“The influence of acids on tuning the pore size of mesoporous TiO2 templated by non-ionic block copolymers”. Loreto S, Vanrompay H, Mertens M, Bals S, Meynen V, European journal of inorganic chemistry 2018, 62 (2018). http://doi.org/10.1002/EJIC.201701266
Abstract: <script type='text/javascript'>document.write(unpmarked('We show the possibility to tune the pore size of mesoporous TiO2 templated by non-ionic block copolymers by adding different inorganic acids at well-chosen concentration. The effect of the inorganic anions on both the TiO2 cluster formation and the non-ionic block copolymers micelles is investigated to explain the experimental results.'));
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Impact Factor: 2.444
Times cited: 6
DOI: 10.1002/EJIC.201701266
|
“New insights in the formation of combined zeolitic/mesoporous materials by using a one-pot templating synthesis”. Vernimmen J, Meynen V, Herregods SJF, Mertens M, Lebedev OI, Van Tendeloo G, Cool P, European journal of inorganic chemistry , 4234 (2011). http://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.201100268
Abstract: Zeolitic growth is often absent or occurs in separate phases when synthetic strategies based on the combination of zeolite templates and mesopore templating agents are applied. In this work, zeolitic growth and mesopore formation have been investigated at different temperatures by applying a one-pot templating approach, based on a TS-1 zeolite synthesis whereby part of the microtemplate (tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, TPAOH) is replaced by a mesotemplate (hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTMABr). Moreover, the synthesis duration and the molar ratio of the microtemplate/mesotemplate have also been studied. The different syntheses clearly show the inherent competitive mechanism between zeolitic growth and mesopore formation. These insights have led to the conclusion that by following a one-pot templating strategy with standard, nonexotic commercial templates, i.e. CTMABr and TPAOH, it is not possible to develop a true hierarchical mesoporous zeolite, meaning a mesoporous siliceous material with highly crystalline zeolitic walls. The resultant materials are instead combined zeolitic/mesoporous composite structures with, however, highly tuneable and controllable porosity characteristics.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Impact Factor: 2.444
Times cited: 7
DOI: 10.1002/ejic.201100268
|
“Direct-synthesis method towards copper-containing periodic mesoporous organosilicas : detailed investigation of the copper distribution in the material”. Lin F, Meng, Kukueva E, Altantzis T, Mertens M, Bals S, Cool P, Van Doorslaer S, Journal of the Chemical Society : Dalton transactions 44, 9970 (2015). http://doi.org/10.1039/c4dt03719g
Abstract: Three-dimensional cubic Fm (3) over barm mesoporous copper-containing ethane-bridged PMO materials have been prepared through a direct-synthesis method at room temperature in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant. The obtained materials have been unambiguously characterized in detail by several sophisticated techniques, including XRD, UV-Vis-Dr, TEM, elemental mapping, continuous- wave and pulsed EPR spectroscopy. The results show that at lower copper loading, the Cu2+ species are well dispersed in the Cu-PMO materials, and mainly exist as mononuclear Cu2+ species. At higher copper loading amount, Cu2+ clusters are observed in the materials, but the distribution of the Cu2+ species is still much better in the Cu-PMO materials prepared through the direct-synthesis method than in a Cu-containing PMO material prepared through an impregnation method. Moreover, the evolution of the copper incorporation during the PMO synthesis has been followed by EPR. The results show that the immobilization of the Cu2+ ion/complex and the formation of the PMO materials are taking place simultaneously. The copper ions are found to be situated on the inner surface of the mesopores of the materials and are accessible, which will be beneficial for the catalytic applications.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Impact Factor: 4.029
Times cited: 11
DOI: 10.1039/c4dt03719g
|
“Investigation of the morphology of the mesoporous SBA-16 and SBA-15 materials”. Stevens WJJ, Lebeau K, Mertens M, Van Tendeloo G, Cool P, Vansant EF, The journal of physical chemistry : B : condensed matter, materials, surfaces, interfaces and biophysical 110, 9183 (2006). http://doi.org/10.1021/jp0548725
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Impact Factor: 3.177
Times cited: 109
DOI: 10.1021/jp0548725
|
“Mechanistic Insight into the Photocatalytic Working of Fluorinated Anatase {001} Nanosheets”. Kus M, Altantzis T, Vercauteren S, Caretti I, Leenaerts O, Batenburg KJ, Mertens M, Meynen V, Partoens B, Van Doorslaer S, Bals S, Cool P, The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces 121, 26275 (2017). http://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b05586
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.
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Impact Factor: 4.536
Times cited: 20
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b05586
|
“New insights into the mesophase transformation of ethane-bridged PMOs by the influence of different counterions under basic conditions”. Lin F, Meng, Kukueva E, Mertens M, Van Doorslaer S, Bals S, Cool P, RSC advances 5, 5553 (2015). http://doi.org/10.1039/c4ra15849k
Abstract: The counterions are of crucial importance in determining the mesostructure and morphology of ethanebridged PMO materials synthesized under basic conditions. By using CTABr as the surfactant, the final PMO materials show a 2-D hexagonal (p6mm) mesophase, while PMO materials with cubic (Pm (3) over barn ) mesostructure are obtained when CTACl or CTA(SO4)(1)/(2) are used. With gradually replacing CTABr by CTACl or CTA(SO4) (1)/(2) while keeping the total surfactant concentration constant, a clear p6mm to Pm (3) over barn 3n mesophase evolution process is observed. For a given gel composition, the mesophase of ethanebridged PMO materials can also be adjusted by the addition of different sodium salts. In short, the effect of the counterions on the mesophase can be attributed to the binding strength of the ions on the surfactant micelles, which follows the Hofmeister series (SO42- < Cl- < Br-< NO3- < SCN-). Furthermore, it is found that the hydrolysis and condensation rate of the organosilica precursor also plays an important role in the formation of the final mesostructure
Keywords: A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Impact Factor: 3.108
Times cited: 6
DOI: 10.1039/c4ra15849k
|