toggle visibility
Search within Results:
Display Options:

Select All    Deselect All
 |   | 
Details
   print
  Records Links
Author Werner, R.; Raisch, C.; Leca, V.; Ion, V.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Chasse, T.; Kleiner, R.; Koelle, D. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Transport, magnetic, and structural properties of La0.7Ce0.3MnO3 thin films: evidence for hole-doping Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2009 Publication Physical review : B : solid state Abbreviated Journal Phys Rev B  
  Volume 79 Issue 5 Pages (down) 054416,1-054416,8  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Cerium-doped manganite thin films were grown epitaxially by pulsed laser deposition at 720 °C and oxygen pressure pO2=125 Pa and were subjected to different annealing steps. According to x-ray diffraction (XRD) data, the formation of CeO2 as a secondary phase could be avoided for pO28 Pa. However, transmission electron microscopy shows the presence of CeO2 nanoclusters even in those films which appear to be single phase in XRD. With O2 annealing, the metal-to-insulator transition temperature increases, while the saturation magnetization decreases and stays well below the theoretical value for electron-doped La0.7Ce0.3MnO3 with mixed Mn3+/Mn2+ valences. The same trend is observed with decreasing film thickness from 100 to 20 nm, indicating a higher oxygen content for thinner films. Hall measurements on a film which shows a metal-to-insulator transition clearly reveal holes as dominating charge carriers. Combining data from x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, for determination of the oxygen content, and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), for determination of the hole concentration and cation valences, we find that with increasing oxygen content the hole concentration increases and Mn valences are shifted from 2+ to 4+. The dominating Mn valences in the films are Mn3+ and Mn4+, and only a small amount of Mn2+ ions can be observed by XAS. Mn2+ and Ce4+ XAS signals obtained in surface-sensitive total electron yield mode are strongly reduced in the bulk-sensitive fluorescence mode, which indicates hole-doping in the bulk for those films which do show a metal-to-insulator transition.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Lancaster, Pa Editor  
  Language Wos 000263815400057 Publication Date 2009-02-13  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1098-0121;1550-235X; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.836 Times cited 25 Open Access  
  Notes Esteem 026019; Fwo Approved Most recent IF: 3.836; 2009 IF: 3.475  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:76221 Serial 3725  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  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 (down) 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.  
  Address  
  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 EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147243 Serial 4804  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Altantzis, T.; Zanaga, D.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Advanced electron tomography of nanoparticle assemblies Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Europhysics letters Abbreviated Journal Epl-Europhys Lett  
  Volume 119 Issue 119 Pages (down) 38001  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Nanoparticle assemblies have attracted enormous scientific interest during the last

years, due to their unique properties compared to those of their building blocks. To understand

the origin of these properties and to establish the connection with their structure, a detailed and

quantitative structural characterization is essential. Transmission electron microscopy has been

widely used to investigate nano-assemblies. However, TEM images only correspond to a twodimensional

projection of a three-dimensional object. Therefore, in order to obtain the necessary

3D structural information electron tomography has to be applied. By means of advanced electron

tomography, both qualitative and quantitative information can be obtained, which can be used

for detailed theoretical studies.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000415019400023 Publication Date 2017-10-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0295-5075 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 1.957 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We would like to thank the colleagues who have contributed to this work over the years, including L. M. Liz- Marzan, M. Grzelczak, A. Sanchez-Iglesias, D. Vanmaekelbergh, M. P. Boneschanscher, W. H. Evers, J. J. Geuchies, B. Goris, A. de Backer, S. van Aert, M.-P. Pileni, Z. Yang, K. J. Batenburg, J. Sijbers, F. Bleichrodt, W. J. Palenstijn, A. van Blaaderen, M. A. van Huis, F. M. Peeters, N. Winckelmans and D. Wang. The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (G.0381.16N, G.036915 G.0374.13 and funding of a postdoctoral grant to TA). SB and DZ acknowledge funding from the European Research Council, ERC grant No. 335078 – Colouratom. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 1.957  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:146096UA @ admin @ c:irua:146096 Serial 4733  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Benetti, G.; Cavaliere, E.; Canteri, A.; Landini, G.; Rossolini, G.M.; Pallecchi, L.; Chiodi, M.; Van Bael, M.J.; Winckelmans, N.; Bals, S.; Gavioli, L. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Direct synthesis of antimicrobial coatings based on tailored bi-elemental nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication APL materials Abbreviated Journal Apl Mater  
  Volume 5 Issue 5 Pages (down) 036105  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Ultrathin coatings based on bi-elemental nanoparticles (NPs) are very promising to limit the surface-related spread of bacterial pathogens, particularly in nosocomial environments. However, tailoring the synthesis, composition, adhesion to substrate, and antimicrobial spectrum of the coating is an open challenge. Herein, we report on a radically new nanostructured coating, obtained by a one-step gas-phase deposition technique, and composed of bi-elemental Janus type Ag/Ti NPs. The NPs are characterized by a cluster-in-cluster mixing phase with metallic Ag nano-crystals embedded in amorphous TiO2 and present a promising antimicrobial activity including also multidrug resistant strains. We demonstrate the flexibility of the method to tune the embedded Ag nano-crystals dimension, the total relative composition of the coating, and the substrate type, opening the possibility of tailoring the dimension, composition, antimicrobial spectrum, and other physical/chemical properties of such multi-elemental systems. This work is expected to significantly spread the range of applications of NPs coatings, not only as an effective tool in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections but also in other technologically relevant fields like sensors or nano-/micro joining.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000398951000014 Publication Date 2017-03-20  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2166-532X ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.335 Times cited 21 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes We thank Urs Gfeller for the XRF measurements, Francesco Banfi for valuable discussions on the manuscript and Giulio Viano for his valuable support in the microbiological analysis. The authors acknowledge the financial support of Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore through D.2.2 and D.3.1 grants and from the European Union through the 7th Framework Program (FP7) under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (Reference No. 312483 ESTEEM2). REFERENCES Approved Most recent IF: 4.335  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:141723UA @ admin @ c:irua:141723 Serial 4479  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Wang, H.; Cuppens, J.; Biermans, E.; Bals, S.; Fernandez-Ballester, L.; Kvashnina, K.O.; Bras, W.; van Bael, M.J.; Temst, K.; Vantomme, A. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Tuning of the size and the lattice parameter of ion-beam synthesized Pb nanoparticles embedded in Si Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication Journal of physics: D: applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Phys D Appl Phys  
  Volume 45 Issue 3 Pages (down) 035301-035301,7  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The size and lattice constant evolution of Pb nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by high fluence implantation in crystalline Si have been studied with a variety of experimental techniques. Results obtained from small-angle x-ray scattering showed that the Pb NPs grow with increasing implantation fluence and annealing duration. The theory of NP growth kinetics can be applied to qualitatively explain the size evolution of the Pb NPs during the implantation and annealing processes. Moreover, the lattice constant of the Pb NPs was evaluated by conventional x-ray diffraction. The lattice dilatation was observed to decrease with increasing size of the Pb NPs. Such lattice constant tuning can be attributed to the pseudomorphism caused by the lattice mismatch between the Pb NPs and the Si matrix.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication London Editor  
  Language Wos 000299308400008 Publication Date 2011-12-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0022-3727;1361-6463; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.588 Times cited 5 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo; Iap Approved Most recent IF: 2.588; 2012 IF: 2.528  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:94208 Serial 3754  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Prabhakara, V.; Nuytten, T.; Bender, H.; Vandervorst, W.; Bals, S.; Verbeeck, J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Linearized radially polarized light for improved precision in strain measurements using micro-Raman spectroscopy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Optics Express Abbreviated Journal Opt Express  
  Volume 29 Issue 21 Pages (down) 34531  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Strain engineering in semiconductor transistor devices has become vital in the semiconductor industry due to the ever-increasing need for performance enhancement at the nanoscale. Raman spectroscopy is a non-invasive measurement technique with high sensitivity to mechanical stress that does not require any special sample preparation procedures in comparison to characterization involving transmission electron microscopy (TEM), making it suitable for inline strain measurement in the semiconductor industry. Indeed, at present, strain measurements using Raman spectroscopy are already routinely carried out in semiconductor devices as it is cost effective, fast and non-destructive. In this paper we explore the usage of linearized radially polarized light as an excitation source, which does provide significantly enhanced accuracy and precision as compared to linearly polarized light for this application. Numerical simulations are done to quantitatively evaluate the electric field intensities that contribute to this enhanced sensitivity. We benchmark the experimental results against TEM diffraction-based techniques like nano-beam diffraction and Bessel diffraction. Differences between both approaches are assigned to strain relaxation due to sample thinning required in TEM setups, demonstrating the benefit of Raman for nondestructive inline testing.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000708940500144 Publication Date 2021-10-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1094-4087 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.307 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, 823717 – ESTEEM3 ; GOA project, “Solarpaint” ; Herculesstichting;; esteem3jra; esteem3reported; Approved Most recent IF: 3.307  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:182472 Serial 6816  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ben Dkhil, S.; Perkhun, P.; Luo, C.; Mueller, D.; Alkarsifi, R.; Barulina, E.; Quiroz, Y.A.A.; Margeat, O.; Dubas, S.T.; Koganezawa, T.; Kuzuhara, D.; Yoshimoto, N.; Caddeo, C.; Mattoni, A.; Zimmermann, B.; Wuerfel, U.; Pfannmöller, M.; Bals, S.; Ackermann, J.; Videlot-Ackermann, C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Direct correlation of nanoscale morphology and device performance to study photocurrent generation in donor-enriched phases of polymer solar cells Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Applied Materials & Interfaces Abbreviated Journal Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 12 Issue 25 Pages (down) 28404-28415  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The nanoscale morphology of polymer blends is a key parameter to reach high efficiency in bulk heterojunction solar cells. Thereby, research typically focusing on optimal blend morphologies while studying nonoptimized blends may give insight into blend designs that can prove more robust against morphology defects. Here, we focus on the direct correlation of morphology and device performance of thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-alt-benzodithiophene (PTB7):[6,6]phenyl C-71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) bulk heterojunction (BHJ) blends processed without additives in different donor/acceptor weight ratios. We show that while blends of a 1:1.5 ratio are composed of large donor-enriched and fullerene domains beyond the exciton diffusion length, reducing the ratio below 1:0.5 leads to blends composed purely of polymer-enriched domains. Importantly, the photocurrent density in such blends can reach values between 45 and 60% of those reached for fully optimized blends using additives. We provide here direct visual evidence that fullerenes in the donor-enriched domains are not distributed homogeneously but fluctuate locally. To this end, we performed compositional nanoscale morphology analysis of the blend using spectroscopic imaging of low-energy-loss electrons using a transmission electron microscope. Charge transport measurement in combination with molecular dynamics simulations shows that the fullerene substructures inside the polymer phase generate efficient electron transport in the polymer-enriched phase. Furthermore, we show that the formation of densely packed regions of fullerene inside the polymer phase is driven by the PTB7:PC71BM enthalpy of mixing. The occurrence of such a nanoscale network of fullerene clusters leads to a reduction of electron trap states and thus efficient extraction of photocurrent inside the polymer domain. Suitable tuning of the polymer-acceptor interaction can thus introduce acceptor subnetworks in polymer-enriched phases, improving the tolerance for high-efficiency BHJ toward morphological defects such as donor-enriched domains exceeding the exciton diffusion length.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000543780900058 Publication Date 2020-06-01  
  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 9.5 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; J.A., O.M., and C.V.-A. acknowledge financial support by the French Fond Unique Interministeriel (FUI) under the project “SFUMATO” (Grant Number: F1110019V/ 201308815) as well as by the European Commission under the Project “SUNFLOWER” (FP7-ICT-2011-7, Grant Number: 287594). J.A., C.V.-A., and E.B. acknowledge the Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie (ANRT) and the Ministere de l'Enseignement Superieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation, awarded through the company Dracula Technologies (Valence, France), for framework of a CIFRE Ph.D. grant 2017/0529. J.A. and P.P. received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant agreement no. 713750. They further acknowledge support of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, A*MIDEX (no. ANR-11-IDEX-0001-02), and the Investissements d'Avenir project funded by the French Government, managed by the French National Research Agency (ANR). J.A. and Y.A.A.Q. acknowledge the French Research Agency for funding through the project NFA-15 (ANR-17-CE05-0020-01). N.Y. acknowledges that the synchrotron radiation experiments were performed at BL19B2 in SPring-8 with the approval of Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) (proposal nos. 2017B1629 and 2018B1791). S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128-REALNANO) and from FWO (G.0381.16N). M.P. gratefully acknowledges funding by the Ministerium fur Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Wurttemberg through the HEiKA materials research centre FunTECH-3D (MWK, 33-753-30-20/3/3) and the Large-Scale-Data-Facility (LSDF) sds@hd through grant INST 35/1314-1 FUGG. A.M. acknowledges Italian MIUR for funding through the project PON04a2 00490 M2M Netergit, PRACE, for awarding access to Marconi KNL at CINECA, Italy, through projects DECONVOLVES (2018184466) and PROVING-IL (2019204911). C.C. acknowledges the CINECA award under the ISCRA initiative for the availability of high-performance computing resources and support (project MITOMASC). ; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2020 IF: 7.504  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:170703 Serial 6484  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
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. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  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 (down) 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 EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147240UA @ admin @ c:irua:147240 Serial 4771  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Altantzis, T.; Wang, D.; Kadu, A.; van Blaaderen, A.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Optimized 3D Reconstruction of Large, Compact Assemblies of Metallic Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 125 Issue 47 Pages (down) 26240-26246  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract 3D characterization of assemblies of nanoparticles is of great importance to determine their structure-property connection. Such investigations become increasingly more challenging when the assemblies become larger and more compact. In this paper, we propose an optimized approach for electron tomography to minimize artefacts related to beam broadening in High Angle Annular Dark-Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy mode. These artefacts are typically present at one side of the reconstructed 3D data set for thick nanoparticle assemblies. To overcome this problem, we propose a procedure in which two tomographic tilt series of the same sample are acquired. After acquiring the first series, the sample is flipped over 180o, and a second tilt series is acquired. By merging the two reconstructions, blurring in the reconstructed volume is minimized. Next, this approach is combined with an advanced three-dimensional reconstruction algorithm yielding quantitative structural information. Here, the approach is applied to a thick and compact assembly of spherical Au nanoparticles, but the methodology can we used to investigate a broad range of samples.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000752810100031 Publication Date 2021-12-02  
  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 4 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (grant No. 815128−REALNANO to S.B.). T.A. acknowledges the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). D.W. and A.v.B. acknowledge partial financial support from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP-2007-2013)/ERC Advanced Grant Agreement 291667 HierarSACol. D.W. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (grant 894254 SuprAtom).; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:185224 Serial 6904  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kerkhofs, S.; Leroux, F.; Allouche, L.; Mellaerts, R.; Jammaer, J.; Aerts, A.; Kirschhock, C.E.A.; Magusin, P.C.M.M.; Taulelle, F.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Martens, J.A.; url  doi
openurl 
  Title Single-step alcohol-free synthesis of coreshell nanoparticles of \gamma-casein micelles and silica Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication RSC advances Abbreviated Journal Rsc Adv  
  Volume 4 Issue 49 Pages (down) 25650-25657  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A new, single-step protocol for wrapping individual nanosized β-casein micelles with silica is presented. This biomolecule-friendly synthesis proceeds at low protein concentration at almost neutral pH, and makes use of sodium silicate instead of the common silicon alkoxides. This way, formation of potentially protein-denaturizing alcohols can be avoided. The pH of the citrate-buffered synthesis medium is close to the isoelectric point of β-casein, which favours micelle formation. A limited amount of sodium silicate is added to the protein micelle suspension, to form a thin silica coating around the β-casein micelles. The size distribution of the resulting proteinsilica structures was characterized using DLS and SAXS, as well as 1H NMR DOSY with a dedicated pulsed-field gradient cryo-probehead to cope with the low protein concentration. The degree of silica-condensation was investigated by 29Si MAS NMR, and the nanostructure was revealed by advanced electron microscopy techniques such as ESEM and HAADF-STEM. As indicated by the combined characterization results, a silica shell of 2 nm is formed around individual β-casein micelles giving rise to separate protein coresilica shell nanoparticles of 17 nm diameter. This alcohol-free method at mild temperature and pH is potentially suited for packing protein molecules into bio-compatible silica nanocapsules for a variety of applications in biosensing, therapeutic protein delivery and biocatalysis.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000338434500025 Publication Date 2014-05-29  
  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 3 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fwo; 262348 Esmi; 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); Approved Most recent IF: 3.108; 2014 IF: 3.840  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:125382 Serial 3027  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Panzic, I.; Mandic, V.; Mangalam, J.; Rath, T.; Radovanovic-Peric, F.; Gaboardi, M.; De Coen, B.; Bals, S.; Schrenker, N. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title In-situ structural degradation study of quadruple-cation perovskite solar cells with nanostructured charge transfer layer Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Ceramics international Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 49 Issue 14b Pages (down) 24475-24486  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract We investigated the structural stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in n-i-p configuration comprising a rubidium-caesium-methylammonium-formamidinium (Rb-Cs-MA-FA) lead iodide/bromide perovskite absorber, interfaced with nanostructured ZnO-nanorod (NR) or mesostructured (MS) TiO2 electron transfer layers (ETL). An in-situ setup was established comprising synchrotron grazing incidence diffraction (GID) and Raman spectroscopy as a function of temperature under ambient and isothermal conditions; measurements of current-voltage (IV) characteristics and electron microscopic investigations were conducted discretely.The aging of the solar cells was performed at ambient conditions or at elevated temperatures directly in the in -situ measurement setup. The diffraction depth profiling results point to different degradation rates for different ETLs; moreover, electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, as well as energy dispersive spectroscopy clarified surface conditions in terms of the extent of the degradation. Scanning transmission electron microscopy of lamellas, derived by dual beam microscopy, revealed that the origin of the degradation lay in the ETL/ absorber interface. For the case of the nanostructured zincite, the perovskite absorber contained many voids, leading to the conclusion that the investigated quadruple perovskite absorber showed limited compatibility with ZnO NR ETL due to a higher number of defects. Morphological defects promoted the absorber degradation and nullified the advantages initially achieved by nanostructuring. The exchange of the ZnO NR ETL with MS TiO2 improved the stability parameters of the absorber layer.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001021057200001 Publication Date 2022-12-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0272-8842; 1873-3956 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 5.2 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work has been funded by the projects PZS-2019-02-1555 PV-WALL in Research Cooperability Program of the Croatian Science Foundation funded by the European Union from the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Efficient Human Resources 2014-2020 (perovskite solar cells) , UIP-2019-04-2367 SLIPPERY SLOPE of the Croatian Science Foundation (nanostructured titania and zincite constituents) , KK.01.2.1.02.0316 “ The development of the technical solution for energy saving using VIS -transparent or semi-transparent and IR-reflective thin-films” by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (characterisation of thin-films) , 20190571 and 20190516 at Elettra Synchrotron, ICM-2019-13220 in Ernst Mach program of the OeAD-GmbH, and E210900588 in the EUSMI program. The group of prof Gregor Trimmel of the ICTM, NAWI Graz, the beam- line scientists of the MCX beamline of the Elettra synchrotron, and FIB- STEM researchers of the Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, are gratefully acknowledged for collaboration and instrument access. The financial sustenance of the University of Zagreb is gratefully acknowledged. Approved Most recent IF: 5.2; 2023 IF: 2.986  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197806 Serial 8885  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Sanchez-Iglesias, A.; Jenkinson, K.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzan, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Kinetic regulation of the synthesis of pentatwinned gold nanorods below room temperature Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 125 Issue 43 Pages (down) 23937-23944  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The synthesis of gold nanorods requires the presence of symmetry-breaking and shape-directing additives, among which bromide ions and quaternary ammonium surfactants have been reported as essential. As a result, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has been selected as the most efficient surfactant to direct anisotropic growth. One of the difficulties arising from this selection is the low solubility of CTAB in water at room temperature, and therefore the seeded growth of gold nanorods is usually performed at 25 degrees C or above, which has restricted so far the analysis of kinetic effects derived from lower temperatures. We report a systematic study of the synthesis of gold nanorods from pentatwinned seeds using hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) as the principal surfactant and a low concentration of bromide as shape-directing agent. Under these conditions, the synthesis can be performed at temperatures as low as 8 degrees C, and the corresponding kinetic effects can be studied, resulting in temperature-controlled aspect ratio tunability.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000716453300038 Publication Date 2021-10-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes realnano; sygmaSB; This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under award NSF CHE-1808502 (P.C. and I.J.). This work made use of the EPIC facility of Northwestern University's NUANCE Center, which has received support from the SHyNE Resource (NSF ECCS-2025633), the IIN, and Northwestern's MRSEC program (NSF DMR-1720139). D.A E. and S.B. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC Consolidator Grants No. 815128 REALNANO and Grant Agreement No. 731019 EUSMI). Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:184104 Serial 6868  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Teunissen, J.L.; Braeckevelt, T.; Skvortsova, I.; Guo, J.; Pradhan, B.; Debroye, E.; Roeffaers, M.B.J.; Hofkens, J.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S.; Rogge, S.M.J.; Van Speybroeck, V. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Additivity of Atomic Strain Fields as a Tool to Strain-Engineering Phase-Stabilized CsPbI3Perovskites Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2023 Publication The Journal of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J. Phys. Chem. C  
  Volume 127 Issue 48 Pages (down) 23400-23411  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ;  
  Abstract CsPbI3 is a promising perovskite material for photovoltaic applications in its photoactive perovskite or black phase. However, the material degrades to a photovoltaically inactive or yellow phase at room temperature. Various mitigation strategies are currently being developed to increase the lifetime of the black phase, many of which rely on inducing strains in the material that hinder the black-to-yellow phase transition. Physical insight into how these strategies exactly induce strain as well as knowledge of the spatial extent over which these strains impact the material is crucial to optimize these approaches but is still lacking. Herein, we combine machine learning potential-based molecular dynamics simulations with our in silico strain engineering approach to accurately quantify strained large-scale atomic structures on a nanosecond time scale. To this end, we first model the strain fields introduced by atomic substitutions as they form the most elementary strain sources. We demonstrate that the magnitude of the induced strain fields decays exponentially with the distance from the strain source, following a decay rate that is largely independent of the specific substitution. Second, we show that the total strain field induced by multiple strain sources can be predicted to an excellent approximation by summing the strain fields of each individual source. Finally, through a case study, we illustrate how this additive character allows us to explain how complex strain fields, induced by spatially extended strain sources, can be predicted by adequately combining the strain fields caused by local strain sources. Hence, the strain additivity proposed here can be adopted to further our insight into the complex strain behavior in perovskites and to design strain from the atomic level onward to enhance their sought-after phase stability.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001116862000001 Publication Date 2023-12-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 3.7 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by iBOF-21-085 PERsist (Special Research Fund of Ghent University, KU Leuven Research Fund, and the Research Fund of the University of Antwerp). S.M.J.R., T.B., and B.P. acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO) through two postdoctoral fellow- ships [grant nos. 12T3522N (S.M.J.R.) and 1275521N (B.P.)] and an SB-FWO fellowship [grant no. 1SC1319 (T.B.)]. E.D., M.B.J.R., and J.H. acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO, grant nos. G.0B39.15, G.0B49.15, G098319N, S002019N, S004322N, and ZW15_09- GOH6316). J.H. acknowledges support from the Flemish government through long-term structural funding Methusalem (CASAS2, Meth/15/04) and the MPI as an MPI fellow. S.V.A. and S.B. acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO, grant no. G0A7723N). S.M.J.R. and V.V.S. acknowledge funding from the Research Board of Ghent University (BOF). 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.; KU Leuven, iBOF-21-085 PERsist ; Universiteit Antwerpen, iBOF-21-085 PERsist ; Universiteit Gent, iBOF-21-085 PERsist ; Vlaamse regering, CASAS2, Meth/15/04 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0B39.15 G098319N G.0B49.15 1SC1319 12T3522N ZW15 09-GOH6316 G0A7723N 1275521N S004322N S002019N ; Approved Most recent IF: 3.7; 2023 IF: 4.536  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:202124 Serial 8985  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Cherigui, E.A.M.; Şentosun, K.; Mamme, M.H.; Lukaczynska, M.; Terryn, H.; Bals, S.; Ustarroz, J. url  doi
openurl 
  Title On the control and effect of water content during the electrodeposition of Ni nanostructures from deep eutectic solvents 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 122 Pages (down) 23129-23142  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The electrodeposition of nickel nanostructures on glassy carbon was investigated in 1:2 choline chloride urea deep eutectic solvent (DES) containing different amounts of water. By combining electrochemical techniques, with ex situ field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, the effect of water content on the electrochemical processes occurring during nickel deposition was better understood. At highly negative potentials and depending on water content, Ni growth is halted due to water splitting and formation of a mixed layer of Ni/NiOx(OH)(2(1-x)(ads)). Moreover, under certain conditions, the DES components can also be (electro)chemically reduced at the electrode surface, blocking further three-dimensional growth of the Ni NPs. Hence, a two-dimensional crystalline Ni-containing network can be formed in the interparticle region.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000447471700038 Publication Date 2018-09-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 27 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; E.A.M.C. and M.H.M. acknowledge funding from the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek in Flanders (FWO, research project G019014N). S.B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. COLOURATOMS 335078). Finally, J.U. acknowledges funding from the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek in Flanders (FWO, postdoctoral grant 12I7816N). ; ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:154731 Serial 5121  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Serrano-Sevillano, J.; Reynaud, M.; Saracibar, A.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; van Tendeloo, G.; Casas-Cabanas, M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Enhanced electrochemical performance of Li-rich cathode materials through microstructural control Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Physical chemistry, chemical physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Chem Chem Phys  
  Volume 20 Issue 20 Pages (down) 23112-23122  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The microstructural complexity of Li-rich cathode materials has so far hampered understanding the critical link between size, morphology and structural defects with both capacity and voltage fadings that this family of materials exhibits. Li2MnO3 is used here as a model material to extract reliable structure–property

relationships that can be further exploited for the development of high-performing and long-lasting Li-rich oxides. A series of samples with microstructural variability have been prepared and thoroughly characterized using the FAULTS software, which allows quantification of planar defects and extraction of

average crystallite sizes. Together with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and density functional theory (DFT) results, the successful application of FAULTS analysis to Li2MnO3 has allowed rationalizing the synthesis conditions and identifying the individual impact of concurrent microstructural features on

both voltage and capacity fadings, a necessary step for the development of high-capacity Li-ion cathode materials with enhanced cycle life.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000445220500071 Publication Date 2018-08-24  
  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 36 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de la Economı´a y de la Competitividad through the project IONSTORE (MINECO ref. ENE2016-81020-R). The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme under Grant Agreement 312483 – ESTEEM2 (Integrated Infrastructure Initiative-I3). JSS and AS are grateful for computing time provided by the Spanish i2Basque Centers. MR acknowledges the Spanish State for its financial support through her post-doctoral grant Juan de la Cierva – Formacio´n (MINECO ref. FJCI-2014-19990) and her international mobility grant Jose´ Castillejos (MECD ref. CAS15/00354). S. B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC starting grant #335078 Colouratom) and T. A. a postdoctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.123  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:154782UA @ admin @ c:irua:154782 Serial 5062  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vanrompay, H.; Bladt, E.; Albrecht, W.; Béché, A.; Zakhozheva, M.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Bals, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title 3D characterization of heat-induced morphological changes of Au nanostars by fast in situ electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages (down) 22792-22801  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A thorough understanding of the thermal stability and potential reshaping of anisotropic gold nanostars is required for various potential applications. Combination of a tomographic heating holder with fast tilt series acquisition has been used to monitor temperature-induced morphological changes of Au nanostars. The outcome of our 3D investigations can be used as an input for boundary element method simulations, enabling us to investigate the influence of reshaping on the nanostars’ plasmonic properties. Our work leads to a better understanding of the mechanism behind thermal reshaping. In addition, the approach presented here is generic and can hence be applied to a wide variety of nanoparticles made of different materials and with arbitrary morphology.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000453248100010 Publication Date 2018-11-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 55 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes H.V. acknowledges financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant 1S32617N). E.B. acknowledges a post-doctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). W.A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020. The authors acknowledge funding from European Commission Grant (EUSMI 731019 to S.B., L.M.L.-M. and M.Z. and MUMMERING 765604 to S.B. and M.Z.). S.B. acknowledges financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078- COLOURATOMS).; Ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:155718UA @ admin @ c:irua:155718 Serial 5071  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Benetti, G.; Caddeo, C.; Melis, C.; Ferrini, G.; Giannetti, C.; Winckelmans, N.; Bals, S.; J Van Bael, M.; Cavaliere, E.; Gavioli, L.; Banfi, F. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Bottom-Up Mechanical Nanometrology of Granular Ag Nanoparticles Thin Films 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 (down) 22434-22441  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Ultrathin metal nanoparticles coatings, synthesized by gas-phase deposition, are emerging as go-to materials in a variety of fields ranging from pathogens control, sensing to energy storage. Predicting their morphology and mechanical properties beyond a trial-and-error approach is a crucial issue limiting their exploitation in real-life applications. The morphology and mechanical properties of Ag nanoparticles ultrathin films, synthesized by supersonic cluster beam deposition, are here assessed adopting a bottom-up, multi-technique approach. A virtual film model is proposed merging high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, supersonic cluster beam dynamics and molecular dynamics simulations. The model is validated against mechanical nanometrology measurements and is readily extendable to metals other than Ag. The virtual film is shown to be a flexible and reliable predictive tool to access morphology-dependent properties such as mesoscale gas-dynamics and elasticity of ultrathin films synthesized by gas-phase deposition.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000413131700072 Publication Date 2017-09-11  
  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 30 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; All authors thank Prof. Dr. Luciano Colombo for enlightening discussions. C.C. and F.B. acknowledge financial support from the MIUR Futuro in ricerca 2013 Grant in the frame of the ULTRANANO Project (Project No. RBFR13NEA4). F.B., G.F., and C.G. acknowledge support from Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore through D.2.2 and D.3.1 grants. F.B. acknowledges financial support from Fondazione E.U.L.O. The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Union through the seventh Framework Program (FP7) under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (Reference No. 312483 ESTEEM2). ; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:145828UA @ admin @ c:irua:145828 Serial 4706  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kurttepeli, M.; Deng, S.; Verbruggen, S.W.; Guzzinati, G.; Cott, D.J.; Lenaerts, S.; Verbeeck, J.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Detavernier, C.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Synthesis and characterization of photoreactive TiO2carbon nanosheet composites Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 118 Issue 36 Pages (down) 21031-21037  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract We report the atomic layer deposition of titanium dioxide on carbon nanosheet templates and investigate the effects of postdeposition annealing in a helium environment using different characterization techniques. The crystallization of the titanium dioxide coating upon annealing is observed using in situ X-ray diffraction. The (micro)structural characterization of the films is carried out by scanning electron microscopy and advanced transmission electron microscopy techniques. Our study shows that the annealing of the atomic layer deposition processed and carbon nanosheets templated titanium dioxide layers in helium environment resulting in the formation of a porous, nanocrystalline and photocatalytically active titanium dioxide-carbon nanosheet composite film. Such composites are suitable for photocatalysis and dye-sensitized solar cells applications.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000341619500034 Publication Date 2014-08-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 9 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This research was funded by the Flemish research foundation FWO-Vlaanderen, by the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. 239865) and by the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (GOA-01G01513). G.G, M.K., J.V., S.B., and G.V.T. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the seventh Framework Program (FP7), ERC Starting Grant No. 278510 VORTEX and No. 335078 COLOURATOMS. ECASJO;; ECASSara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2014 IF: 4.772  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:119085 Serial 3416  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Serrano-Montes, A.B.; Langer, J.; Henriksen-Lacey, M.; Jimenez de Aberasturi, D.; Solís, D.M.; Taboada, J.M.; Obelleiro, F.; Sentosun, K.; Bals, S.; Bekdemir, A.; Stellacci, F.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Gold Nanostar-Coated Polystyrene Beads as Multifunctional Nanoprobes for SERS Bioimaging Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 120 Issue 120 Pages (down) 20860-20868  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Hybrid colloidal nanocomposites comprising polystyrene beads and plasmonic gold nanostars are reported as multifunctional optical nanoprobes. Such self-assembled structures are excellent Raman enhancers for bio-applications as they feature plasmon modes in the near infrared “first biological transparency window”. In this proof of concept study, we used 4- mercaptobenzoic acid as a Raman-active molecule to optimize the density of gold nanostars on polystyrene beads, improving SERS performance and thereby allowing in vitro cell culture imaging. Interestingly, intermediate gold nanostar loadings were found to yield higher SERS response, which was confirmed by electromagnetic modeling. These engineered hybrid nanostructures notably improve the possibilities of using gold nanostars as SERS tags. Additionally, when fluorescently labeled polystyrene bead are used as colloidal carriers, the composite particles can be applied as promising tools for multimodal bioimaging.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000384034600045 Publication Date 2016-05-22  
  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 64 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Funding is acknowledged from the European Commission (Grant #310445-2 SAVVY), the European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant #267867 Plasmaquo, and ERC Starting Grant #335078 Colouratom) and the Spanish MINECO (Project MAT2013-46101-R). We thank IKERLAT Polymers for the non-fluorescent PS beads and Prof. Juan Mareque, Prof. Soledad Penades and Dr. Sergio Moya (CIC biomagune) for borrowing various cell lines. D.M.S., J.M.T, and F.O. acknowledge funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Spanish MINECO (Projects MAT2014-58201-C2-1-R, MAT2014- 58201-C2-2-R), from the ERDF and the Galician Regional Government under agreement for funding the Atlantic Research Center for Information and Communication Technologies (AtlantTIC), and from the ERDF and the Extremadura Regional Government (Junta de Extremadura) under Project IB13185. (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); ; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number c:irua:133952 Serial 4082  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yao, Y.; Ugras, T.J.; Meyer, T.; Dykes, M.; Wang, D.; Arbe, A.; Bals, S.; Kahr, B.; Robinson, R.D. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Extracting pure circular dichroism from hierarchically structured CdS magic cluster films Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 16 Issue 12 Pages (down) 20457-20469  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Chiroptically active, hierarchically structured materials are difficult to accurately characterize due to linear anisotropic contributions (i.e., linear dichroism (LD) and linear birefringence (LB)) and parasitic ellipticities that produce artifactual circular dichroism (CD) signals, in addition to chiral analyte contributions ranging from molecular-scale clusters to micron-sized assemblies. Recently, we have shown that CdS magic-sized clusters (MSC) can self-assemble into ordered films that have a hierarchical structure spanning seven orders of length-scale. These films have a strong CD response, but the chiral origins are obfuscated by the hierarchical architecture and LDLB contributions. Here, we derive and demonstrate a method for extracting the “pure” CD signal (CD generated by structural dissymmetry) from hierarchical MSC films and identified the chiral origin. The theory behind the method is derived using Mueller matrix and Stokes vector conventions and verified experimentally before being applied to hierarchical MSC and nanoparticle films with varying macroscopic orderings. Each film's extracted “true CD” shares a bisignate profile aligned with the exciton peak, indicating the assemblies adopt a chiral arrangement and form an exciton coupled system. Interestingly, the linearly aligned MSC film possesses one of the highest g-factors (0.05) among semiconducting nanostructures reported. Additionally, we find that films with similar electronic transition dipole alignment can possess greatly different g-factors, indicating chirality change rather than anisotropy is the cause of the difference in the CD signal. The difference in g-factor is controllable via film evaporation geometry. This study provides a simple means to measure “true” CD and presents an example of experimentally understanding chiroptic interactions in hierarchical nanostructures.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000888219600001 Publication Date 2022-11-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 17.1 Times cited 8 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Award Nos. DMR-2003431 and CHE-2003586. This work made use of the Cornell Center for Materials Research Shared Facilities, which are supported through the NSF MRSEC program (DMR-1719875). This work is partly supported by Grant PID2021-123438NB-I00 (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF vA way of making Europe”) and Grant IT1566-22 (Eusko Jaurlaritza). D.W. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in the Horizon 2020 program (Grant 894254 SuprAtom). S.B. acknowledges financial support from ERC Consolidator Grant No. 815128 REALNANO. B.K. acknowledges NSF award DMR-2003968. We would like to thank Dr. Mark August Pfeifer for help with circular dichroism measurements. Additionally, we would like to thank Professor Luis M. Liz-Marzan for invaluable discussions on chirality. Approved Most recent IF: 17.1  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:192070 Serial 7305  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Renero-Lecuna, C.; Herrero, A.; Jimenez de Aberasturi, D.; Martínez-Flórez, M.; Valiente, R.; Mychinko, M.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Nd3+-Doped Lanthanum Oxychloride Nanocrystals as Nanothermometers Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 125 Issue 36 Pages (down) 19887-19896  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The development of optical nanothermometers operating in the near-infrared (NIR) is of high relevance toward temperature measurements in biological systems. We propose herein the use of Nd3+-doped lanthanum oxychloride nanocrystals as an efficient system with intense photoluminescence under NIR irradiation in the first biological transparency window and emission in the second biological window with excellent emission stability over time under 808 nm excitation, regardless of Nd3+ concentration, which can be considered as a particular strength of our system. Additionally, surface passivation through overgrowth of an inert LaOCl shell around optically active LaOCl/Nd3+ cores was found to further enhance the photoluminescence intensity and also the lifetime of the 1066 nm, 4F3/2 to 4I11/2 transition, without affecting its (ratiometric) sensitivity toward temperature changes. As required for biological applications, we show that the obtained (initially hydrophobic) nanocrystals can be readily transferred into aqueous solvents with high, long-term stability, through either ligand exchange or encapsulation with an amphiphilic polymer.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000697335100031 Publication Date 2021-09-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 9 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors thank the financial support of the European Research Council (ERC-AdG-2017 787510, ERC-CoG-2019 815128) and of the European Commission (EUSMI, Grant 731019). This work was performed under the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency−Grant MDM-2017−0720. Realnano; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:181671 Serial 6831  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author dela Encarnacion, C.; Lenzi, E.; Henriksen-Lacey, M.; Molina, B.; Jenkinson, K.; Herrero, A.; Colas, L.; Ramos-Cabrer, P.; Toro-Mendoza, J.; Orue, I.; Langer, J.; Bals, S.; Jimenez de Aberasturi, D.; Liz-Marzan, L.M. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Hybrid magnetic-plasmonic nanoparticle probes for multimodal bioimaging Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 126 Issue 45 Pages (down) 19519-19531  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Multimodal contrast agents, which take advantage of different imaging modalities, have emerged as an interesting approach to overcome the technical limitations of individual techniques. We developed hybrid nanoparticles comprising an iron oxide core and an outer gold spiky layer, stabilized by a biocompatible polymeric shell. The combined magnetic and optical properties of the different components provide the required functionalities for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and fluorescence imaging. The fabrication of such hybrid nanoprobes comprised the adsorption of small gold nanoparticles onto premade iron oxide cores, followed by controlled growth of spiky gold shells. The gold layer thickness and branching degree (tip sharpness) can be controlled by modifying both the density of Au nanoparticle seeds on the iron oxide cores and the subsequent nanostar growth conditions. We additionally demonstrated the performance of these hybrid multifunctional nanoparticles as multimodal contrast agents for correlative imaging of in vitro cell models and ex vivo tissues.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000883021700001 Publication Date 2022-11-04  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.7 Times cited 10 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC-AdG-2017, 787510) and MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 through grants PID2019-108854RA-I00 and Maria de Maeztu Unit of Excellence No. MDM-2017-0720. S.B. and K.J. acknowledge financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020Programme by Grant No. 823717 (ESTEEM3) and ERC Consolidator Grant No. 815128 (REALNANO) . Approved Most recent IF: 3.7  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:192104 Serial 7311  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zhuo, X.; Mychinko, M.; Heyvaert, W.; Larios, D.; Obelleiro-Liz, M.; Taboada, J.M.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Morphological and Optical Transitions during Micelle-Seeded Chiral Growth on Gold Nanorods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume Issue Pages (down)  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Chiral plasmonics is a rapidly developing field where breakthroughs and unsolved problems coexist. We have recently reported binary surfactant-assisted seeded growth of chiral gold nanorods (Au NRs) with high chiroptical activity. Such a seeded-growth process involves the use of a chiral cosurfactant that induces micellar helicity, in turn driving the transition from achiral to chiral Au NRs, from both the morphological and the optical points of view. We report herein a detailed study on both transitions, which reveals intermediate states that were hidden so far. The correlation between structure and optical response is carefully analyzed, including the (linear and CD) spectral evolution over time, electron tomography, the impact of NR dimensions on their optical response, the variation of the absorption-to-scattering ratio during the evolution from achiral to chiral Au NRs, and the near-field enhancement related to chiral plasmon modes. Our findings provide further understanding of the growth process of chiral Au NRs and the associated optical changes, which will facilitate further study and applications of chiral nanomaterials.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000878324400001 Publication Date 2022-10-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 17.1 Times cited 17 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC-AdG-4DbioSERS-787510 to L.M.L.-M. and ERC-CoG-REALNANO-815128 to S.B.) and the MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (Grant PID2020-117779RB-I00). X.Z. acknowledges funding from the Juan de la Cierva fellowship (FJC2018-036104-I) and the University Development Fund (UDF01002665, CUHK-Shenzhen). D.L., M.O.-L., and J.M.T. acknowledge funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, under Projects PID2020-116627RB-C21 and PID2020-116627RB-C22, as well as from the ERDF/Galician Regional Government as part of the agreement for funding the Atlantic Research Center for Information and Communication Technologies (atlanTTic) and ERDF/Extremadura Regional Government under Projects IB18073 and GR18055. This work was performed in the framework of the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency (Grant No. MDM-2017-0720). The authors acknowledge Dr. Guillermo González-Rubio for providing suggestions for synthesis and Dr. Irantzu Llarena for assisting with the CD measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 17.1  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:191815 Serial 7116  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Pulinthanathu Sree, S.; Dendooven, J.; Geerts, L.; Ramachandran, R.K.; Javon, E.; Ceyssens, F.; Breynaert, E.; Kirschhock, C.E.A.; Puers, R.; Altantzis, T.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Bals, S.; Detavernier, C.; Martens, J.A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title 3D porous nanostructured platinum prepared using atomic layer deposition Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Journal of materials chemistry A : materials for energy and sustainability Abbreviated Journal J Mater Chem A  
  Volume 5 Issue 5 Pages (down) 19007-19016  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A robust and easy to handle 3D porous platinum structure was created via replicating the 3D channel system

of an ordered mesoporous silica material using atomic layer deposition (ALD) over micrometer distances.

After ALD of Pt in the silica material, the host template was digested using hydrogen fluoride (HF). A fully

connected ordered Pt nanostructure was obtained with morphology and sizes corresponding to that of

the pores of the host matrix, as revealed with high-resolution scanning transmission electron

microscopy and electron tomography. The Pt nanostructure consisted of hexagonal Pt rods originating

from the straight mesopores (11 nm) of the host structure and linking features resulting from Pt

replication of the interconnecting mesopore segments (2–4 nm) present in the silica host structure.

Electron tomography of partial replicas, made by incomplete infilling of Zeotile-4 material with Pt,

provided insight in the connectivity and formation mechanism of the Pt nanostructure by ALD. The Pt

replica was evaluated for its potential use as electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction, one of

the half-reactions of water electrolysis, and as microelectrode for biomedical sensing. The Pt replica

showed high activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction and electrochemical characterization revealed

a large impedance improvement in comparison with reference Pt electrodes.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000411232100010 Publication Date 2017-06-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2050-7488 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.867 Times cited 9 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the Flemish government through long-term structural funding (Methusalem) to JAM and FWO for a research project (G0A5417N). JD, TA and FC acknowledge Flemish FWO for a post-doctoral fellowship. S. B. acknowledges funding from ERC Starting Grant COLOURATOMS (335078). (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 8.867  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:144624 c:irua:144624 c:irua:144624UA @ admin @ c:irua:144624 Serial 4634  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Parzyszek, S.; Tessarolo, J.; Pedrazo-Tardajos, A.; Ortuno, A.M.; Baginski, M.; Bals, S.; Clever, G.H.; Lewandowski, W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Tunable circularly polarized luminescence via chirality induction and energy transfer from organic films to semiconductor nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 16 Issue 11 Pages (down) 18472-18482  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Circularly polarized luminescent (CPL) films with high dissymmetry factors hold great potential for optoelectronic applications. Herei n , we propose a strategy for achieving strongly dissymetric CPL in nanocomposite films based on chira l i t y induction and energy transfer to semiconductor nanocrystals. First, focusing on a purely organic system, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and CPL activity of organic liquid crystals (LCs) forming helical nanofilaments was detected, featuring green emission with high dissymmetry factors g(lum) similar to 10(-2). The handedness of helical filaments, and thus the sign of CPL, was controlled via minute amounts of a small chiral organic dopant. Second, nanocomposite films were fabricated by incorporating InP/ZnS semi-conductor quantum dots (QDs) into the LC matri x , which induced the chiral assembly of QDs and endowed them with chiroptical properties. Due to the spectral matching of the components, energy transfer (ET) from LC to QDs was possible enabling a convenient way of tuning CPL wavelengths by varying the LC/QD ratio. As obtained, composite films exhibited absolute glum values up to similar to 10(-2) and thermally on/off switchable luminescence. Overall, we demonstrate the induction of chiroptical properties by the assembly of nonchiral building QDs on the chiral organic template and energy transfer from organic films to QDs, representing a simple and versatile approach to tune the CPL activity of organic materials.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000883943600001 Publication Date 2022-11-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 17.1 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes W.L., S.P., and M.B. acknowledge support from the National Science Center Poland under the OPUS Grant UMO-2019/35/B/ST5/04488. J.T. and G.H.C. acknowledge the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy, Grant EXC 2033-390677874-RESOLV. W.L. acknowledges financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme by Grant E210400529. S.B. and A.P.-T. acknowledge financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme by Grant 731019 (EUSMI) and ERC Consolidator Grant 815128 (REALNANO). We thank Elie Benchimol for his help with the CPL measurements. We thank Damian Pociecha for his help in the determination of phase sequences of organic compounds. Approved Most recent IF: 17.1  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:192101 Serial 7345  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Locardi, F.; Samoli, M.; Martinelli, A.; Erdem, O.; Vale Magalhaes, D.; Bals, S.; Hens, Z. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Cyan emission in two-dimensional colloidal Cs2CdCl4:SB3+ Ruddlesden-Popper phase nanoplatelets Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Acs Nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 15 Issue 11 Pages (down) 17729-17737  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Metal halide perovskites are one of the most investigated materials in optoelectronics, with their lead-based counterparts being renowned for their enhanced optoelectronic performance. The 3D CsPbX3 structure has set the standard with many studies currently attempting to substitute lead with other metals while retaining the properties of this material. This effort has led to the fabrication of metal halides with lower dimensionality, wherein particular 2D layered perovskite structures have captured attention as inspiration for the next generation of colloidal semiconductors. Here we report the synthesis of the Ruddlesden-Popper Cs2CdCl4:Sb3+ phase as colloidal nanoplatelets (NPs) using a facile hot injection approach under atmospheric conditions. Through strict adjustment of the synthesis parameters with emphasis on the ligand ratio, we obtained NPs with a relatively uniform size and good morphological control. The particles were characterized through transmission electron microscopy, synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and pair distribution function analysis. The spectroscopic characterization revealed most strikingly an intense cyan emission under UV excitation with a measured PLQY of similar to 20%. The emission was attributed to the Sb3+-doping within the structure.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000747115200053 Publication Date 0000-00-00  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 34 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility for provision of synchrotron radiation facilities and they would like to thank Andrew Fitch for assistance in using beamline ID22 (proposal HC-4098). Z.H. and S.B acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation − Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen under the SBO − PROCEED project (No: S0002019N). Z.H. acknowledges Ghent University for funding (BOF-GOA 01G01019). S.B. is grateful to the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128, REALNANO). F.L. thanks Emanuela Sartori and Stefano Toso for the fruitful discussions. M.S. would like to thank Olivier Janssens for collecting XRPD data and Gabriele Pippia for helpful insights and discussions. Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:186465 Serial 7059  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Beckwee, E.J.; Watson, G.; Houlleberghs, M.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Bals, S.; Van Der Voort, P.; Breynaert, E.; Martens, J.; Baron, G.V.; Denayer, J.F.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Enabling hydrate-based methane storage under mild operating conditions by periodic mesoporous organosilica nanotubes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Heliyon Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 9 Issue 7 Pages (down) e17662-14  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Biomethane is a renewable natural gas substitute produced from biogas. Storage of this sustainable energy vector in confined clathrate hydrates, encapsulated in the pores of a host material, is a highly promising avenue to improve storage capacity and energy efficiency. Herein, a new type of periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) nanotubes, referred to as hollow ring PMO (HR-PMO), capable of promoting methane clathrate hydrate formation under mild working conditions (273 K, 3.5 MPa) and at high water loading (5.1 g water/g HR-PMO) is reported. Gravimetric uptake measurements reveal a steep single-stepped isotherm and a noticeably high methane storage capacity (0.55 g methane/g HR-PMO; 0.11 g methane/g water at 3.5 MPa). The large working capacity throughout consecutive pressure-induced clathrate hydrate formationdissociation cycles demonstrates the material's excellent recyclability (97% preservation of capacity). Supported by ex situ cryo-electron tomography and x-ray diffraction, HR-PMO nanotubes are hypothesized to promote clathrate hydrate nucleation and growth by distribution and confinement of water in the mesopores of their outer wall, along the central channels of the nanotubes and on the external nanotube surface. These findings showcase the potential for application of organosilica materials with hierarchical and interconnected pore systems for pressure-based storage of biomethane in confined clathrate hydrates.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001056264100001 Publication Date 2023-06-28  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2405-8440 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 4 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes E.J.B., G.W. and M.H. contributed equally to this work. M.H. acknowledges FWO for an FWO-SB fellowship. All authors acknowledge VLAIO for Moonshot funding (ARCLATH, n ? HBC.2019.0110, ARCLATH2, n ? HBC.2021.0254) . J.A.M. acknowledges the Flemish Government for long-term structural funding (Methusalem) and department EWI for infrastructure investment via the Hermes Fund (AH.2016.134) . NMRCoRe acknowledges the Flemish government, department EWI for financial support as International Research Infrastructure (I001321N: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Platform for Molecular Water Research) . J.A.M. acknowledges the European Research Council (ERC) for an Advanced Research Grant under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 834134 (WATUSO) . S.B acknowledges financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant G.0381.16N) . This project also received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 731019 (EUSMI) and No 815128 (REALNANO) . Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199249 Serial 8862  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Walters, A.A.; Santacana-Font, G.; Li, J.; Routabi, N.; Qin, Y.; Claes, N.; Bals, S.; Tzu-Wen Wang, J.; Al-Jamal, K.T. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Nanoparticle-MediatedIn SituMolecular Reprogramming of Immune Checkpoint Interactions for Cancer Immunotherapy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Acs Nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 15 Issue 11 Pages (down) 17549-17564  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Pharmacology. Therapy; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Immune checkpoint blockade involves targeting immune

regulatory molecules with antibodies. Preclinically, complex multiantibody

regimes of both inhibitory and stimulatory targets are a promising

candidate for the next generation of immunotherapy. However, in this

setting, the antibody platform may be limited due to excessive toxicity

caused by off target effects as a result of systemic administration. RNA

can be used as an alternate to antibodies as it can both downregulate

immunosuppressive checkpoints (siRNA) or induce expression of

immunostimulatory checkpoints (mRNA). In this study, we demonstrate

that the combination of both siRNA and mRNA in a single

formulation can simultaneously knockdown and induce expression of

immune checkpoint targets, thereby reprogramming the tumor

microenvironment from immunosuppressive to immunostimulatory

phenotype. To achieve this, RNA constructs were synthesized and

formulated into stable nucleic acid lipid nanoparticles (SNALPs); the SNALPs produced were 140−150 nm in size with >80%

loading efficiency. SNALPs could transfect macrophages and B16F10 cells in vitro resulting in 75% knockdown of inhibitory

checkpoint (PDL1) expression and simultaneously express high levels of stimulatory checkpoint (OX40L) with minimal

toxicity. Intratumoral treatment with the proposed formulation resulted in statistically reduced tumor growth, a greater

density of CD4+ and CD8+ infiltrates in the tumor, and immune activation within tumor-draining lymph nodes. These data

suggest that a single RNA-based formulation can successfully reprogram multiple immune checkpoint interactions on a

cellular level. Such a candidate may be able to replace future immune checkpoint therapeutic regimes composed of both

stimulatory- and inhibitory-receptor-targeting antibodies.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000747115200039 Publication Date 2021-11-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes A.A.W. is the grateful recipient of a Maplethorpe Fellowship. K.A.J. acknowledges funding from the British Council (Newton Fund, 337313), Wellcome Trust (WT103913), and the Cancer Research UK King’s Health Partners Centre at King’s College London. Financial support is acknowledged from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme, by means of Grant Agreement No. 731019 (EUSMI). Images were drawn on BioRender.com. Approved Most recent IF: 13.942  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183950 Serial 6829  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Mooij, L.; Perkisas, T.; Palsson, G.; Schreuders, H.; Wolff, M.; Hjorvarsson, B.; Bals, S.; Dam, B. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title The effect of microstructure on the hydrogenation of Mg/Fe thin film multilayers Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication International journal of hydrogen energy Abbreviated Journal Int J Hydrogen Energ  
  Volume 39 Issue 30 Pages (down) 17092-17103  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Nanoconfined magnesium hydride can be simultaneously protected and thermodynamically destabilized when interfaced with materials such as Ti and Fe. We study the hydrogenation of thin layers of Mg (<14 nm) nanoconfined in one dimension within thin film Fe/Mg/Fe/Pd multilayers by the optical technique Hydrogenography. The hydrogenation of nanosized magnesium layers in Fe/Mg/Fe multilayers surprisingly shows the presence of multiple plateau pressures, whose nature is thickness dependent. In contrast, hydrogen desorption occurs via a single plateau which does not depend on the Mg layer thickness. From structural and morphological analyses with X-ray diffraction/reflectometry and cross-section TEM, we find that the Mg layer roughness is large when deposited on Fe and furthermore contains high-angle grain boundaries (GB's). When grown on Ti, the Mg layer roughness is low and no high-angle GB's are detected. From a Ti/Mg/Fe multilayer, in which the Mg layer is flat and has little or no GB's, we conclude that MgH2 is indeed destabilized by the interface with Fe. In this case, both the ab- and desorption plateau pressures are increased by a factor two compared to the hydrogenation of Mg within Ti/Mg/Ti multilayers. We hypothesize that the GB's in the Fe/Mg/Fe multilayer act as diffusion pathways for Pd, which is known to greatly alter the hydrogenation behavior of Mg when the two materials share an interface. Copyright (C) 2014, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Oxford Editor  
  Language Wos 000343839000031 Publication Date 2014-09-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0360-3199; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.582 Times cited 15 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes COST Action MP1103 Approved Most recent IF: 3.582; 2014 IF: 3.313  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:121175 Serial 3575  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vega-Paredes, M.; Aymerich-Armengol, R.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Marti-Sanchez, S.; Bals, S.; Scheu, C.; Manjon, A.G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Electrochemical stability of rhodium-platinum core-shell nanoparticles : an identical location scanning transmission electron microscopy study Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 17 Issue 17 Pages (down) 16943-16951  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Rhodium-platinum core-shell nanoparticleson a carbonsupport (Rh@Pt/C NPs) are promising candidates as anode catalystsfor polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. However, their electrochemicalstability needs to be further explored for successful applicationin commercial fuel cells. Here we employ identical location scanningtransmission electron microscopy to track the morphological and compositionalchanges of Rh@Pt/C NPs during potential cycling (10 000 cycles,0.06-0.8 V-RHE, 0.5 H2SO4)down to the atomic level, which are then used for understanding thecurrent evolution occurring during the potential cycles. Our resultsreveal a high stability of the Rh@Pt/C system and point toward particledetachment from the carbon support as the main degradation mechanism.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 001051495900001 Publication Date 2023-08-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 17.1 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors would like to thank C. Bodirsky for providing the samples, N. Rivas Rivas for his corrections on the manuscript, and D. Chatain for providing her expertise on the equilibrium shape of nanoparticles. Special thanks to B. Breitbach for performing the XRD experiments. A.G.M. acknowledges the Grant RYC2021-033479- I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and, as appropriate, by European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. Approved Most recent IF: 17.1; 2023 IF: 13.942  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199253 Serial 8859  
Permanent link to this record
Select All    Deselect All
 |   | 
Details
   print

Save Citations:
Export Records: