“Carbon dioxide dissociation in a microwave plasma reactor operating in a wide pressure range and different gas inlet configurations”. Belov I, Vermeiren V, Paulussen S, Bogaerts A, Journal of CO2 utilization 24, 386 (2018). http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2017.12.009
Abstract: Microwave (MW) plasmas represent a promising solution for efficient CO2 dissociation. MW discharges are also very versatile and can be sustained at various pressure and gas flow regimes. To identify the most favorable conditions for the further scale-up of the CO2 decomposition reaction, a MW plasma reactor operating in pure CO2 in a wide pressure range (200 mbar–1 bar) is studied. Three different gas flow configurations are explored: a direct, reverse and a vortex regime. The CO2 conversion and energy efficiency drop almost linearly with increasing pressure, regardless of the gas flow regime. The results obtained in the direct flow configuration underline the importance of post-discharge cooling, as the exhaust of the MW plasma reactor in this regime expanded into the vacuum chamber without additional quenching. As a result, this system yields exhaust temperatures of up to 1000 K, which explains the lowest conversion (∼3.5% at 200 mbar and 2% at 1 bar). A post-discharge cooling step is introduced for the reverse gas inlet regime and allows the highest conversion to be achieved (∼38% at 200 mbar and 6.2% at 1 bar, with energy efficiencies of 23% and 3.7%). Finally, a tangential gas inlet is utilized in the vortex configuration to generate a swirl flow pattern. This results in the generation of a stable discharge in a broader range of CO2 flows (15–30 SLM) and the highest energy efficiencies obtained in this study (∼25% at 300 mbar and ∼13% at 1 bar, at conversions of 21% and 12%). The experimental results are complemented with computational fluid dynamics simulations and with the analysis of the latest literature to identify the further research directions.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 4.292
Times cited: 8
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcou.2017.12.009
|
“Atmospheric pressure glow discharge for CO2 conversion : model-based exploration of the optimum reactor configuration”. Trenchev G, Nikiforov A, Wang W, Kolev S, Bogaerts A, Chemical engineering journal 362, 830 (2019). http://doi.org/10.1016/J.CEJ.2019.01.091
Abstract: We investigate the performance of an atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) reactor for CO2 conversion in three different configurations, through experiments and simulations. The first (basic) configuration utilizes the well-known pin-to-plate design, which offers a limited conversion. The second configuration improves the reactor performance by employing a vortex-flow generator. The third, “confined” configuration is a complete redesign of the reactor, which encloses the discharge in a limited volume, significantly surpassing the conversion rate of the other two designs. The plasma properties are investigated using an advanced plasma model.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 6.216
Times cited: 4
DOI: 10.1016/J.CEJ.2019.01.091
|
“Plasma Catalysis for CO2Hydrogenation: Unlocking New Pathways toward CH3OH”. Michiels R, Engelmann Y, Bogaerts A, Journal Of Physical Chemistry C 124, 25859 (2020). http://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.0c07632
Abstract: We developed a microkinetic model to reveal the effects of plasma-generated radicals, intermediates, and vibrationally excited species on the catalytic hydrogenation of CO2 to CH3OH on a Cu(111) surface. As a benchmark, we first present the mechanisms of thermal catalytic CH3OH formation. Our model predicts that the reverse water-gas shift reaction followed by CO hydrogenation, together with the formate path, mainly contribute to CH3OH formation in thermal catalysis. Adding plasma-generated radicals and intermediates results in a higher CH3OH turnover frequency (TOF) by six to seven orders of magnitude, showing the potential of plasma-catalytic CO2 hydrogenation into CH3OH, in accordance with the literature. In addition, CO2 vibrational excitation further increases the CH3OH TOF, but the effect is limited due to relatively low vibrational temperatures under typical plasma catalysis conditions. The predicted increase in CH3OH formation by plasma catalysis is mainly attributed to the increased importance of the formate path. In addition, the conversion of plasma-generated CO to HCO* and subsequent HCOO* or H2CO* formation contribute to CH3OH formation. Both pathways bypass the HCOO* formation from CO2, which is the main bottleneck in the process. Hence, our model points toward the important role of CO, but also O, OH, and H radicals, as they influence the reactions that consume CO2 and CO. In addition, our model reveals that the H pressure should not be smaller than ca. half of the O pressure in the plasma as this would cause O* poisoning, which would result in very small product TOFs. Thus, plasma conditions should be targeted with a high CO and H content as this is favorable for CH3OH formation, while the O content should be minimized.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Movement Antwerp (MOVANT)
Impact Factor: 3.7
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.0c07632
|
“Disruption of self-organized striated structure induced by secondary electron emission in capacitive oxygen discharges”. Wang L, Wen D-Q, Zhang Q-Z, Song Y-H, Zhang Y-R, Wang Y-N, Plasma sources science and technology 28, 055007 (2019). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/AB17AE
Abstract: Self-organized striated structure has been observed experimentally and numerically in CF4 plasmas in radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasmas recently (Liu et al 2016 Phys. Rev. Lett. 116 255002). In this work, the striated structure is investigated in a capacitively coupled oxygen discharge with the introduction of the effect from the secondary electron emission, based on a particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model. As we know, the transport of positive and negative ions plays a key role in the formation of striations in electronegative gases, for which, the electronegativity needs to be large enough. As the secondary electron emission increases, electrons in the sheaths gradually contribute more ionization to the discharge. Meanwhile, the increase of the electron density, especially in the plasma bulk, leads to an increased electrical conductivity and a reduced bulk electric field, which would shield the ions' mobility. These changes result in enlarged striation gaps. And then, with more emitted electrons, obvious disruption of the striations is observed accompanied with a transition of electron heating mode. Due to the weakened field, the impact ionization in the plasma bulk is attenuated, compared with the enhanced ionization caused by secondary electrons. This would lead to the electron heating mode transition from striated (STR) mode to gamma-mode. Besides, our investigation further reveals that gamma-mode is more likely to dominate the discharge under high gas pressures or driving voltages.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 3.302
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/AB17AE
|
“Streamer propagation in a packed bed plasma reactor for plasma catalysis applications”. Wang W, Kim H-H, Van Laer K, Bogaerts A, Chemical engineering journal 334, 2467 (2018). http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2017.11.139
Abstract: A packed bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is widely used for plasma catalysis applications, but the exact plasma characteristics in between the packing beads are far from understood. Therefore, we study here these plasma characteristics by means of fluid modelling and experimental observations using ICCD imaging, for packing materials with different dielectric constants. Our study reveals that a packed bed DBD reactor in dry air at atmospheric pressure may show three types of discharges, i.e. positive restrikes, filamentary microdischarges, which can also be localized between two packing beads, and surface discharges (so-called surface ionization
waves). Restrikes between the dielectric surfaces result in the formation of filamentary microdischarges, while surface charging creates electric field components parallel to the dielectric surfaces, leading to the formation of surface discharges. A transition in discharge mode occurs from surface discharges to local filamentary discharges between the packing beads when the dielectric constant of the packing rises from 5 to 1000. This may have implications for the efficiency of plasma catalytic gas treatment, because the catalyst activation may be limited by constraining the discharge to the contact points of the beads. The production of reactive species occurs most in the positive restrikes, the surface discharges and the local microdischarges in between the beads, and is less significant in the longer filamentary microdischarges. The faster streamer propagation and discharge development with higher dielectric constant of the packing beads leads to a faster production of reactive species. This study is of great interest for plasma catalysis, where packing beads with different dielectric constants are often used as supports for the catalytic materials. It allows us to better understand how different packing materials can influence the performance of packed bed plasma reactors for environmental applications.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 6.216
Times cited: 36
DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2017.11.139
|
“How process parameters and packing materials tune chemical equilibrium and kinetics in plasma-based CO2 conversion”. Uytdenhouwen Y, Bal Km, Michielsen I, Neyts Ec, Meynen V, Cool P, Bogaerts A, Chemical engineering journal 372, 1253 (2019). http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2019.05.008
Abstract: Plasma (catalysis) reactors are increasingly being used for gas-based chemical conversions, providing an alternative method of energy delivery to the molecules. In this work we explore whether classical concepts such as
equilibrium constants, (overall) rate coefficients, and catalysis exist under plasma conditions. We specifically
investigate the existence of a so-called partial chemical equilibrium (PCE), and how process parameters and
packing properties influence this equilibrium, as well as the overall apparent rate coefficient, for CO2 splitting in
a DBD plasma reactor. The results show that a PCE can be reached, and that the position of the equilibrium, in
combination with the rate coefficient, greatly depends on the reactor parameters and operating conditions (i.e.,
power, pressure, and gap size). A higher power, higher pressure, or smaller gap size enhance both the equilibrium constant and the rate coefficient, although they cannot be independently tuned. Inserting a packing
material (non-porous SiO2 and ZrO2 spheres) in the reactor reveals interesting gap/material effects, where the
type of material dictates the position of the equilibrium and the rate (inhibition) independently. As a result, no
apparent synergistic effect or plasma-catalytic behaviour was observed for the non-porous packing materials
studied in this reaction. Within the investigated parameters, equilibrium conversions were obtained between 23
and 71%, while the rate coefficient varied between 0.027 s−1 and 0.17 s−1. This method of analysis can provide
a more fundamental insight in the overall reaction kinetics of (catalytic) plasma-based gas conversion, in order
to be able to distinguish plasma effects from true catalytic enhancement.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 6.216
Times cited: 3
DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2019.05.008
|
“Removal of alachlor, diuron and isoproturon in water in a falling film dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor combined with adsorption on activated carbon textile: Reaction mechanisms and oxidation by-products”. Vanraes P, Wardenier N, Surmont P, Lynen F, Nikiforov A, Van Hulle SWH, Leys C, Bogaerts A, Journal of hazardous materials 354, 180 (2018). http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.05.007
Abstract: A falling film dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor combined with adsorption on activated carbon textile material was optimized to minimize the formation of hazardous oxidation by-products from the treatment of persistent pesticides (alachlor, diuron and isoproturon) in water. The formation of by-products and the reaction mechanism was investigated by HPLC-TOF-MS. The maximum concentration of each by-product was at least two orders of magnitude below the initial pesticide concentration, during the first 10 min of treatment. After 30 min of treatment, the individual by-product concentrations had decreased to values of at least three orders of magnitude below the initial pesticide concentration. The proposed oxidation pathways revealed five main oxidation steps: dechlorination, dealkylation, hydroxylation, addition of a double-bonded oxygen and nitrification. The latter is one of the main oxidation mechanisms of diuron and isoproturon for air plasma treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the formation of nitrificated intermediates is reported for the plasma treatment of non-phenolic compounds.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 6.065
Times cited: 4
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.05.007
|
“Structures and spectroscopic properties of sulfur-nitrogen-pnictogen chains : R2P-N=S=N-PR2 and R2P-N=S=N-AsR2”. Bal KM, Cautereels J, Blockhuys F, Journal of molecular structure 1132, 102 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1016/J.MOLSTRUC.2016.08.008
Abstract: The conformational and configurational preferences of Me2PNSNPMe2 (3) and Me2PNSNAsMe2 (4) have been identified using quantum chemical calculations at the DFT/B3LYP/6-311+G* level of theory. An approach in which energetic, structural (geometries and bond orders), electronic (analysis of the electron density) and spectroscopic properties are combined leads to the conclusion that these sulfur-nitrogen-pnictogen chains share many of the properties of their chalcogen-nitrogen analogues but that the through-space intramolecular interactions favouring the Z,Z configuration are even weaker than in these latter compounds. The results of this analysis also lead to an unambiguous assignment of the variable-temperature 31P and 15N NMR spectra of these compounds and their structures both in solution and in the solid state.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 1.753
DOI: 10.1016/J.MOLSTRUC.2016.08.008
|
“A packed-bed DBD micro plasma reactor for CO 2 dissociation: Does size matter?”.Uytdenhouwen Y, Van Alphen S, Michielsen I, Meynen V, Cool P, Bogaerts A, Chemical engineering journal 348, 557 (2018). http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.04.210
Abstract: DBD plasma reactors are of great interest for environmental and energy applications, such as CO2 conversion, but they suffer from limited conversion and especially energy efficiency. The introduction of packing materials has been a popular subject of investigation in order to increase the reactor performance. Reducing the discharge gap of the reactor below one millimetre can enhance the plasma performance as well. In this work, we combine both effects and use a packed-bed DBD micro plasma reactor to investigate the influence of gap size reduction, in combination with a packing material, on the conversion and efficiency of CO2 dissociation. Packing materials used in this work were SiO2, ZrO2, and Al2O3 spheres as well as glass wool. The results are compared to a regular size reactor as a benchmark. Reducing the discharge gap can greatly increase the CO2 conversion, although at a lower energy efficiency. Adding a packing material further increases the conversion when keeping a constant residence time, but is greatly dependent on the material composition, gap and sphere size used. Maximum conversions of 50–55% are obtained for very long residence times (30 s and higher) in an empty reactor or with certain packing material combinations, suggesting a balance in CO2 dissociation and recombination reactions. The maximum energy efficiency achieved is 4.3%, but this is for the regular sized reactor at a short residence time (7.5 s). Electrical characterization is performed to reveal some trends in the electrical behaviour of the plasma upon reduction of the discharge gap and addition of a packing material.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 6.216
Times cited: 22
DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2018.04.210
|
“Molecular evidence for feedstock-dependent nucleation mechanisms of CNTs”. Khalilov U, Vets C, Neyts EC, Nanoscale Horizons 4, 674 (2019). http://doi.org/10.1039/C8NH00323H
Abstract: Atomic scale simulations have been shown to be a powerful tool for elucidating the growth mechanisms of carbon nanotubes. The growth picture is however not entirely clear yet due to the gap between current simulations and real experiments. We here simulate for the first time the nucleation and subsequent growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) from oxygen-containing hydrocarbon feedstocks using the hybrid Molecular Dynamics/Monte Carlo technique. The underlying nucleation mechanisms of Ni-catalysed SWNT growth are discussed in detail. Specifically, we find that as a function of the feedstock, different carbon fractions may emerge as the main growth species, due to a competition between the feedstock decomposition, its rehydroxylation and its contribution to etching of the growing SWNT. This study provides a further understanding of the feedstock effects in SWNT growth in comparison with available experimental evidence as well as with<italic>ab initio</italic>and other simulation data, thereby reducing the simulation–experiment gap.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Times cited: 1
DOI: 10.1039/C8NH00323H
|
“The formation of Cr2O3 nanoclusters over graphene sheet and carbon nanotubes”. Dabaghmanesh S, Neek-Amal M, Partoens B, Neyts EC, Chemical physics letters 687, 188 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1016/J.CPLETT.2017.09.005
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 1.815
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1016/J.CPLETT.2017.09.005
|
“CO2 conversion in a gliding arc plasma: Performance improvement based on chemical reaction modeling”. Sun SR, Wang HX, Mei DH, Tu X, Bogaerts A, Journal of CO2 utilization 17, 220 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2016.12.009
Abstract: CO2 conversion into value-added chemicals is gaining increasing interest in recent years, and a gliding arc plasma has great potential for this purpose, because of its high energy efficiency. In this study, a chemical reaction kinetics model is presented to study the CO2 splitting in a gliding arc discharge. The calculated
conversion and energy efficiency are in good agreement with experimental data in a range of different operating conditions. Therefore, this reaction kinetics model can be used to elucidate the dominant chemical reactions contributing to CO2 destruction and formation. Based on this reaction pathway analysis, the restricting factors for CO2 conversion are figured out, i.e., the reverse reactions and the small treated gas fraction. This allows us to propose some solutions in order to improve the CO2 conversion, such as decreasing the gas temperature, by using a high frequency discharge, or increasing the power
density, by using a micro-scale gliding arc reactor, or by removing the reverse reactions, which could be realized in practice by adding possible scavengers for O atoms, such as CH4. Finally, we compare our results with other types of plasmas in terms of conversion and energy efficiency, and the results illustrate that gliding arc discharges are indeed quite promising for CO2 conversion, certainly when keeping in mind the possible solutions for further performance improvement.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 4.292
Times cited: 41
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcou.2016.12.009
|
“Detection of CO2 using CNT-based sensors: Role of Fe catalyst on sensitivity and selectivity”. Tit N, Al Ezzi MM, Abdullah HM, Yusupov M, Kouser S, Bahlouli H, Yamani ZH, Materials chemistry and physics 186, 353 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATCHEMPHYS.2016.11.006
Abstract: The adsorption of CO2 on surfaces of graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), decorated with Fe atoms, are investigated using the self-consistent-charge density-functional tight-binding (SCC-DFTB) method, neglecting the heat effects. Fe ad-atoms are more stable when they are dispersed on hollow sites. They introduce a large density of states at the Fermi level (N-F); where keeping such density low would help in gas sensing. Furthermore, the Fe ad-atom can weaken the C=O double bonds of the chemisorbed CO2 molecule, paving the way for oxygen atoms to drain more charges from Fe. Consequently, chemisorption of CO2 molecules reduces both N-F and the conductance while it enhances the sensitivity with the increasing gas dose. Conducting armchair CNTs (ac-CNTs) have higher sensitivity than graphene and semiconducting zigzag CNTs (zz-CNT5). Comparative study of sensitivity of ac-CNT-Fe composite towards various gases (e.g., O-2, N-2, H-2, H2O, CO and CO2) has shown high sensitivity and selectivity towards CO, CO2 and H2O gases. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.084
Times cited: 17
DOI: 10.1016/J.MATCHEMPHYS.2016.11.006
|
“Synthesis of Micro- and Nanomaterials in CO2and CO Dielectric Barrier Discharges: Synthesis of Micro- and Nanomaterials…”. Belov I, Vanneste J, Aghaee M, Paulussen S, Bogaerts A, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1600065 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600065
Abstract: Dielectric Barrier Discharges operating in CO and CO2 form solid products at atmospheric pressure. The main differences between both plasmas and their deposits were analyzed, at similar energy input. GC measurements revealed a mixture of CO2, CO, and O2 in the CO2 DBD exhaust, while no O2 was found in the CO plasma. A coating of nanoparticles composed of Fe, O, and C was produced by the CO2 discharge, whereas, a microscopic dendrite-like carbon structure was formed in the CO plasma. Fe3O4 and Fe crystalline phases were found in the CO2 sample. The CO
deposition was characterized as an amorphous structure, close to polymeric CO (p-CO). Interestingly, p-CO is not formed in the CO2 plasma, in spite of the significant amounts of CO produced (up to 30% in the reactor exhaust).
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 10
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201600065
|
“Molecular Dynamics Simulations for Plasma-Surface Interactions: Molecular Dynamics Simulations…”. Neyts EC, Brault P, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1600145 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600145
Abstract: Plasma-surface interactions are in general highly complex due to the interplay of many concurrent processes. Molecular dynamics simulations provide insight in some of these processes, subject to the accessible time and length scales, and the availability of suitable force fields. In this introductory tutorial-style review, we aim to describe the current capabilities and limitations of molecular dynamics simulations in this field, restricting ourselves to low-temperature nonthermal plasmas. Attention is paid to the simulation of the various fundamental processes occurring, including sputtering, etching, implantation, and deposition, as well as to what extent the basic plasma components can be accounted for, including ground state and excited species, electric fields, ions, photons, and electrons. A number of examples is provided, giving an bird’s eye overview of the current state of the field.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 13
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201600145
|
“Special issue on numerical modelling of low-temperature plasmas for various applications –, part II: Research papers on numerical modelling for various plasma applications”. Bogaerts A, Alves LL, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1790041 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201790041
Keywords: Editorial; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201790041
|
“Influence of Gap Size and Dielectric Constant of the Packing Material on the Plasma Behaviour in a Packed Bed DBD Reactor: A Fluid Modelling Study: Influence of Gap Size and Dielectric Constant…”. Van Laer K, Bogaerts A, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1600129 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600129
Abstract: A packed bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was studied by means of fluid modelling, to investigate the influence of the dielectric constant of the packing on the plasma characteristics, for two different gap sizes. The electric field strength and electron temperature are much more enhanced in a microgap reactor than
in a mm-gap reactor, leading to more current peaks per half-cycle, but also to non-quasineutral plasma. Increasing the dielectric constant enhances the electric field further, but only up to a certain value of dielectric constant, being 9 for a microgap and 100 for a mm-gap reactor. The enhanced electric field results in a higher electron temperature, but also lower electron density. This last one strongly affects the reaction rate.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 23
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201600129
|
“A Comprehensive Chemical Model for the Splitting of CO2in Non-Equilibrium Plasmas: A Comprehensive Chemical Model for CO2Splitting”. Koelman P, Heijkers S, Tadayon Mousavi S, Graef W, Mihailova D, Kozak T, Bogaerts A, van Dijk J, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1600155 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600155
Abstract: An extensive CO2 plasmamodel is presented that is relevant for the production of ‘‘solar fuels.’’ It is based on reaction rate coefficients fromrigorously reviewed literature, and is augmented with reactionrate coefficients that are obtained fromscaling laws.The input data set,which is suitable for usage with the plasma simulation software Plasimo (https://plasimo.phys.tue.nl/), is available via the Plasimo and publisher’s websites.1 The correctness of this model implementation has been established by independent ZDPlasKin implementation (http://www.zdplaskin.
laplace.univ-tlse.fr/), to verify that the results agree. Results of these ‘‘global models’’ are presented for a DBD plasma reactor.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 21
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201600155
|
“Understanding Microwave Surface-Wave Sustained Plasmas at Intermediate Pressure by 2D Modeling and Experiments: Understanding Microwave Surface-Wave Sustained Plasmas …”. Georgieva V, Berthelot A, Silva T, Kolev S, Graef W, Britun N, Chen G, van der Mullen J, Godfroid T, Mihailova D, van Dijk J, Snyders R, Bogaerts A, Delplancke-Ogletree M-P, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1600185 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600185
Abstract: An Ar plasma sustained by a surfaguide wave launcher is investigated at intermediate pressure (200–2667 Pa). Two 2D self-consistent models (quasi-neutral and plasma bulk-sheath) are developed and benchmarked. The complete set of electromagnetic and fluid equations and the boundary conditions are presented. The transformation of fluid equations from a local reference frame, that is, moving with plasma or when the gas flow is zero, to a laboratory reference frame, that is,
accounting for the gas flow, is discussed. The pressure range is extended down to 80 Pa by experimental measurements. The electron temperature decreases with pressure. The electron density depends linearly on power, and changes its behavior with pressure depending on the product of pressure and radial plasma size.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 8
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201600185
|
“Quasi-Neutral Modeling of Gliding Arc Plasmas: Quasi-Neutral Modeling of Gliding Arc Plasmas”. Kolev S, Sun S, Trenchev G, Wang W, Wang H, Bogaerts A, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1600110 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600110
Abstract: The modelling of a gliding arc discharge (GAD) is studied by means of the quasineutral (QN) plasma modelling approach. The model is first evaluated for reliability and proper description of a gliding arc discharge at atmospheric pressure, by comparing with a more elaborate non-quasineutral (NQN) plasma model in two different geometries – a 2D axisymmetric and a Cartesian geometry. The NQN model is considered as a reference, since it provides a continuous self-consistent plasma description, including the near electrode regions. In general, the results of the QN model agree very well with those obtained from the NQN model. The small differences between both models are attributed to the approximations in the derivation of the QN model. The use of the QN model provides a substantial reduction of the computation time compared to the NQN model, which is crucial for the development of more complex models in three dimensions or with complicated chemistries. The latter is illustrated for (i) a reverse vortex flow(RVF) GAD in argon, and (ii) a GAD in CO2. The RVF discharge is modelled in three dimensions and the effect of the turbulent heat transport on the plasma and gas characteristics is
discussed. The GAD model in CO2 is in a 1D geometry with axial symmetry and provides results for the time evolution of the electron, gas and vibrational temperature of CO2, as well as for the molar fractions of the different species.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 9
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201600110
|
“Nitrogen Fixation by Gliding Arc Plasma: Better Insight by Chemical Kinetics Modelling”. Wang W, Patil B, Heijkers S, Hessel V, Bogaerts A, Chemsuschem 10, 2110 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201700611
Abstract: The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into valuable compounds, that is, so-called nitrogen fixation, is gaining increased interest, owing to the essential role in the nitrogen cycle of the biosphere. Plasma technology, and more specifically gliding arc plasma, has great potential in this area, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Therefore, we developed a detailed chemical kinetics model for a pulsed-power gliding-arc reactor operating at atmospheric pressure for nitrogen oxide synthesis. Experiments are performed to validate the model and reasonable agreement is reached between the calculated and measured NO and NO2 yields and the corresponding energy efficiency for NOx formation for different N2/O2 ratios, indicating that the model can provide a realistic picture of the plasma chemistry. Therefore, we can use the model to investigate the reaction pathways for the formation and loss of NOx. The results indicate that vibrational excitation of N2 in the gliding arc contributes significantly to activating the N2 molecules, and leads to an energy efficient way of NOx production, compared to the thermal process. Based on the underlying chemistry, the model allows us to propose solutions on how to further improve the NOx formation by gliding arc technology. Although the energy efficiency of the gliding-arc-based nitrogen fixation process at the present stage is not comparable to the world-scale Haber–Bosch process, we believe our study helps us to come up with more realistic scenarios of entering a cutting-edge innovation in new business cases for the decentralised production of fertilisers for agriculture, in which lowtemperature plasma technology might play an important role.
Keywords: A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;
Impact Factor: 7.226
DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201700611
|
“Special issue: Plasma Conversion”. Nozaki T, Bogaerts A, Tu X, Sanden R, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1790061 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201790061
Keywords: Editorial; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201790061
|
“Plasma based CO2and CH4conversion: A modeling perspective”. Bogaerts A, De Bie C, Snoeckx R, Koz?k T, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1600070 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600070
Abstract: This paper gives an overview of our plasma chemistry modeling for CO2 and CH4 conversion in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and microwave (MW) plasma. We focus on pure CO2 splitting and pure CH4 reforming, as well as mixtures of CO2/CH4, CH4/O2, and CO2/H2O. We show calculation results for the conversion, energy efficiency, and product formation, in comparison with experiments where possible. We also present the underlying chemical reaction pathways, to explain the observed
trends. For pure CO2, a comparison is made between a DBD and MW plasma, illustrating that the higher energy efficiency of the latter is attributed to the more important role of the vibrational levels.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 17
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201600070
|
“Harvesting Renewable Energy for Carbon Dioxide Catalysis”. Navarrete A, Centi G, Bogaerts A, Mart?n?ngel, York A, Stefanidis GD, Energy technology 5, 796 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ente.201600609
Abstract: The use of renewable energy (RE) to transform carbon dioxide into commodities (i.e., CO2 valorization) will pave the way towards a more sustainable economy in the coming years. But how can we efficiently use this energy (mostly available as electricity or solar light) to drive the necessary (catalytic) transformations? This paper presents a review of the technological advances in the transformation of carbon dioxide by means of RE. The socioeconomic implications and chemical basis of the transformation of carbon dioxide with RE are discussed. Then a general view of the use of RE to activate the (catalytic) transformations of carbon dioxide with microwaves, plasmas, and light is presented. The fundamental phenomena involved are introduced from a catalytic and reaction device perspective to present the advantages of this energy form as well as the inherent limitations of the present state-of-the-art. It is shown that efficient use of RE requires the redesign of current catalytic concepts. In this context, a new kind of reaction system, an energy-harvesting device, is proposed as a new conceptual approach for this endeavor. Finally, the challenges that lie ahead for the efficient and economical use of RE for carbon dioxide conversion are exposed.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.789
Times cited: 15
DOI: 10.1002/ente.201600609
|
“Plasma-based liquefaction of methane: The road from hydrogen production to direct methane liquefaction”. Snoeckx R, Rabinovich A, Dobrynin D, Bogaerts A, Fridman A, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1600115 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600115
Abstract: For the energy industry, a process that is able to transform methane—being the prime component of natural gas—efficiently into a liquid product would be equivalent to a goose with golden eggs. As such it is no surprise that research efforts in this field already date back to the nineteen hundreds. Plasma technology can be considered to be a novel player in this field, but nevertheless one with great potential. Over the past decades this technology has evolved from sole hydrogen production, over indirect methane liquefaction to eventually direct plasma-assisted methane liquefaction processes. An overview of this evolution and these processes is presented, from which it becomes clear that the near future probably lies with the direct two phase plasma-assisted methane liquefaction and the far future with the direct oxidative methane liquefaction.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 16
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201600115
|
“Effect of electric fields on plasma catalytic hydrocarbon oxidation from atomistic simulations”. Neyts EC, Bal KM, Plasma processes and polymers 14, e1600158 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/PPAP.201600158
Abstract: The catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons is an industrially important process, in which selectivity is a key issue. We here investigate the conversion of methanol to formaldehyde on a vanadia surface employing long timescale simulations, reaching a time scale of seconds. In particular, we compare the thermal process to the case where an additional external electric field is applied, as would be the case in a direct plasma-catalysis setup. We find that the electric field influences the retention time of the molecules at the catalyst surface. These simulations provide an atomic scale insight in the thermal catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation process, and in how an external electric field may affect this process.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 2
DOI: 10.1002/PPAP.201600158
|
“Origin of the apparent delocalization of the conduction band in a high-mobility amorphous semiconductor”. de de Meux AJ, Pourtois G, Genoe J, Heremans P, Journal of physics : condensed matter 29, 255702 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1088/1361-648X/AA608C
Abstract: In this paper, we show that the apparent delocalization of the conduction band reported from first-principles simulations for the high-mobility amorphous oxide semiconductor InGaZnO4 (a-IGZO) is an artifact induced by the periodic conditions imposed to the model. Given a sufficiently large unit-cell dimension (over 40 angstrom), the conduction band becomes localized. Such a model size is up to four times the size of commonly used models for the study of a-IGZO. This finding challenges the analyses done so far on the nature of the defects and on the interpretation of numerous electrical measurements. In particular, we re-interpret the meaning of the computed effective mass reported so far in literature. Our finding also applies to materials such as SiZnSnO, ZnSnO, InZnSnO, In2O3 or InAlZnO4 whose models have been reported to display a fully delocalized conduction band in the amorphous phase.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.649
Times cited: 5
DOI: 10.1088/1361-648X/AA608C
|
“Oxygen vacancies effects in a-IGZO : formation mechanisms, hysteresis, and negative bias stress effects”. de de Meux AJ, Bhoolokam A, Pourtois G, Genoe J, Heremans P, Physica status solidi : A : applications and materials science 214, 1600889 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/PSSA.201600889
Abstract: The amorphous oxide semiconductor Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide (a-IGZO) has gained a large technological relevance as a semiconductor for thin-film transistors in active-matrix displays. Yet, major questions remain unanswered regarding the atomic origin of threshold voltage control, doping level, hysteresis, negative bias stress (NBS), and negative bias illumination stress (NBIS). We undertake a systematic study of the effects of oxygen vacancies on the properties of a-IGZO by relating experimental observations to microscopic insights gained from first-principle simulations. It is found that the amorphous nature of the semiconductor allows unusually large atomic relaxations. In some cases, oxygen vacancies are found to behave as perfect shallow donors without the formation of structural defects. Once structural defects are formed, their transition states can vary upon charge and discharge cycles. We associate this phenomenon to a possible presence of hysteresis in the transfer curve of the devices. Under NBS, the creation of oxygen vacancies becomes energetically very stable, hence thermodynamically very likely. This generation process is correlated with the occurrence of the negative bias stress instabilities observed in a-IGZO transistors. While oxygen vacancies can therefore be related to NBS and hysteresis, it appears unlikely from our results that they are direct causes of NBIS, contrary to common belief.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 1.775
Times cited: 8
DOI: 10.1002/PSSA.201600889
|
“Toward an understanding of the electric field-induced electrostatic doping in van der Waals heterostructures : a first-principles study”. Lu AKA, Houssa M, Radu IP, Pourtois G, ACS applied materials and interfaces 9, 7725 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1021/ACSAMI.6B14722
Abstract: Since the discovery of graphene, a broad range of two-dimensional (2D) materials has captured the attention of the scientific communities. Materials, such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) family, have shown promising semiconducting and insulating properties that are very appealing for the semiconductor industry. Recently, the possibility of taking advantage of the properties of 2D-based heterostructures has been investigated for low-power nanoelectronic applications. In this work, we aim at evaluating the relation between the nature of the materials used in such heterostructures and the amplitude of the layer-to-layer charge transfer induced by an external electric field, as is typically present in nanoelectronic gated devices. A broad range of combinations of TMDs, graphene, and hBN has been investigated using density functional theory. Our results show that the electric field induced charge transfer strongly depends on the nature of the 2D materials used in the van der Waals heterostructures and to a lesser extent on the relative orientation of the materials in the structure. Our findings contribute to the building of the fundamental understanding required to engineer electrostatically the doping of 2D materials and to establish the factors that drive the charge transfer mechanisms in electron tunneling-based devices. These are key ingredients for the development of 2D -based nanoelectronic devices.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 7.504
Times cited: 10
DOI: 10.1021/ACSAMI.6B14722
|
“Special Issue on Numerical Modelling of Low-Temperature Plasmas for Various Applications –, Part I: Review and Tutorial Papers on Numerical Modelling Approaches”. Alves LL, Bogaerts A, Plasma processes and polymers 14, 1690011 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201690011
Keywords: Editorial; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Impact Factor: 2.846
Times cited: 3
DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201690011
|