J.; Batenburg, K.J.
Title Automated discrete electron tomography – Towards routine high-fidelity reconstruction of nanomaterials Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy
Volume 175 Issue 175 Pages 87-96
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Abstract Electron tomography is an essential imaging technique for the investigation of morphology and 3D structure of nanomaterials. This method, however, suffers from well-known missing wedge artifacts due to a restricted tilt range, which limits the objectiveness, repeatability and efficiency of quantitative structural analysis. Discrete tomography represents one of the promising reconstruction techniques for materials science, potentially capable of delivering higher fidelity reconstructions by exploiting the prior knowledge of the limited number of material compositions in a specimen. However, the application of discrete tomography to practical datasets remains a difficult task due to the underlying challenging mathematical problem. In practice, it is often hard to obtain consistent reconstructions from experimental datasets. In addition, numerous parameters need to be tuned manually, which can lead to bias and non-repeatability. In this paper, we present the application of a new

iterative reconstruction technique, named TVR-DART, for discrete electron tomography. The technique is capable of consistently delivering reconstructions with significantly reduced missing wedge artifacts for a variety of challenging data and imaging conditions, and can automatically estimate its key parameters. We describe the principles of the technique and apply it to datasets from three different types of samples acquired under diverse imaging modes. By further reducing the available tilt range and number of projections, we show that the

proposed technique can still produce consistent reconstructions with minimized missing wedge artifacts. This new development promises to provide the electron microscopy community with an easy-to-use and robust tool for high-fidelity 3D characterization of nanomaterials.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000403342500008 Publication Date 2017-01-24
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 22 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes This work has been supported in part by the Stichting voor de Technische Wetenschappen (STW) through a personal grant (Veni,13610), and was in part by ExxonMobil Chemical Europe Inc. The authors further acknowledge financial support from the University of Antwerp through BOF GOA funding. S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS). R.D.B. is grateful for funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013)/ ERC grant agreement number 320832. Thomas Altantzis is gratefully acknowledged for acquiring the Anatase nanosheets dataset. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 2.843
Call Number (down) EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:141218UA @ admin @ c:irua:141218 Serial 4485
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Author Lin, F.; Meng; Kukueva, E.; Altantzis, T.; Mertens, M.; Bals, S.; Cool, P.; Van Doorslaer, S.
Title Direct-synthesis method towards copper-containing periodic mesoporous organosilicas : detailed investigation of the copper distribution in the material Type A1 Journal article
Year 2015 Publication Journal of the Chemical Society : Dalton transactions Abbreviated Journal Dalton T
Volume 44 Issue 44 Pages 9970-9979
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Abstract Three-dimensional cubic Fm (3) over barm mesoporous copper-containing ethane-bridged PMO materials have been prepared through a direct-synthesis method at room temperature in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant. The obtained materials have been unambiguously characterized in detail by several sophisticated techniques, including XRD, UV-Vis-Dr, TEM, elemental mapping, continuous- wave and pulsed EPR spectroscopy. The results show that at lower copper loading, the Cu2+ species are well dispersed in the Cu-PMO materials, and mainly exist as mononuclear Cu2+ species. At higher copper loading amount, Cu2+ clusters are observed in the materials, but the distribution of the Cu2+ species is still much better in the Cu-PMO materials prepared through the direct-synthesis method than in a Cu-containing PMO material prepared through an impregnation method. Moreover, the evolution of the copper incorporation during the PMO synthesis has been followed by EPR. The results show that the immobilization of the Cu2+ ion/complex and the formation of the PMO materials are taking place simultaneously. The copper ions are found to be situated on the inner surface of the mesopores of the materials and are accessible, which will be beneficial for the catalytic applications.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication London Editor
Language Wos 000355000700028 Publication Date 2015-04-28
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1477-9226;1477-9234; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 4.029 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes Goa-Bof; 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 4.029; 2015 IF: 4.197
Call Number (down) c:irua:126422 Serial 725
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Author Cambré, S.; Campo, J.; Beirnaert, C.; Verlackt, C.; Cool, P.; Wenseleers, W.
Title Asymmetric dyes align inside carbon nanotubes to yield a large nonlinear optical response Type A1 Journal article
Year 2015 Publication Nature nanotechnology Abbreviated Journal Nat Nanotechnol
Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 248-252
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Nanostructured and organic optical and electronic materials (NANOrOPT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Asymmetric dye molecules have unusual optical and electronic properties1, 2, 3. For instance, they show a strong second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) response that has attracted great interest for potential applications in electro-optic modulators for optical telecommunications and in wavelength conversion of lasers2, 3. However, the strong Coulombic interaction between the large dipole moments of these molecules favours a pairwise antiparallel alignment that cancels out the NLO response when incorporated into bulk materials. Here, we show that by including an elongated dipolar dye (p,p′-dimethylaminonitrostilbene, DANS, a prototypical asymmetric dye with a strong NLO response4) inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)5, 6, an ideal head-to-tail alignment in which all electric dipoles point in the same sense is naturally created. We have applied this concept to synthesize solution-processible DANS-filled SWCNTs that show an extremely large total dipole moment and static hyperpolarizability (β0 = 9,800 × 10−30 e.s.u.), resulting from the coherent alignment of arrays of ∼70 DANS molecules.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000350799700016 Publication Date 2015-02-02
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1748-3387;1748-3395; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 38.986 Times cited 46 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 38.986; 2015 IF: 34.048
Call Number (down) c:irua:125405 Serial 158
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Author Lin, F.; Meng, X.; Kukueva, E.; Kus, M.; Mertens, M.; Bals, S.; Van Doorslaer, S.; Cool, P.
Title Novel method to synthesize highly ordered ethane-bridged PMOs under mild acidic conditions : taking advantages of phosphoric acid Type A1 Journal article
Year 2015 Publication Microporous and mesoporous materials: zeolites, clays, carbons and related materials Abbreviated Journal Micropor Mesopor Mat
Volume 207 Issue 207 Pages 61-70
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Abstract Highly ordered SBA-15-type ethane-bridged PMOs have been obtained by employing H3PO4 as acid to tune the pH in the presence of copolymer surfactant P123. The effects of the acidity and the addition of inorganic salt on the formation of the mesostructure are investigated. It is found that, compared with HCl, the polyprotic weak acid H3PO4 is preferable for the synthesis of highly ordered SBA-15-type ethane-bridged PMOs with larger pore size and surface areas under mild acidic conditions. Moreover, taking the advantages of the mild acidic condition, vanadium-containing SBA-15-type ethane-bridged PMOs were successfully prepared through a direct synthesis approach. The XRD, N2-sorption, UVVis and CW-EPR studies of the V-PMO show that part of the vanadium species are present in polymeric (VOV)n clusters, while part of the vanadium centers are well-dispersed and immobilized on the inner surface of the mesopores.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000350518600009 Publication Date 2015-01-14
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1387-1811; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 3.615 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes ; The Erasmus Mundus CONNEC program is acknowledged for PhD funding of F.Lin. Furthermore, the authors acknowledge support by the GOA-BOF project 'Optimization of the structure-activity relation in nanoporous materials', funded by the University of Antwerp. ; Approved Most recent IF: 3.615; 2015 IF: 3.453
Call Number (down) c:irua:123910 Serial 2379
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Author Lin, F.; Meng; Kukueva, E.; Mertens, M.; Van Doorslaer, S.; Bals, S.; Cool, P.
Title New insights into the mesophase transformation of ethane-bridged PMOs by the influence of different counterions under basic conditions Type A1 Journal article
Year 2015 Publication RSC advances Abbreviated Journal Rsc Adv
Volume 5 Issue 5 Pages 5553-5562
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Abstract The counterions are of crucial importance in determining the mesostructure and morphology of ethanebridged PMO materials synthesized under basic conditions. By using CTABr as the surfactant, the final PMO materials show a 2-D hexagonal (p6mm) mesophase, while PMO materials with cubic (Pm (3) over barn ) mesostructure are obtained when CTACl or CTA(SO4)(1)/(2) are used. With gradually replacing CTABr by CTACl or CTA(SO4) (1)/(2) while keeping the total surfactant concentration constant, a clear p6mm to Pm (3) over barn 3n mesophase evolution process is observed. For a given gel composition, the mesophase of ethanebridged PMO materials can also be adjusted by the addition of different sodium salts. In short, the effect of the counterions on the mesophase can be attributed to the binding strength of the ions on the surfactant micelles, which follows the Hofmeister series (SO42- < Cl- < Br-< NO3- < SCN-). Furthermore, it is found that the hydrolysis and condensation rate of the organosilica precursor also plays an important role in the formation of the final mesostructure
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000347304900010 Publication Date 2014-12-11
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 6 Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes ; The Erasmus Mundus CONNEC program is acknowledged for PhD funding of F. L. Furthermore, the authors acknowledge support by the GOA-BOF project 'Optimization of the structureactivity relation in nanoporous materials', funded by the University of Antwerp. ; Approved Most recent IF: 3.108; 2015 IF: 3.840
Call Number (down) c:irua:123768 Serial 2317
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Author Van Eyndhoven, G.; Kurttepeli, M.; van Oers, C.J.; Cool, P.; Bals, S.; Batenburg, K.J.; Sijbers, J.
Title Pore REconstruction and Segmentation (PORES) method for improved porosity quantification of nanoporous materials Type A1 Journal article
Year 2015 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy
Volume 148 Issue 148 Pages 10-19
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Vision lab; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Abstract Electron tomography is currently a versatile tool to investigate the connection between the structure and properties of nanomaterials. However, a quantitative interpretation of electron tomography results is still far from straightforward. Especially accurate quantification of pore-space is hampered by artifacts introduced in all steps of the processing chain, i.e., acquisition, reconstruction, segmentation and quantification. Furthermore, most common approaches require subjective manual user input. In this paper, the PORES algorithm POre REconstruction and Segmentation is introduced; it is a tailor-made, integral approach, for the reconstruction, segmentation, and quantification of porous nanomaterials. The PORES processing chain starts by calculating a reconstruction with a nanoporous-specific reconstruction algorithm: the Simultaneous Update of Pore Pixels by iterative REconstruction and Simple Segmentation algorithm (SUPPRESS). It classifies the interior region to the pores during reconstruction, while reconstructing the remaining region by reducing the error with respect to the acquired electron microscopy data. The SUPPRESS reconstruction can be directly plugged into the remaining processing chain of the PORES algorithm, resulting in accurate individual pore quantification and full sample pore statistics. The proposed approach was extensively validated on both simulated and experimental data, indicating its ability to generate accurate statistics of nanoporous materials.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000345973000002 Publication Date 2014-08-23
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 2.843; 2015 IF: 2.436
Call Number (down) c:irua:119083 Serial 2672
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