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Author Heyne, M.H.
Title Chemistry and plasma physics challenges for 2D materials technology Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2019 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 167 p.
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Transition-metal dichalcogenides such as MoS2 or WS2 are semiconducting materials with a layered structure. One single layer consists of a plane of metal atoms terminated on the top and bottom by the chalcogen atoms sulfur, selenium, or tellurium. These layers show strong in-plane covalent bonding, whereas the Van-der-Waals bonds in between adjacent layers are weak. Those weak bonds allow the microcleavage and extraction of a monolayer. Transistors built on such monolayer nanosheets are promising due to high electrostatic controllability in comparison to a bulk semiconductor. This is important for fast switching speed and low-power consumption in the OFF-state. Nonetheless, prototypes of such nanosheet transistors show non-idealities due to the fabrication process. Closed films on a large area cannot be obtained by mechanical exfoliation from mm-sized crystals. For wafer-level processing, synthetic growth methods are needed. It is a challenge to obtain a few layer thick crystals with large lateral grains or even without grain boundaries with synthetic growth techniques. This requires pre-conditioned monocrystalline substrates, high-temperature deposition, and polymer-assisted transfer to other target substrates after the growth. Such transfer is a source of cracks in the film and degrades the layers' promising properties by residual polymer from the bond material. Apart from transfer, patterning of the stacked 2D layers is necessary to build devices. The patterning of a 2D material itself or another material on top of it is challenging. The integration of the nanosheets into miniaturized devices cannot be done by conventional continuous-wave dry etching techniques due to the absence of etch stop layers and the vulnerability of these thin layers. To eliminate these issues in growth and integration, we explored the deposition methods on wafer-level and low-damage integration schemes. To this end, we studied the growth of MoS2 by a hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition for which metal layers were deposited and subsequently sulfurized in H2S to obtain large area 2D layers. The impact of sulfurization temperature, time, partial H2S pressure, and H2 addition on the stoichiometry, crystallinity, and roughness were explored. Furthermore, a selective low-temperature deposition and conversion process at 450 °C for WS2 by the precursors WF6, H2S, and Si was considered. Si was used as a reducing agent for WF6 to deposit thin W films and H2S sulfurized this film in situ. The impact of the reducing agent amount, its surface condition, the temperature window, and the necessary time for the conversion of Si into W and W into WS2 were studied. Further quality improvement strategies on the WS2 were implemented by using extra capping layers in combination with annealing. Capping layers such as Ni and Co for metal-induced crystallization were compared to dielectric capping layers. The impact of the metal capping layer and its thickness on the recrystallization was evaluated. The dielectric capping layer's property to suppress sulfur loss under high temperature was explored. The annealings, which were done by rapid thermal annealing and nanosecond laser annealing, were discussed. Eventually, the fabrication of a heterostack with a MoS2 base layer and selectively grown WS2 was studied. Atomic layer etching was identified as attractive technique to remove the solid precursor Si from MoS2 in a layer-by-layer fashion. The in-situ removal of native SiO2 and the impact towards MoS2 was determined. The created patterned Si on MoS2 was then converted into patterned WS2 on MoS2 by the selective WF6/H2S process developed earlier. This procedure offers an attractive, scalable way to enable the fabrication of 2D devices with CMOS-compatible processes and contributes essential progress in the field 2D materials technology.
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Language Wos Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:162027 Serial 7662
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Author Grubova, I.Y.
Title Density functional theory study of interface interactions in hydroxyapatite/rutile composites for biomedical applications Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2018 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 251 p.
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:158087 Serial 7760
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Author Shaw, P.
Title Dual action of reactive species as signal and stress agents in plasma medicine : combined computational and experimental research Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2021 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 191 p.
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Center for Oncological Research (CORE)
Abstract Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) generated by cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) can activate discrete signaling transduction pathways or disrupt redox cellular homeostasis, depending on their concentration. This makes that CAP possesses therapeutic potential towards wound healing, cancer, and other diseases. In order to effectively use CAP in the clinic, a clear understanding of the interaction of RONS with biomolecules (lipids, proteins and nucleic acids) from the atomic to the macro scale, and their biological significance, is needed. In this work, I have therefore studied the dual role of CAP-derived RONS, i.e., (i) in the signaling pathways involved in wound healing, and (ii) in their reaction with biomolecules to cause oxidation-mediated damage. I performed computer simulations to provide fundamental insight about the occurring processes that are difficult or even impossible to obtain experimentally. Furthermore, next to computational studies, I used both 2D and 3D tissue cultures. 3D model allows proliferation in a more physiologically relevant geometry that stimulates the production of extracellular matrix proteins. I investigated the treatment of human gingival fibroblasts with low doses of CAP-generated RONS. This treatment demonstrated that it can inhibit colony formation but does not induce cell death, induce the expression of metalloprotease proteins, induce extracellular matrix degradation, and promote cell migration, which could result in enhanced wound healing. In contrast, at high concentrations, RONS can disrupt the cell membrane integrity and induce cancer cell death through oxidative stress-mediated pathways. I discovered how oxidation of the cell membrane (lipid-peroxidation) can facilitate the access of a drug (Melittin) into cancer cells, and in this way, reduce the required therapeutic dose of Melittin in melanoma and breast cancer cells (demonstrated using in vitro, in ovo and in silico approaches). Furthermore, I studied how excessive lipid-oxidation in chemoresistant pancreatic cancer cells promotes ferroptotic cell death. This was due to the stimulation of the iron-dependent Fenton reaction by targeting a redox specific signaling network. However, upon oxidative stress, cells protect themselves via a sophisticated intracellular antioxidant system that involves the regulation of glutathione/glutathione peroxidase 4 (lipid repair enzyme). Cancer cells exhibited increased levels of intracellular RONS due to their hyper metabolism, leading to high expression of anti-oxidant systems. I therefore focus on the effect of reactive species on the intracellular anti-oxidant system and corresponding DNA damages in both temozolomide-sensitive as well as temozolomide-resistant glioblastoma spheroids, in a 3-dimensional tumor model with a more complex tumor microenvironment than cell monolayers.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:183751 Serial 7828
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Author Alexiades, V.; Autrique, D.
Title Enthalpy model for heating, melting, and vaporization in laser ablation Type A1 Journal article
Year 2010 Publication Electronic journal of differential equations Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 1-13
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Laser ablation is used in a growing number of applications in various areas including medicine, archaeology, chemistry, environmental and materials sciences. In this work the heat transfer and phase change phenomena during nanosecond laser ablation of a copper (Cu) target in a helium (He) background gas at atmospheric pressure are presented. An enthalpy model is outlined, which accounts for heating, melting, and vaporization of the target. As far as we know, this is the first model that connects the thermodynamics and underlying kinetics of this challenging phase change problem in a selfconsistent way.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000455668500001 Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1072-6691 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:190550 Serial 7925
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Author Sankaran, K.; Swerts, J.; Carpenter, R.; Couet, S.; Garello, K.; Evans, R.F.L.; Rao, S.; Kim, W.; Kundu, S.; Crotti, D.; Kar, G.S.; Pourtois, G.
Title Evidence of magnetostrictive effects on STT-MRAM performance by atomistic and spin modeling Type P1 Proceeding
Year 2018 Publication 2018 Ieee International Electron Devices Meeting (iedm) Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords P1 Proceeding; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract For the first time, we demonstrate, using an atomistic description of a 30nm diameter spin-transfer-torque magnetic random access memories (STT-MRAM), that the difference in mechanical properties of its sub-nanometer layers induces a high compressive strain in the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) and leads to a detrimental magnetostrictive effect. Our model explains the issues met in engineering the electrical and magnetic performances in scaled STT-MRAM devices. The resulting high compressive strain built in the stack, particularly in the MgO tunnel barrier (t-MgO), and its associated non-uniform atomic displacements, impacts on the quality of the MTJ interface and leads to strain relieve mechanisms such as surface roughness and adhesion issues. We illustrate that the strain gradient induced by the different materials and their thicknesses in the stacks has a negative impact on the tunnel magneto-resistance (TMR), on the magnetic nucleation process and on the STT-MRAM performance.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000459882300147 Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 978-1-72811-987-8; 978-1-72811-987-8 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:158694 Serial 7942
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Author Cui, Z.
Title Experimental and theoretical study on SF6 degradation by packed-bed DBD plasma Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2021 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), as a man-made gas, is widely used in power industry, semiconductor industry and metal-processing industry. However, SF6 is a greenhouse gas and its global warming potential is 23500 times that of CO2. Besides, SF6 is very stable, with a lifetime in the atmosphere for more than one thousand years. Under natural conditions, only the ultraviolet light can make it slowly decomposed. Thus, the emission of SF6 has a great threat to the environment. In recent years, with the development of our national economy, the use of SF6 increased dramatically. And 90% of the SF6 emissions come from the power industry. In the meantime, the emission of SF6 exists a ‘hysteresis effect’, as many of the SF6-gas insulation equipment will retire in next decades, the emission of SF6 may increase sharply, and this may put great pressure on the environment. Therefore, it’s necessary to make efforts in controlling and treating the SF6 emission. Among the SF6 abatement technologies, the non-thermal plasma(NTP) represented by the dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) can effectively degrade SF6 and is suitable for large-scale industry applications. However, its energy efficiency still gets room for improvement and this kind of method has a defect that it’s hard to regulate the degradation by-products. Therefore, this paper proposed the combination of the packed bed reactor and the DBD technology to form a packed DBD discharge system for SF6 degradation, so that to further improve the energy efficiency and regulate the selectivity of by-products. By experiment and simulation research, the following innovations have been achieved: (1) Based on the packed bed DBD platform, the power parameter and gas-phase parameters of SF6 degradation were studied. It was found that the discharge process was significantly enhanced with the addition of packing particles, and the discharge energy efficiency was improved. The increase of input voltage can obviously increase the degradation rate, but reduces the energy efficiency. The increase of SF6 initial concentration and gas flow rate can improve the energy efficiency, but reduce the degradation rate. Therefore, both degradation rate and energy efficiency should be considered in deciding basic experimental conditions. (2) Active gases, such as O2, H2O and NH3, could effectively promote the degradation rate of SF6, and changed the product selectivity. In our packed bed DBD system, O2 and H2O have the optimal concentration conditions, which are 2% and 1%, respectively. The addition of O2 can promote the generation of S-O-F products, and inhibit the selectivity of SO2, while the addition of H2O had the opposite effects. In addition, the synergistic degradation of NH3 and SF6 will produce solid products, such as NH3HF, NH4HF2 and elemental S. For gaseous products, the increase of NH3 will lead to the generation of SO2 in the final degradation products and inhibit the generation of S-O-F products. (3) Different kinds of packing materials have great impacts on the degradation system in the discharge parameters, degradation rate and energy efficiency, as well as the products distribution. In the experiment, we compared the degradation results in three systems: glass beads packing, γ-Al2O3 packing and no-packing system. The packing of glass beads effectively improved the discharge voltage amplitude and discharge power, while had a limited effect on the equivalent capacitance of the dielectric. Besides, γ-Al2O3 packing had little effect on voltage amplitude, but obviously increased the equivalent capacitance of the dielectric. Furthermore, the degradation rate and energy efficiency in γ-Al2O3 system was higher than that of glass bead system. For products selectivity, γ-Al2O3 system was more desirable, where S-O-F type of product selectivity was suppressed and the SO2 selectivity increased significantly. By contrast, the glass beads system hardly affected the product selectivity. This results are presumably due to the relatively high dielectric constant of γ-Al2O3 particles and γ-Al2O3 itself may act as a reactant or a catalyst participating in the degradation reactions. (4) The size and status of the packing particles also have significant effects on the degradation process. The systems packed with 1, 2 and 4mm γ-Al2O3 particles for SF6 degradation were compared, and the 2mm system had the best performance, which may because the 2mm system had a good balance between the active contact area and the gas residence time. In addition, the packing pellets suffered from a hydration process slightly reduced the discharge parameters in the γ-Al2O3 packing system and significantly reduced the degradation rate was, which may because the H2O molecules pre-occupied the active sites on the γ-Al2O3 surface and reduced the discharge process. (5) Based on density functional theory (DFT), the degradation process of SF6 in the packed bed DBD system was studied at atomic scale. It was found that the SF6 can occur a physical adsorption at AlⅢ active sites on γ-Al2O3 surface. The activation barrier for the first degradation step of SF6 on γ-Al2O3 surface is much lower than in gas phase, which proved that the SF6 molecule is activated on the γ-Al2O3 surface. In addition, the plasma may affect the γ-Al2O3 surface to generate excess electrons or external electric fields. This two effects can change the adsorbed SF6 molecules from physical adsorption to chemisorption, together with an obvious stretching of S-F bonds, indicating that the plasma surface effects prmote the activation and decomposition of SF6 molecules. Furthermore, the stepwise degradation process of SF6 on γ-Al2O3 surface were investigated. The influence of radicals produced by plasma on the degradation process was analyzed. It was found that via Eley–Rideal (ER) reactions, high-energy radicals could effectively reduce the activation barriers and promote the surface reactions. Finally, the degradation mechanism of SF6 molecules in the packed bed plasma system was summarized, which may provide a theoretical basis for the study of harmless degradation of SF6. Keywords: SF6; Packed Bed DBD; Discharge Parameters; Products Analysis; Degradation Mechanism
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:180819 Serial 7946
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Author Clima, S.; O'Sullivan, B.J.; Ronchi, N.; Bardon, M.G.; Banerjee, K.; Van den Bosch, G.; Pourtois, G.; van Houdt, J.
Title Ferroelectric switching in FEFET : physics of the atomic mechanism and switching dynamics in HfZrOx, HfO2 with oxygen vacancies and Si dopants Type P1 Proceeding
Year 2020 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords P1 Proceeding; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The fine balance between dipole-field energy and anion drift force defines the switching mechanism during polarization reversal: for the first time we show that only Pbcm mechanism obeys the ferroelectric switching physics, whereas P4(2)/nmc (or any other) mechanism does not. However, with lower energy barrier, it represents an important antiferroelectric mechanism. Constraints relaxation can lead to 90 degrees polarization rotation (domain deactivation). Intrinsically, the Si/VO-doping can switch faster than undoped HfO2 or HfZrOx. Theoretical Arrhenius model / intrinsic material switching (DFT) overestimates the switching speed extracted from experiments.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000717011600218 Publication Date 2021-03-11
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 978-1-7281-8888-1 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:184730 Serial 7963
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Author Clima, S.; McMitchell, S.R.C.; Florent, K.; Nyns, L.; Popovici, M.; Ronchi, N.; Di Piazza, L.; Van Houdt, J.; Pourtois, G.
Title First-principles perspective on poling mechanisms and ferroelectric/antiferroelectric behavior of Hf1-xZrxO2 for FEFET applications Type P1 Proceeding
Year 2018 Publication 2018 Ieee International Electron Devices Meeting (iedm) Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords P1 Proceeding; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract We investigate at the atomic level the most probable phase transformations under strain, that are responsible for the ferroelectric/ antiferroelectric behavior in Hf1-xZrxO2 materials. Four different crystalline phase transformations exhibit a polar/non-polar transition: monoclinic-to-orthorhombic requires a gliding strain tensor, orthorhombic-to-orthorhombic transformation does not need strain to polarize the material, whereas tetragonal-to-cubic cell compression and tetragonal-to-orthorhombic cell elongation destabilizes the non-polar tetragonal phase, facilitating the transition towards a polar atomic configuration, therefore changing the polarization-electric field loop from antiferroelectric to ferroelectric. Oxygen vacancies can reduce drastically the polarization reversal barriers.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000459882300073 Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 978-1-72811-987-8; 978-1-72811-987-8 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:158693 Serial 7972
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Author Lin, A.; Truong, B.; Fridman, G.; Friedman, A.A.; Miller, V.
Title Immune cells enhance selectivity of nanosecond-pulsed DBD plasma against tumor cells Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication Plasma medicine Abbreviated Journal
Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 85-96
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Cancer immunotherapy is a promising strategy that engages the patient's immune system to kill cancer cells selectively while sparing normal tissue. Treatment of macrophages with a nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge directly enhanced their cytotoxic activity against tumor cells but not normal cells. These results underscore the clinical potential of plasma for cancer immunotherapy.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date 2017-08-15
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:155657 Serial 8058
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Author Osella, S.; Knippenberg, S.
Title Laurdan as a molecular rotor in biological environments Type A1 Journal article
Year 2019 Publication ACS applied bio materials Abbreviated Journal
Volume 2 Issue 12 Pages 5769-5778
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Laurdan is one of the most used fluorescent probes for lipid membrane phase recognition. Despite its wide use for optical techniques and its versatility as a solvatochromic probe, little is known regarding its use as molecular rotor, for which clear evidence is found in the current study. Although recent computational and experimental studies suggest the existence of two stable conformations of laurdan in different membrane phases, it is difficult to experimentally probe their prevalence. By means of multiscale computational approaches, we prove now that this information can be obtained through the optical properties of the two conformers, ranging from one-photon absorption over two-photon absorption to the first hyperpolarizability. Fluorescence decay and anisotropy analyses are performed as well and stress the importance of laurdan's conformational versatility. As a molecular rotor and with reference to the distinct properties of its conformers, laurdan can be used to probe biochemical processes that change the lipid orders in cell membranes.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000616372300047 Publication Date 2019-11-22
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2576-6422 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:180356 Serial 8166
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Author Sankaran, K.; Moors, K.; Dutta, S.; Adelmann, C.; Tokei, Z.; Pourtois, G.
Title Metallic ceramics for low resitivity interconnects : an ab initio insight Type P1 Proceeding
Year 2018 Publication Proceedings of the IEEE ... International Interconnect Technology Conference T2 – IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC), JUN 04-07, 2018, Santa Clara, CA Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 160-162
Keywords P1 Proceeding; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The scalability potential of low resistivity ternary metallic alloys (MAX) as an interconnect medium has been benchmarked against copper through first-principle simulations. We report that some carbon and nitrogen MAX phases have the potential to display a reduced sensitivity of their intrinsic resistivity to scaling, while showing improved electromigration properties.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000468672900053 Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 978-1-5386-4337-2; 978-1-5386-4337-2 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:160474 Serial 8219
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Author Lin, A.; Truong, B.; Patel, S.; Kaushik, N.; Choi, E.H.; Fridman, G.; Fridman, A.; Miller, V.
Title Nanosecond-pulsed DBD plasma-generated reactive oxygen species trigger immunogenic cell death in A549 lung carcinoma cells through intracellular oxidative stress Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication International journal of molecular sciences Abbreviated Journal
Volume 18 Issue 5 Pages 966
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract A novel application for non-thermal plasma is the induction of immunogenic cancer cell death for cancer immunotherapy. Cells undergoing immunogenic death emit danger signals which facilitate anti-tumor immune responses. Although pathways leading to immunogenic cell death are not fully understood; oxidative stress is considered to be part of the underlying mechanism. Here; we studied the interaction between dielectric barrier discharge plasma and cancer cells for oxidative stress-mediated immunogenic cell death. We assessed changes to the intracellular oxidative environment after plasma treatment and correlated it to emission of two danger signals: surface-exposed calreticulin and secreted adenosine triphosphate. Plasma-generated reactive oxygen and charged species were recognized as the major effectors of immunogenic cell death. Chemical attenuators of intracellular reactive oxygen species successfully abrogated oxidative stress following plasma treatment and modulated the emission of surface-exposed calreticulin. Secreted danger signals from cells undergoing immunogenic death enhanced the anti-tumor activity of macrophages. This study demonstrated that plasma triggers immunogenic cell death through oxidative stress pathways and highlights its potential development for cancer immunotherapy.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000404113900073 Publication Date 2017-05-03
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1422-0067; 1661-6596 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:155654 Serial 8292
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Author Ranieri, P.; Shrivastav, R.; Wang, M.; Lin, A.; Fridman, G.; Fridman, A.A.; Han, L.-H.; Miller, V.
Title Nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier dischargeinduced antitumor effects propagate through depth of tissue via intracellular signaling Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication Plasma medicine Abbreviated Journal
Volume 7 Issue 3 Pages 283-297
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Studies using xenograft mouse models have shown that plasma applied to the skin overlying tumors results in tumor shrinkage. Plasma is considered a nonpenetrating treatment; however, these studies demonstrate plasma effects that occur beyond the postulated depth of physical penetration of plasma components. The present study examines the propagation of plasma effects through a tissue model using three-dimensional, cell-laden extracellular matrices (ECMs). These ECMs are used as barriers against direct plasma penetration. By placing them onto a monolayer of target cancer cells to create an in-vitro analog to in-vivo studies, we distinguished between cellular effects from direct plasma exposure and cellular effects due to cell-to-cell signaling stimulated by plasma. We show that nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment applied atop an acellular barrier impedes the externalization of calreticulin (CRT) in the target cells. In contrast, when a barrier is populated with cells, CRT externalization is restored. Thus, we demonstrate that plasma components stimulate signaling among cells embedded in the barrier to transfer plasma effects to the target cells.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date 2017-09-01
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:155658 Serial 8293
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Author Privat-Maldonado, A.; Gorbanev, Y.; O'Connell, D.; Vann, R.; Chechik, V.; van der Woude, M.W.
Title Nontarget biomolecules alter macromolecular changes induced by bactericidal low-temperature plasma Type A1 Journal article
Year 2018 Publication IEEE transactions on radiation and plasma medical sciences Abbreviated Journal
Volume 2 Issue 2 Pages 121-128
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Low-temperature plasmas (LTPs) have a proven bactericidal activity governed by the generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) that target microbial cell components. However, RONS also interact with biomolecules in the environment. Here we assess the impact of these interactions upon exposure of liquid suspensions with variable organic content to an atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma jet. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium viability in the suspension was reduced in the absence [e. g., phosphate buffered saline (PBS)], but not in the presence of (high) organic content [Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM), DMEM supplemented with foetal calf serum, and Lysogeny Broth]. The reduced viability of LTP-treated bacteria in PBS correlated to a loss of membrane integrity, whereas double-strand DNA breaks could not be detected in treated single cells. The lack of bactericidal activity in solutions with high organic content correlated with a relative decrease of center dot OH and O-3/O-2(a(1)Delta g)/O, and an increase of H2O2 and NO2- in the plasma-treated solutions. These results indicate that the redox reactions of LTP-generated RONS with nontarget biomolecules resulted in a RONS composition with reduced bactericidal activity. Therefore, the chemical composition of the bacterial environment should be considered in the development of LTP for antimicrobial treatment, and may affect other biomedical applications as well.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000456148700007 Publication Date 2017-10-11
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2469-7311; 2469-7303 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:156820 Serial 8316
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Author Cong, S.
Title Numerical study on low-pressure hollow cathode argon arc plasma Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2021 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages XIX, 126 p.
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Philosophy; Educational sciences; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The low-pressure hollow cathode discharge made of a hollow circular tube and an anode is a type of simple structure discharge system. In particular, under the arc discharge mode, hollow cathodes have high plasma density and energy density with a wide range of adaptability of pressure and current. Low-pressure hollow cathode arc (HCA) discharges have been widely used as plasma sources in various fields such as manufacturing, vacuum welding, and aerospace since the 1960s. Despite the early experimental and applied researches on low-pressure HCA discharges, the basic theoretical study was relatively lagged much behind, resulting in many unanswered questions, such as the optimal discharge operating parameters, the power deposition inside the cathode, the causes of plasma instability, and how to effectively reduce cathode erosion and so on. Due to the special discharge structure of the hollow cathode, it is difficult to make an accurate experimental diagnosis, so a reasonable numerical simulation is an effective study method. However, up to now, there is still a lack of complete and effective numerical models which can evaluate various physical fields in the low-pressure hollow cathode discharges. To address the above problems and difficulties, a comprehensive and self-consistent 2D multi-physical coupling numerical model based on a commercial program of finite element method, the COMSOL Multiphysics, was provided in this paper. The model involves plasma transport, arc flow and heat transfer, and cathode thermal equilibrium, and can consider the effect of an applied magnetic field. The processes of secondary electron emission, thermal-field electron emission, ions and backflow high-energy electrons bombardment, and thermal radiation from the cathode surface are considered in the cathode thermal equilibrium process. Based on the above background, this paper works from the following aspects: In Chapter 1, the basic concepts of low-pressure HCA discharge including the hollow cathode effect, the basic characteristics, and operation modes were introduced firstly; Secondly, the application fields, development history, and overseas and domestic research status of hollow cathode discharge were reviewed; finally, the problems were presented and the research background was explained, and the research purpose of this paper was clarified. In Chapter 2, a complete and self-consistent numerical model of low-pressure hollow cathode discharge was proposed based on the fundamental theory and assumptions, and the set of control equations and boundary conditions in the model were elaborated. In addition, the electron energy distribution function, the collision processes, the solving tools of this model, and calculation schemes were introduced in detail. Finally, a validation example was given to test the rationality and applicability of the numerical model. In Chapter 3, the fundamental plasma properties of low-pressure hollow cathode arcs were investigated. Firstly, the ion Joule heating effect was studied. The results showed that the temperature distributions of the arc and cathode are only able to approach the experimental measurements after considering the ion Joule heating, which shows that the Joule heating of ions is crucial for the heating of the arc plasma. Secondly, by comparing the radial distribution of electron and ion density inside the cathode, the structure of the cathode sheath could be simulated well using this model. Finally, it was shown that the thermal radiation from the cathode surface is an important cooling mechanism of the cathode and only under higher surface emissivity can balance the larger heat flow given by the plasma to the cathode, and the temperature distribution of the cathode shows a non-monotonic increasing trend and is consistent with the profile of experimental measurement so that the so-called active zone is formed. In Chapter 4, the power deposition in the low-pressure HCA was studied in simulation. Two main aspects were considered: the power deposition into particles (both electrons and heavy particles) and the power deposition onto the cathode. It was found that the deposited power into particles increases with the rise of discharge current, but there is no effect on the total power deposition onto the cathode. In high-density plasmas, Coulomb collisions between electrons and ions also become very important, especially since a portion of the deposition energy on heavy particles comes mainly from the energy transfer from electrons to ions. It was also found that regardless of external parameters, half of the power deposition onto the cathode always comes from the particle contribution, while the other half is the net contribution of heat transfer and cathode radiation. The HCA model also allows the simulation of multiple discharge modes for low-pressure HCA discharges over a wide range of gas flow rates. It was also shown that the discharge operating conditions and the external magnetic field can change the distribution of the particle flow on the cathode wall. In Chapter 5, the ion sputtering erosion process on the cathode was simulated by coupling the HCA numerical model with the moving grid technique. The results showed that the ion sputtering erosion on the cathode depends on the ion flux and the plasma potential near the cathode wall and that their distribution and magnitude jointly determine the erosion morphology of the cathode. It was also found that the location of the most severe erosion on the cathode is located in the region of the densest ion flux on the cathode wall, rather than in the longitudinal correspondence with the central region of the internal positive column (IPC). The external magnetic fields can mitigate the cathode erosion and reduce the erosion depth, but stronger magnetic fields lead to a concentration of current density at the cathode tip, which can enhance erosion slightly at the cathode outlet end. Finally, the conclusions and innovation highlights were summarized, and prospects for future work were discussed.
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Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:178725 Serial 8323
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Author Lu, A.K.A.; Pourtois, G.; Luisier, M.; Radu, I.P.; Houssa, M.
Title On the electrostatic control achieved in transistors based on multilayered MoS2 : a first-principles study Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication Journal of applied physics Abbreviated Journal
Volume 121 Issue 4 Pages 044505
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this work, the electrostatic control in metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors based on MoS2 is studied, with respect to the number of MoS2 layers in the channel and to the equivalent oxide thickness of the gate dielectric, using first-principles calculations combined with a quantum transport formalism. Our simulations show that a compromise exists between the drive current and the electrostatic control on the channel. When increasing the number of MoS2 layers, a degradation of the device performances in terms of subthreshold swing and OFF currents arises due to the screening of the MoS2 layers constituting the transistor channel. Published by AIP Publishing.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000393480100030 Publication Date 2017-01-26
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0021-8979; 1089-7550 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:152673 Serial 8329
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Author Belov, I.
Title Plasma-assisted conversion of carbon dioxide Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2017 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:146275 Serial 8387
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Author Ghasemitarei, M.
Title Study of the interaction of plasma radicals with malignant tumor cells by means of Molecular Dynamics simulation Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2019 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 117 p.
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract abstract not available
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Language Wos Publication Date
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Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:164763 Serial 8606
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Author Friedman, P.C.; Miller, V.; Fridman, G.; Lin, A.; Fridman, A.
Title Successful treatment of actinic keratoses using nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma : a case series Type L1 Letter to the editor
Year 2017 Publication Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology Abbreviated Journal
Volume 76 Issue 2 Pages 349-350
Keywords L1 Letter to the editor; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000396905000041 Publication Date 2017-01-13
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0190-9622 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:155655 Serial 8617
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Author Van Loenhout, J.
Title Targeting pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and glioblastoma with oxidative stress-mediated treatment strategies : focus on tumor cell death and modulation of the tumor microenvironment Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2021 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 167 p.
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Center for Oncological Research (CORE)
Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are two of the most malignant solid tumor types with poor survival rates, which underscore the urgency of novel and efficacious treatment strategies. Within the last decade, immunotherapy has been established as a breakthrough in cancer therapy. This mainly has been driven by the clinical data and approval associated with several immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g. anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1/L1). Despite the clinical benefit in specific tumor types, these inhibitors have not yet fulfilled their promise in low immunogenic tumors such as PDAC and GBM. Oxidative stress in cancer cells due to elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and an inability to balance intracellular redox state has recently been highlighted as promising target for anticancer treatment strategies with possible immunogenic effects. In this PhD dissertation, I investigated novel oxidative stress-mediated treatment approaches to target PDAC and GBM and to enhance immunogenicity by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD). In the first part of this thesis (chapter 2), I reviewed the mechanistic responses of cancer cells towards different oxidative stress-inducing treatment strategies and their immunomodulating effects. The resulting literature demonstrated that different exogenous and endogenous ROS-inducing therapies show direct and indirect immunomodulating effects, which can be either immunostimulatory or immunosuppressive. One of the indirect immunostimulatory effects of the ROS-mediating therapies is the capacity of inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) in tumor cells, which can increase the immunogenicity and consequently can trigger an antitumoral immune response. In chapter 3, I investigated a novel exogenous ROS-inducing treatment method, namely cold atmospheric plasma, to determine the therapeutic and ICD-inducing effects in PDAC, in vitro. I revealed that plasma-treated PBS (pPBS) has the potential to induce ICD in pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) and to reduce the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) by attacking the tumor supportive pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). Although the cell death induced in PSCs was non-immunogenic as seen by the lack of danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) emission and DC activation, I showed that pPBS could disrupt the physical barrier and lower the immunosuppressive secretion profile (lower TGF-β) of PSCs. In contrast, DAMPs were released by PCCs after treatment with pPBS which resulted in activation and maturation of DCs and a more immunostimulatory secretion profile (higher TNF-α, IFN-γ). Hence, indirect plasma treatment via pPBS has the potential to enhance immunogenicity in PDAC by triggering ICD and by attacking the immunosuppressive PSCs. Tumor cells can evolve adaptation mechanisms to protect themselves against intrinsic oxidative stress by upregulation of pro-survival molecules and their antioxidant defense system to maintain the redox balance. As such, tumor cells can become resistant towards exogenous ROS-inducing therapies, like plasma. Dual targeting of the redox balance of tumor cells by increasing exogenous levels of ROS and inhibiting the antioxidant defense system can maximally exploit ROS-mediated cell death mechanisms as therapeutic anticancer strategy. In this regard, cold atmospheric plasma was combined with auranofin, a thioredoxin reductase inhibitor, in GBM (chapter 4). A synergistic effect was shown after this combination treatment in 2D and 3D, however, in 3D only high concentrations of auranofin synergized with plasma treatment. I confirmed a ROS-mediated response after combination treatment, which was able to induce distinct cell death mechanisms, specifically apoptosis and ferroptosis. Additionally, the auranofin and plasma combined treatment strategy induced cell death, which resulted in an increased release of DAMPs. Together with the observed DC maturation, these results indicates the potential increase in immunogenicity, though, the phagocytotic capacity of DCs was inhibited by auranofin. In chapter 5, I evaluated this promising oxidative stress combination therapy in GBM, in vivo. A decrease in tumor kinetics and an increased survival in GBM-bearing mice was observed when auranofin was sequentially combined with direct plasma treatment. No T cell infiltration was observed after auranofin monotherapy. However, further characterization of the TME after the combination therapy is necessary to provide more insight in the immunogenic effects in vivo. In conclusion, this PhD dissertation comprises novel and important therapeutic and immunogenic insights in cold atmospheric plasma and auranofin as promising oxidative stress-mediated treatment strategies for low immunogenic tumors, like PDAC and GBM. These preclinical results provide a solid basis for future research towards combinations with immunotherapeutic approaches.
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Language Wos Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:181309 Serial 8643
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Author Yu, H.; Schaekers, M.; Chew, S.A.; Eyeraert, J.-L.; Dabral, A.; Pourtois, G.; Horiguchi, N.; Mocuta, D.; Collaert, N.; De Meyer, K.
Title Titanium (germano-)silicides featuring 10-9 Ω.cm2 contact resistivity and improved compatibility to advanced CMOS technology Type P1 Proceeding
Year 2018 Publication 2018 18th International Workshop On Junction Technology (iwjt) Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 80-84 T2 - 18th International Workshop on Junction
Keywords P1 Proceeding; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract uIn this work, we discuss three novel Ti (germano-)silicidation techniques featuring respectively the pre-contact amorphization implantation (PCAI), the TiSi co-deposition, and Ti atomic layer deposition (ALD). All three techniques form TiSix(Ge-y) contacts with ultralow contact resistivity (rho(c)) of (1-3)x10(-9) Omega.cm(2) on both highly doped n-Si and p-SiGe substrates: these techniques meet rho(c) requirement of 5-14 nm CMOS technology and feature unified CMOS contact solutions. We further discuss the compatibility of these techniques to the realistic CMOS transistor fabrication.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000502768600020 Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 978-1-5386-4511-6; 978-1-5386-4511-6 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:165190 Serial 8673
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Author Vereecke, G.; De Coster, H.; Van Alphen, S.; Carolan, P.; Bender, H.; Willems, K.; Ragnarsson, L.-A.; Van Dorpe, P.; Horiguchi, N.; Holsteyns, F.
Title Wet etching of TiN in 1-D and 2-D confined nano-spaces of FinFET transistors Type A1 Journal article
Year 2018 Publication Microelectronic engineering Abbreviated Journal
Volume 200 Issue Pages 56-61
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In the manufacturing of multi-Vt FinFET transistors, the gate material deposited in the nano-spaces left by the removed dummy gate must be etched back in mask-defined wafer areas. Etch conformality is a necessary condition for the control of under-etch at the boundary between areas defined by masking. We studied the feasibility of TiN etching by APM (ammonia peroxide mixture, also known as SC1) in nano-confined volumes representative of FinFET transistors of the 7 nm node and below, namely nanotrenches with 1-D confinement and nanoholes with 2-D confinement. TiN etching was characterized for rate and conformality using different electron microscopy techniques. Etching in closed nanotrenches was conformal, starting and progressing all along the 2-D seam, with a rate that was 38% higher compared to a planar film. Etching in closed nanoholes proved also to be conformal and faster than planar films, but with a delay to open the 1-D seam that seemed to depend strongly on small variations in the hole diameter. However, holes between the fins at the bottom of the removed dummy gate, are not circular and do present 2-D seams that should lend themselves for an easier start of conformal etching as compared to the circular nanoholes used in this study. Finally, to explain the higher etch rate observed in nano-confined features, concentrations of ions in nanoholes were calculated taking the overlap of electrostatic double layers (EDL) into account. With negatively charged TiN walls, as measured by streaming potential on planar films, ammonium was the dominant ion in nanoholes. As no chemical reaction proposed in the literature for TiN etching matched with this finding, we proposed that the formation of ammine complexes, dissolving the formed Ti oxide, was the rate-determining step.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000449134800010 Publication Date 2018-09-21
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0167-9317 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:155414 Serial 8757
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Author Zaryouh, H.; Verswyvel, H.; Bauwens, M.; Van Haesendonck, G.; Deben, C.; Lin, A.; De Waele, J.; Vermorken, J.B.; Koljenovic, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Lardon, F.; Smits, E.; Wouters, A.
Title De belofte van hoofdhalskankerorganoïden in kankeronderzoek : een blik op de toekomst Type A2 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication Onco-hemato : multidisciplinair tijdschrift voor oncologie Abbreviated Journal
Volume 17 Issue 7 Pages 54-58
Keywords A2 Journal article; Center for Oncological Research (CORE); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Hoofd-halskanker vormt een aanzienlijke uitdaging met bijna 900.000 nieuwe diagnoses per jaar, waarbij de jaarlijkse incidentie blijft stijgen. Vaak wordt de diagnose pas in een laat stadium gesteld, wat complexe behandelingen noodzakelijk maakt. Terugval van patiënten is helaas een veelvoorkomend probleem. De gemiddelde overlevingsduur is beperkt tot enkele maanden. Daarom is er een dringende behoefte om nieuwe, veelbelovende behandelingen te ontwikkelen voor patiënten met hoofd-halskanker. Voor het bereiken van deze vooruitgang spelen innovatieve studiemodellen een cruciale rol. Het ontwikkelen van deze nieuwe behandelingen start met laboratoriumonderzoek, waarbij traditionele tweedimensionale celculturen hun beperkingen hebben. Daarom verschuiven onderzoekers hun aandacht meer en meer naar geavanceerdere driedimensionale modellen, met hoofd-halskankerorganoïden als beloftevol nieuw model. Dit model behoudt immers zowel het genetische profiel als de morfologische kenmerken van de originele tumor van de hoofd-halskankerpatiënt. Hoofdhalskankerorganoïden bieden daarom de mogelijkheid om innovatieve behandelingen te testen en kunnen mogelijk zelfs de respons van een patiënt op bepaalde therapieën voorspellen. Hoewel tumororganoïden als ‘patiënt-in-het-lab’ veelbelovend zijn, zijn er uitdagingen te overwinnen, zoals de ontwikkelingstijd en de toepasbaarheid bij alle tumortypes, evenals het ontbreken van immuuncellen en andere micro-omgevingscomponenten. Er is daarom een grote behoefte aan gestandaardiseerde protocollen voor de ontwikkeling van organoïden en verkorting van de ontwikkelingstijd. Concluderend bieden driedimensionale hoofd-halskankerorganoïden een veelbelovend perspectief voor de toekomst van kankerbehandelingen. Ze hebben het potentieel om bij te dragen aan de ontwikkeling van gepersonaliseerde behandelingen en zo de overlevingskansen van kankerpatiënten te verbeteren. Het is echter belangrijk om hun voorspellend vermogen en toepassingsmogelijkheden verder te onderzoeken, voordat ze op grote schaal worden geïmplementeerd.
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Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2030-2738 ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:202271 Serial 9004
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Author Xu, W.
Title Plasma-catalytic DRM : study of LDH derived catalyst for DRM in a GAP plasma system Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 350 p.
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Plasma is considered one of the promising technologies to solve greenhouse gas problems, as it can activate CO2 and CH4 at relatively low temperatures. Among the various types of plasmas, the gliding arc plasmatron (GAP) is promising, as it has a high level of non-equilibrium and high electron density. Nevertheless, the conversion of CO2 and CH4 in the GAP reactor is limited. Therefore, combining the GAP reactor with catalysts and making use of the heat produced by the plasma to provide thermal energy to the catalyst, forming a post-plasma catalytic (PPC) system, is hypothesized to improve its performance. Therefore, in this PhD research, we investigate important aspects of the PPC concept towards the use of the heat produced by GAP plasma to heat the plasma bed, without additional energy input. Aiming at this, based on a literature study (chapter 1), Ni-loaded layered double hydroxide (LDH) derived catalyst with good thermal catalytic DRM performance were chosen as the catalyst material. Before applying the LDH as a support material, the rehydration property of calcined LDH in moist and liquid environment was studied as part of chapter 2. The data indicated that after high temperatures calcination (600-900 C), the obtained layered double oxides (LDOs) can rehydrate into LDH, although, the rehydrated LDH were different from the original LDH. In chapter 3, different operating conditions, such as gas flow rate, gas compositions (e.g. CH4/CO2 ratio and nitrogen dilution), and addition of H2O were studied to investigate optimal conditions for PPC DRM, identifying possible differences in temperature profiles and exhaust gas compositions that might influence the catalytic performance. Subsequently, the impact of different PPC configurations, making use of the heat and exhaust gas composition produced by the GAP plasma, is shown in Chapter 4. Experiments studying the impact of adjusting the catalyst bed distance to the post-plasma, the catalyst amount, the influence of external heating (below 250 C) and the addition of H2O are discussed. As only limited improvement in the performance was achieved, a new type of catalyst bed was designed and utilized, as described in chapter 5. This improved configuration can realize better heat and mass transfer by directly connecting to the GAP device. The performance was improved and became comparable to the traditional thermal catalytic DRM results obtained at 800 C, although obtained by a fully electrically driven plasma.
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Language Wos Publication Date
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Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:201534 Serial 9074
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Author Vervloessem, E.
Title The role of pulsing and humidity in plasma-based nitrogen fixation : a combined experimental and modeling study Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 358 p.
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Nitrogen (N) is an indispensable building block for all living organisms as well as for pharmaceutical and chemical industry. In a nutshell, N is needed for plants to grow and beings to live and nitrogen fixation (NF) is the process that makes N available for plants as food by converting N2 into a reactive form, such as ammonia (NH3) or nitrogen oxides (NOx), upon reacting with O2 and H2. The aim of this thesis is to elucidate (wet) plasma-based nitrogen fixation with a focus on (1) the role of pulsing in achieving low energy consumption, (2) the role of H2O as a hydrogen source in nitrogen fixation and (3) elucidation of nitrogen fixation pathways in humid air and humid N2 plasma in a combined experimental and computational study. Furthermore, this thesis aims to take into account the knowledge-gaps and challenges identified in the discussion of the state of the art. Specifically, (1) we put our focus on branching out to another way of introducing water into the plasma system, i.e. H2O vapor, (2) we de-couple the problem for pathway elucidation by starting with characterization of the chosen plasma, next a simpler gas mixture and building up from there, (3) we include modelling, though not under wet conditions and (4) we focus on also analyzing species and performance outside liquid H2O. Firstly, based on the reaction analysis of a validated quasi-1D model, we can conclude that pulsing is indeed the key factor for energy-efficient NOx- formation, due to the strong temperature drop it causes. Secondly, the thesis shows that added H2O vapor, and not liquid H2O, is the main source of H for NH3 generation. Related to this, we discuss how the selectivity of plasma-based NF in humid air and humid N2 can be controlled by changing the humidity in the feed gas. Interestingly, NH3 production can be achieved in both N2 and air plasmas using H2O as a H source. Lastly, we identified a significant loss mechanism for NH3 and HNO2 that occurs in systems where these species are synthesized simultaneously, i.e. downstream from the plasma, HNO2 reacts with NH3 to form NH4NO2, which decomposes into N2 and H2O. This reduces the effective NF when not properly addressed, and should therefore be considered in future works aimed at optimizing plasma-based NF. In conclusion, this thesis adds further to the current state of the art of plasma-based NF both in the presence of H2O and in dry systems.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197038 Serial 9088
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Author Le Compte, M.; Cardenas De La Hoz, E.; Peeters, S.; Rodrigues Fortes, F.; Hermans, C.; Domen, A.; Smits, E.; Lardon, F.; Vandamme, T.; Lin, A.; Vanlanduit, S.; Roeyen, G.; van Laere, S.; Prenen, H.; Peeters, M.; Deben, C.
Title Single-organoid analysis reveals clinically relevant treatment-resistant and invasive subclones in pancreatic cancer Type A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication npj Precision Oncology Abbreviated Journal
Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 128-14
Keywords A1 Journal article; Center for Oncological Research (CORE); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Antwerp Surgical Training, Anatomy and Research Centre (ASTARC)
Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal diseases, characterized by a treatment-resistant and invasive nature. In line with these inherent aggressive characteristics, only a subset of patients shows a clinical response to the standard of care therapies, thereby highlighting the need for a more personalized treatment approach. In this study, we comprehensively unraveled the intra-patient response heterogeneity and intrinsic aggressive nature of PDAC on bulk and single-organoid resolution. We leveraged a fully characterized PDAC organoid panel ( N  = 8) and matched our artificial intelligence-driven, live-cell organoid image analysis with retrospective clinical patient response. In line with the clinical outcomes, we identified patient-specific sensitivities to the standard of care therapies (gemcitabine-paclitaxel and FOLFIRINOX) using a growth rate-based and normalized drug response metric. Moreover, the single-organoid analysis was able to detect resistant as well as invasive PDAC organoid clones, which was orchestrates on a patient, therapy, drug, concentration and time-specific level. Furthermore, our in vitro organoid analysis indicated a correlation with the matched patient progression-free survival (PFS) compared to the current, conventional drug response readouts. This work not only provides valuable insights on the response complexity in PDAC, but it also highlights the potential applications (extendable to other tumor types) and clinical translatability of our approach in drug discovery and the emerging era of personalized medicine.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001118015800001 Publication Date 2023-12-08
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2397-768x ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:201455 Serial 9091
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Author Grünewald, L.; Chezganov, D.; De Meyer, R.; Orekhov, A.; Van Aert, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Bals, S.; Verbeeck, J.
Title Supplementary Information for “In-situ Plasma Studies using a Direct Current Microplasma in a Scanning Electron Microscope” Type Dataset
Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords Dataset; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Supplementary information for the article “In-situ Plasma Studies using a Direct Current Microplasma in a Scanning Electron Microscope” containing the videos of in-situ SEM imaging (mp4 files), raw data/images, and Jupyter notebooks (ipynb files) for data treatment and plots. Link to the preprint: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2308.15123 Explanation of the data files can be found in the Information.pdf file. The Videos folder contains the in-situ SEM image series mentioned in the paper. If there are any questions/bugs, feel free to contact me at lukas.grunewaldatuantwerpen.be
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:203389 Serial 9100
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Author Zaripov, A.A.; Khalilov, U.B.; Ashurov, K.B.
Title Synergism of the initial stage of removal of dielectric materials during electrical erosion processing in electrolytes Type A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication Surface engineering and applied electrochemistry Abbreviated Journal
Volume 59 Issue 6 Pages 712-718
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Ceramics and composites, many of whose physicochemical properties significantly exceed similar properties of metals and their alloys, are processed qualitatively mainly by the electroerosion method. Despite the existing works, the mechanism of the initial stage of the removal of materials has not yet been identified. For a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of the removal of dielectrics, a new model is proposed based on the experimental results obtained on an improved electroerosion installation. It was revealed that the initial stage of the removal of a dielectric material consists of three successive stages that are associated with the synergistic effect on the process of the anionic group of electrolytes, plasma flare, and the cavitation shock. This makes it possible to better understand the mechanism of the removal of composite and ceramic materials, which should contribute to ensuring the machinability of those materials and their wide use in promising technologies.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001126070700009 Publication Date 2023-12-14
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1068-3755; 1934-8002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:202754 Serial 9102
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Author Biondo, O.
Title Towards a fundamental understanding of energy-efficient, plasma-based CO<sub>2</sub> conversion Type Doctoral thesis
Year 2023 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 221 p.
Keywords Doctoral thesis; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Plasma-based CO2 conversion is worldwide gaining increasing interest. The aim of this work is to find potential pathways to improve the energy efficiency of plasma-based CO2 conversion beyond what is feasible for thermal chemistry. To do so, we use a combination of modeling and experiments to better understand the underlying mechanisms of CO2 conversion, ranging from non-thermal to thermal equilibrium conditions. Zero-dimensional (0D) chemical kinetics modelling, describing the detailed plasma chemistry, is developed to explore the vibrational kinetics of CO2, as the latter is known to play a crucial role in the energy efficient CO2 conversion. The 0D model is successfully validated against pulsed CO2 glow discharge experiments, enabling the reconstruction of the complex dynamics underlying gas heating in a pure CO2 discharge, paving the way towards the study of gas heating in more complex gas mixtures, such as CO2 plasmas with high dissociation degrees. Energy-efficient, plasma-based CO2 conversion can also be obtained upon the addition of a reactive carbon bed in the post-discharge region. The reaction between solid carbon and O2 to form CO allows to both reduce the separation costs and increase the selectivity towards CO, thus, increasing the energy efficiency of the overall conversion process. In this regard, a novel 0D model to infer the mechanism underlying the performance of the carbon bed over time is developed. The model outcome indicates that gas temperature and oxygen complexes formed at the surface of solid carbon play a fundamental and interdependent role. These findings open the way towards further optimization of the coupling between plasma and carbon bed. Experimentally, it has been demonstrated that “warm” plasmas (e.g. microwave or gliding arc plasmas) can yield very high energy efficiency for CO2 conversion, but typically only at reduced pressure. For industrial application, it will be important to realize such good energy efficiency at atmospheric pressure as well. However, recent experiments illustrate that the microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure is too close to thermal conditions to achieve a high energy efficiency. Hence, we use a comprehensive set of advanced diagnostics to characterize the plasma and the reactor performance, focusing on CO2 and CO2/CH4 microwave discharges. The results lead to a deeper understanding of the mechanism of power concentration with increasing pressure, typical of plasmas in most gases, which is of great importance for model validation and understanding of reactor performance.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos Publication Date
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197213 Serial 9108
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Author Deben, C.; Freire Boullosa, L.; Rodrigues Fortes, F.; Cardenas De La Hoz, E.; Le Compte, M.; Seghers, S.; Peeters, M.; Vanlanduit, S.; Lin, A.; Dijkstra, K.K.; Van Schil, P.; Hendriks, J.M.H.; Prenen, H.; Roeyen, G.; Lardon, F.; Smits, E.
Title Auranofin repurposing for lung and pancreatic cancer : low CA12 expression as a marker of sensitivity in patient-derived organoids, with potentiated efficacy by AKT inhibition Type A1 Journal article
Year 2024 Publication Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research Abbreviated Journal
Volume 43 Issue 1 Pages 88-15
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT); Antwerp Surgical Training, Anatomy and Research Centre (ASTARC); Center for Oncological Research (CORE)
Abstract Background This study explores the repurposing of Auranofin (AF), an anti-rheumatic drug, for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) adenocarcinoma and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Drug repurposing in oncology offers a cost-effective and time-efficient approach to developing new cancer therapies. Our research focuses on evaluating AF's selective cytotoxicity against cancer cells, identifying RNAseq-based biomarkers to predict AF response, and finding the most effective co-therapeutic agents for combination with AF. Methods Our investigation employed a comprehensive drug screening of AF in combination with eleven anticancer agents in cancerous PDAC and NSCLC patient-derived organoids (n = 7), and non-cancerous pulmonary organoids (n = 2). Additionally, we conducted RNA sequencing to identify potential biomarkers for AF sensitivity and experimented with various drug combinations to optimize AF's therapeutic efficacy. Results The results revealed that AF demonstrates a preferential cytotoxic effect on NSCLC and PDAC cancer cells at clinically relevant concentrations below 1 µM, sparing normal epithelial cells. We identified Carbonic Anhydrase 12 (CA12) as a significant RNAseq-based biomarker, closely associated with the NF-κB survival signaling pathway, which is crucial in cancer cell response to oxidative stress. Our findings suggest that cancer cells with low CA12 expression are more susceptible to AF treatment. Furthermore, the combination of AF with the AKT inhibitor MK2206 was found to be particularly effective, exhibiting potent and selective cytotoxic synergy, especially in tumor organoid models classified as intermediate responders to AF, without adverse effects on healthy organoids. Conclusion Our research offers valuable insights into the use of AF for treating NSCLC and PDAC. It highlights AF's cancer cell selectivity, establishes CA12 as a predictive biomarker for AF sensitivity, and underscores the enhanced efficacy of AF when combined with MK2206 and other therapeutics. These findings pave the way for further exploration of AF in cancer treatment, particularly in identifying patient populations most likely to benefit from its use and in optimizing combination therapies for improved patient outcomes.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001190581500001 Publication Date 2024-03-22
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1756-9966 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
Impact Factor (down) Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:204924 Serial 9136
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