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Author Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; Bogaerts, A.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Reactive molecular dynamics simulations on SiO2-coated ultra-small Si-nanowires Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2013 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 5 Issue 2 Pages 719-725  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The application of coreshell SiSiO2 nanowires as nanoelectronic devices strongly depends on their structure, which is difficult to tune precisely. In this work, we investigate the formation of the coreshell nanowires at the atomic scale, by reactive molecular dynamics simulations. The occurrence of two temperature-dependent oxidation mechanisms of ultra-small diameter Si-NWs is demonstrated. We found that control over the Si-core radius and the SiOx (x ≤ 2) oxide shell is possible by tuning the growth temperature and the initial Si-NW diameter. Two different structures were obtained, i.e., ultrathin SiO2 silica nanowires at high temperature and Si core|ultrathin SiO2 silica nanowires at low temperature. The transition temperature is found to linearly decrease with the nanowire curvature. Finally, the interfacial stress is found to be responsible for self-limiting oxidation, depending on both the initial Si-NW radius and the oxide growth temperature. These novel insights allow us to gain control over the exact morphology and structure of the wires, as is needed for their application in nanoelectronics.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Cambridge Editor  
  Language Wos 000313426200036 Publication Date 2012-11-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 2040-3364;2040-3372; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 17 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 7.367; 2013 IF: 6.739  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:102584 Serial 2824  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Engelmann, Y.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Thermodynamics at the nanoscale : phase diagrams of nickel-carbon nanoclusters and equilibrium constants for face transitions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 6 Issue Pages 11981-11987  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; PLASMANT  
  Abstract Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations, the melting behavior of nickelcarbon nanoclusters is examined. The phase diagrams of icosahedral and Wulff polyhedron clusters are determined using both the Lindemann index and the potential energy. Formulae are derived for calculating the equilibrium constants and the solid and liquid fractions during a phase transition, allowing more rational determination of the melting temperature with respect to the arbitrary Lindemann value. These results give more insight into the properties of nickelcarbon nanoclusters in general and can specifically be very useful for a better understanding of the synthesis of carbon nanotubes using the catalytic chemical vapor deposition method.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Cambridge Editor  
  Language Wos 000343000800049 Publication Date 2014-07-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 2040-3364;2040-3372; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 20 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 7.367; 2014 IF: 7.394  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:119408 Serial 3636  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Engelmann; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Thermodynamics at the nanoscale: phase diagrams of nickel-carbon nanoclusters and equilibrium constants for phase transitions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 6 Issue 20 Pages 11981-11987  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations, the melting behavior of nickel-carbon nanoclusters is examined. The phase diagrams of icosahedral and Wulff polyhedron clusters are determined using both the Lindemann index and the potential energy. Formulae are derived for calculating the equilibrium constants and the solid and liquid fractions during a phase transition, allowing more rational determination of the melting temperature with respect to the arbitrary Lindemann value. These results give more insight into the properties of nickel-carbon nanoclusters in general and can specifically be very useful for a better understanding of the synthesis of carbon nanotubes using the catalytic chemical vapor deposition method.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Cambridge Editor  
  Language Wos 000343000800049 Publication Date 2014-07-24  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 2040-3364;2040-3372; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 20 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 7.367; 2014 IF: 7.394  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:121106 Serial 3637  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Faraji, F.; Neek-Amal, M.; Neyts, E.C.; Peeters, F.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Indentation of graphene nano-bubbles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 14 Issue 15 Pages 5876-5883  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the effect of an AFM tip when indenting graphene nano bubbles filled by a noble gas (i.e. He, Ne and Ar) up to the breaking point. The failure points resemble those of viral shells as described by the Foppl-von Karman (FvK) dimensionless number defined in the context of elasticity theory of thin shells. At room temperature, He gas inside the bubbles is found to be in the liquid state while Ne and Ar atoms are in the solid state although the pressure inside the nano bubble is below the melting pressure of the bulk. The trapped gases are under higher hydrostatic pressure at low temperatures than at room temperature.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000776763000001 Publication Date 2022-03-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 2040-3364; 2040-3372 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 6.7 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 6.7  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:187924 Serial 7171  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Khalilov, U.; Bogaerts, A.; Xu, B.; Kato, T.; Kaneko, T.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title How the alignment of adsorbed ortho H pairs determines the onset of selective carbon nanotube etching Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale  
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 1653-1661  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Unlocking the enormous technological potential of carbon nanotubes strongly depends on our ability to specifically produce metallic or semiconducting tubes. While selective etching of both has already been demonstrated, the underlying reasons, however, remain elusive as yet. We here present computational and experimental evidence on the operative mechanisms at the atomic scale. We demonstrate that during the adsorption of H atoms and their coalescence, the adsorbed ortho hydrogen pairs on single-walled carbon nanotubes induce higher shear stresses than axial stresses, leading to the elongation of HC–CH bonds as a function of their alignment with the tube chirality vector, which we denote as the γ-angle. As a result, the C–C cleavage occurs more rapidly in nanotubes containing ortho H-pairs with a small γ-angle. This phenomenon can explain the selective etching of small-diameter semiconductor nanotubes with a similar curvature. Both theoretical and experimental results strongly indicate the important role of the γ-angle in the selective etching mechanisms of carbon nanotubes, in addition to the nanotube curvature and metallicity effects and lead us to clearly understand the onset of selective synthesis/removal of CNT-based materials.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000395422800036 Publication Date 2016-12-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes U. K. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Fund of Scientific Research Flanders (FWO), Belgium (Grant No. 12M1315N). This work was also supported in part by Grant-in- Aid for Young Scientists A (Grant No. 25706028), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Grant No. 26107502) from JSPS KAKENHI. This work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UA), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UA. The authors also thank Prof. A. C. T. van Duin for sharing the ReaxFF code and J. Razzokov for his assistance to perform the DFT calculations. Approved Most recent IF: 7.367  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:140091 Serial 4417  
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Author Bal, K.M.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Ensemble-Based Molecular Simulation of Chemical Reactions under Vibrational Nonequilibrium Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry Letters Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem Lett  
  Volume 11 Issue 2 Pages 401-406  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract We present an approach to incorporate the effect of vibrational nonequilibrium in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. A perturbed canonical ensemble, in which selected modes are excited to higher temperature while all others remain equilibrated at low temperature, is simulated by applying a specifically tailored bias potential. Our method can be readily applied to any (classical or quantum mechanical) MD setup at virtually no additional computational cost and allows the study of reactions of vibrationally excited molecules in nonequilibrium environments such as plasmas. In combination with enhanced sampling methods, the vibrational efficacy and mode selectivity of vibrationally stimulated reactions can then be quantified in terms of chemically relevant observables, such as reaction rates and apparent free energy barriers. We first validate our method for the prototypical hydrogen exchange reaction and then show how it can capture the effect of vibrational excitation on a symmetric SN2 reaction and radical addition on CO2.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000508473400008 Publication Date 2020-01-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1948-7185 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 5.7 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Universiteit Antwerpen; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 12ZI420N ; Departement Economie, Wetenschap en Innovatie van de Vlaamse Overheid; K.M.B. was funded as a junior postdoctoral fellow of the FWO (Research Foundation − Flanders), Grant 12ZI420N, and through a TOP-BOF research project of the University of Antwerp. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the FWO and the Flemish Government− department EWI. Approved Most recent IF: 5.7; 2020 IF: 9.353  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:165587 Serial 5442  
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Author Gogoi, A.; Neyts, E.C.; Milošević, M.V.; Peeters, F.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Arresting aqueous swelling of layered graphene-oxide membranes with H3O+ and OH- ions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal Acs Appl Mater Inter  
  Volume 14 Issue 30 Pages 34946-34954  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Over the past decade, graphene oxide (GO) has emerged as a promising membrane material with superior separation performance and intriguing mechanical/chemical stability. However, its practical implementation remains very challenging primarily because of its undesirable swelling in an aqueous environment. Here, we demonstrated that dissociation of water molecules into H3O+ and OH- ions inside the interlayer gallery of a layered GO membrane can strongly affect its stability and performance. We reveal that H3O+ and OH- ions form clusters inside the GO laminates that impede the permeance of water and salt ions through the membrane. Dynamics of those clusters is sensitive to an external ac electric field, which can be used to tailor the membrane performance. The presence of H3O+ and OH- ions also leads to increased stability of the hydrogen bond (H-bond) network among the water molecules and the GO layers, which further reduces water permeance through the membrane, while crucially imparting stability to the layered GO membrane against undesirable swelling. KEYWORDS: layered graphene-oxide membrane, aqueous stability, H3O+ and OH- ions, external electric field, molecular dynamics  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000835946500001 Publication Date 2022-07-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 9.5 Times cited 9 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.5  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:189467 Serial 7127  
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Author Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. doi  openurl
  Title Modeling the growth of SWNTs and graphene on the atomic scale Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication ECS transactions Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 45 Issue 4 Pages 73-78  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The possibility of application of nanomaterials is determined by our ability to control the properties of the materials, which are ultimately determined by their structure and hence their growth processes. We employ hybrid molecular dynamics / Monte Carlo (MD/MC) simulations to explore the growth of SWNTs and graphene on nickel as a catalyst, with the specific goal of unraveling the growth mechanisms. While the general observations are in agreement with the literature, we find a number of interesting phenomena to be operative which are crucial for the growth, and which are not accessible by MD simulations alone due to the associated time scale. Specifically, we observe metal mediated healing and restructuring processes to take place, reorganizing the carbon network during the initial nucleation step. In the case of carbon nanotube growth, this leads to the growth of tubes with a determinable chirality. In the case of graphene formation, we find that graphene is only formed at temperatures above 700 K. These results are of importance for understanding the growth mechanisms of these carbon nanomaterials on the fundamental level.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Electrochemical Society Place of Publication Pennington Editor  
  Language Wos 000316890000008 Publication Date 2012-04-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1938-6737;1938-5862; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:108535 Serial 2144  
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Author Neyts, E.C.; Shibuta, Y.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Bogaerts, A. doi  openurl
  Title Catalyzed growth of carbon nanotube with definable chirality by hybrid molecular dynamics-force biased Monte Carlo simulations Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2010 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano  
  Volume 4 Issue 11 Pages 6665-6672  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Metal-catalyzed growth mechanisms of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were studied by hybrid molecular dynamics−Monte Carlo simulations using a recently developed ReaxFF reactive force field. Using this novel approach, including relaxation effects, a CNT with definable chirality is obtained, and a step-by-step atomistic description of the nucleation process is presented. Both root and tip growth mechanisms are observed. The importance of the relaxation of the network is highlighted by the observed healing of defects.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000284438000043 Publication Date 2010-10-12  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1936-0851;1936-086X; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 129 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 13.942; 2010 IF: 9.865  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:84759 Serial 294  
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Author Khosravian, N.; Bogaerts, A.; Huygh, S.; Yusupov, M.; Neyts, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title How do plasma-generated OH radicals react with biofilm components? Insights from atomic scale simulations Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication Biointerphases Abbreviated Journal Biointerphases  
  Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 029501  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The application of nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma is emerging as an alternative and efficient technique for the inactivation of bacterial biofilms. In this study, reactive molecular dynamics simulations were used to examine the reaction mechanisms of hydroxyl radicals, as key reactive oxygen plasma species in biological systems, with several organic molecules (i.e., alkane, alcohol, carboxylic acid, and amine), as prototypical components of biomolecules in the biofilm. Our results demonstrate that organic molecules containing hydroxyl and carboxyl groups may act as trapping agents for the OH radicals. Moreover, the impact of OH radicals on N-acetyl-glucosamine, as constituent component of staphylococcus epidermidis biofilms, was investigated. The results show how impacts of OH radicals lead to hydrogen abstraction and subsequent molecular damage. This study thus provides new data on the reaction mechanisms of plasma species, and particularly the OH radicals, with fundamental components of bacterial biofilms.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000357195600019 Publication Date 2014-12-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1934-8630;1559-4106; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.603 Times cited 10 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.603; 2015 IF: 3.374  
  Call Number c:irua:121371 Serial 1492  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Huygh, S.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Adsorption of C and CHx radicals on anatase (001) and the influence of oxygen vacancies Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 119 Issue 119 Pages 4908-4921  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The adsorption of C and CHx radicals on anatase (001) was studied using DFT within the generalized gradient approximation using the Perde-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional. We have studied the influence of oxygen vacancies in and at the surface on the adsorption properties of the radicals. For the oxygen vacancies in anatase (001), the most stable vacancy is located at the surface. For this vacancy, the maximal adsorption strength of C and CH decreases compared to the adsorption on the stoichiometric surface, but it increases for CH2 and CH3. If an oxygen vacancy is present in the first subsurface layer, the maximal adsorption strength increases for C, CH, CH2, and CH3. When the vacancy is present in the next subsurface layer, we find that only the CH3 adsorption is enhanced, while the maximal adsorption energies for the other radical species decrease. Not only does the precise location of the oxygen vacancy determine the maximal adsorption interaction, it also influences the adsorption strengths of the radicals at different surface configurations. This determines the probability of finding a certain adsorption configuration at the surface, which in turn influences the possible surface reactions. We find that C preferentially adsorbs far away from the oxygen vacancy, while CH2 and CH3 adsorb preferentially at the oxygen vacancy site. A fraction of CH partially adsorbs at the oxygen vacancy, and another fraction adsorbs further away from the vacancy.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000350840700052 Publication Date 2015-02-18  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 13 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2015 IF: 4.772  
  Call Number c:irua:124909 Serial 63  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Khalilov, U.; Neyts, E.C.; Pourtois, G.; van Duin, A.C.T. doi  openurl
  Title Can we control the thickness of ultrathin silica layers by hyperthermal silicon oxidation at room temperature? Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2011 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 115 Issue 50 Pages 24839-24848  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations by means of the ReaxFF potential, we studied the growth mechanism of ultrathin silica (SiO2) layers during hyperthermal oxidation at room temperature. Oxidation of Si(100){2 × 1} surfaces by both atomic and molecular oxygen was investigated in the energy range 15 eV. The oxidation mechanism, which differs from thermal oxidation, is discussed. In the case of oxidation by molecular O2, silica is quickly formed and the thickness of the formed layers remains limited compared to oxidation by atomic oxygen. The Si/SiO2 interfaces are analyzed in terms of partial charges and angle distributions. The obtained structures of the ultrathin SiO2 films are amorphous, including some intrinsic defects. This study is important for the fabrication of silica-based devices in the micro- and nanoelectronics industry, and more specifically for the fabrication of metal oxide semiconductor devices.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000297947700050 Publication Date 2011-11-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 36 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2011 IF: 4.805  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:94303 Serial 273  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Tinck, S.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Fluorinesilicon surface reactions during cryogenic and near room temperature etching 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 51 Pages 30315-30324  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Cyrogenic etching of silicon is envisaged to enable better control over plasma processing in the microelectronics industry, albeit little is known about the fundamental differences compared to the room temperature process. We here present molecular dynamics simulations carried out to obtain sticking probabilities, thermal desorption rates, surface diffusion speeds, and sputter yields of F, F2, Si, SiF, SiF2, SiF3, SiF4, and the corresponding ions on Si(100) and on SiF13 surfaces, both at cryogenic and near room temperature. The different surface behavior during conventional etching and cryoetching is discussed. F2 is found to be relatively reactive compared to other species like SiF03. Thermal desorption occurs at a significantly lower rate under cryogenic conditions, which results in an accumulation of physisorbed species. Moreover, ion incorporation is often observed for ions with energies of 30400 eV, which results in a relatively low net sputter yield. The obtained results suggest that the actual etching of Si, under both cryogenic and near room temperature conditions, is based on the complete conversion of the Si surface to physisorbed SiF4, followed by subsequent sputtering of these molecules, instead of direct sputtering of the SiF03 surface.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000347360200101 Publication Date 2014-11-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 11 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2014 IF: 4.772  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:122957 Serial 1239  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C. doi  openurl
  Title Hyperthermal oxidation of Si(100)2x1 surfaces : effect of growth temperature Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 116 Issue 15 Pages 8649-8656  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations based on the ReaxFF potential, we studied the growth mechanism of ultrathin silica (SiO2) layers during hyperthermal oxidation as a function of temperature in the range 100-1300 K. Oxidation of Si(100){2 x 1} surfaces by both atomic and molecular oxygen was investigated for hyperthermal impact energies in the range of 1 to 5 eV. Two different growth mechanisms are found, corresponding to a low temperature oxidation and a high temperature one. The transition temperature between these mechanisms is estimated to be about 700 K. Also, the initial step of the Si oxidation process is analyzed in detail. Where possible, we validated our results with experimental and ab initio data, and good agreement was obtained. This study is important for the fabrication of silica-based devices in the micro- and nanoelectronics industry and, more specifically, for the fabrication of metal oxide semiconductor devices.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000302924900035 Publication Date 2012-03-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 32 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2012 IF: 4.814  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:98259 Serial 1542  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Neyts, E.C.; Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; van Duin, A.C.T. doi  openurl
  Title Hyperthermal oxygen interacting with silicon surfaces : adsorption, implantation, and damage creation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2011 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 115 Issue 15 Pages 4818-4823  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations, we have investigated the effect of single-impact, low-energy (thermal-100 eV) bombardment of a Si(100){2 × 1} surface by atomic and molecular oxygen. Penetration probability distributions, as well as defect formation distributions, are presented as a function of the impact energy for both species. It is found that at low impact energy, defects are created chemically due to the chemisorption process in the top layers of the surface, while at high impact energy, additional defects are created by a knock-on displacement of Si. These results are of particular importance for understanding device performances of silica-based microelectronic and photovoltaic devices.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000288401200060 Publication Date 2011-03-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 28 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2011 IF: 4.805  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:89858 Serial 1543  
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Author Kato, T.; Neyts, E.C.; Abiko, Y.; Akama, T.; Hatakeyama, R.; Kaneko, T. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Kinetics of energy selective Cs encapsulation in single-walled carbon nanotubes for damage-free and position-selective doping Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 119 Issue 119 Pages 11903-11908  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract A method has been developed for damage-free cesium (Cs) encapsulation within single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with fine position selectivity. Precise energy tuning of Cs-ion irradiation revealed that there is a clear energy window (2060 eV) for the efficient encapsulation of Cs through the hexagonal network of SWNT sidewalls without causing significant damage. This minimum energy threshold of Cs-ion encapsulation (∼20 eV) matches well with the value obtained by ab initio simulation (∼22 eV). Furthermore, position-selective Cs encapsulation was carried out, resulting in the successful formation of pn-junction SWNT thin films with excellent environmental stability.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000355495600072 Publication Date 2015-05-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 3 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2015 IF: 4.772  
  Call Number c:irua:125928 Serial 1760  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; Huygh, S.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title New mechanism for oxidation of native silicon oxide Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2013 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 117 Issue 19 Pages 9819-9825  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Continued miniaturization of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) requires an ever-decreasing thickness of the gate oxide. The structure of ultrathin silicon oxide films, however, critically depends on the oxidation mechanism. Using reactive atomistic simulations, we here demonstrate how the oxidation mechanism in hyperthermal oxidation of such structures may be controlled by the oxidation temperature and the oxidant energy. Specifically, we study the interaction of hyperthermal oxygen with energies of 15 eV with thin SiOx (x ≤ 2) films with a native oxide thickness of about 10 Å. We analyze the oxygen penetration depth probability and compare with results of the hyperthermal oxidation of a bare Si(100){2 × 1} (c-Si) surface. The temperature-dependent oxidation mechanisms are discussed in detail. Our results demonstrate that, at low (i.e., room) temperature, the penetrated oxygen mostly resides in the oxide region rather than at the SiOx|c-Si interface. However, at higher temperatures, starting at around 700 K, oxygen atoms are found to penetrate and to diffuse through the oxide layer followed by reaction at the c-Si boundary. We demonstrate that hyperthermal oxidation resembles thermal oxidation, which can be described by the DealGrove model at high temperatures. Furthermore, defect creation mechanisms that occur during the oxidation process are also analyzed. This study is useful for the fabrication of ultrathin silicon oxide gate oxides for metal-oxide-semiconductor devices as it links parameters that can be straightforwardly controlled in experiment (oxygen temperature, velocity) with the silicon oxide structure.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000319649100032 Publication Date 2013-04-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 24 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2013 IF: 4.835  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:107989 Serial 2321  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C. doi  openurl
  Title On the c-Si\mid a-SiO2 interface in hyperthermal Si oxidation at room temperature Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 116 Issue 41 Pages 21856-21863  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The exact structure and properties of the Si vertical bar SiO2 interface are very important in microelectronics and photovoltaic devices such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and solar cells. Whereas Si vertical bar SiO2 structures are traditionally produced by thermal oxidation, hyperthermal oxidation shows a number of promising advantages. However, the Si vertical bar SiO2 interface induced in hyperthermal Si oxidation has not been properly investigated yet. Therefore, in this work, the interface morphology and interfacial stresses during hyperthermal oxidation at room temperature are studied using reactive molecular dynamics simulations based on the ReaxFF potential. Interface thickness and roughness, as well as the bond length and bond angle distributions in the interface are discussed and compared with other models developed for the interfaces induced by traditional thermal oxidation. The formation of a compressive stress is observed. This compressive stress, which at the interface amounts about 2 GPa, significantly slows down the inward silica growth. This value is close to the experimental value in the Si vertical bar SiO2 interface obtained in traditional thermal oxidation.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000309902100026 Publication Date 2012-09-26  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 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  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2012 IF: 4.814  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:102167 Serial 2458  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yusupov, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Huygh, S.; Snoeckx, R.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasma-induced destruction of bacterial cell wall components : a reactive molecular dynamics simulation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2013 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 117 Issue 11 Pages 5993-5998  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasmas are gaining increasing attention for biomedical applications. However, very little fundamental information on the interaction mechanisms between the plasma species and biological cells is currently available. We investigate the interaction of important plasma species, such as OH, H2O2, O, O3, as well as O2 and H2O, with bacterial peptidoglycan by means of reactive molecular dynamics simulations, aiming for a better understanding of plasma disinfection. Our results show that OH, O, O3, and H2O2 can break structurally important bonds of peptidoglycan (i.e., CO, CN, or CC bonds), which consequently leads to the destruction of the bacterial cell wall. The mechanisms behind these breakups are, however, dependent on the impinging plasma species, and this also determines the effectiveness of the cell wall destruction.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000316773000056 Publication Date 2013-02-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 59 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2013 IF: 4.835  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:107154 Serial 2636  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Somers, W.; Bogaerts, A.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasma species interacting with nickel surfaces : toward an atomic scale understanding of plasma-catalysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 116 Issue 39 Pages 20958-20965  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The adsorption probability and reaction behavior of CHx plasma species on various nickel catalyst surfaces is investigated by means of reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the ReaxFF potential. Such catalysts are used in the reforming of hydrocarbons and in the growth of carbon nanotubes, and further insight in the underlying mechanisms of these processes is needed to increase their applicability. Single and consecutive impacts of CHx radicals (x={1,2,3}) were performed on four different Ni surfaces, at a temperature of 400 K. The adsorption probability is shown to be related to the number of free electrons, i.e. a higher number leads to more adsorptions, and the steric hindrance caused by the hydrogen atoms bonded to the impacting CHx species. Furthermore, some of the CH bonds break after adsorption, which generally leads to diffusion of the hydrogen atom over the surface. Additionally, these adsorbed H-atoms can be used in reactions to form new molecules, such as CH4 and C2Hx, although this is dependent on the precise morphology of the surface. New molecules are also formed by subtraction of H-atoms from adsorbed radicals, leading to occasional formation of H2 and C2Hx molecules.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000309375700040 Publication Date 2012-09-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447;1932-7455; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 37 Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2012 IF: 4.814  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:101522 Serial 2640  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Grubova, I.Y.; Surmeneva, M.A.; Huygh, S.; Surmenev, R.A.; Neyts, E.C. doi  openurl
  Title Density functional theory study of interface interactions in hydroxyapatite/rutile composites for biomedical applications 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 29 Pages 15687-15695  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract To gain insight into the nature of the adhesion mechanism between hydroxyapatite (HA) and rutile (rTiO(2)), the mutual affinity between their surfaces was systematically studied using density functional theory (DFT). We calculated both bulk and surface properties of HA and rTiO(2), and explored the interfacial bonding mechanism of amorphous HA (aHA) surface onto amorphous as well as stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric crystalline rTiO(2). Formation energies of bridging and subbridging oxygen vacancies considered in the rTiO(2)(110) surface were evaluated and compared with other theoretical and experimental results. The interfacial interaction was evaluated through the work of adhesion. For the aHA/rTiO(2)(110) interfaces, the work of adhesion is found to depend strongly on the chemical environment of the rTiO(2)(110) surface. Electronic analysis indicates that the charge transfer is very small in the case of interface formation between aHA and crystalline rTiO(2)(110). In contrast, significant charge transfer occurs between aHA and amorphous rTiO(2) (aTiO(2)) slabs during the formation of the interface. Charge density difference (CDD) analysis indicates that the dominant interactions in the interface have significant covalent character, and in particular the Ti-O and Ca-O bonds. Thus, the obtained results reveal that the aHA/aTiO(2) interface shows a more preferable interaction and is thermodynamically more stable than other interfaces. These results are particularly important for improving the long-term stability of HA-based implants.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000406726200022 Publication Date 2017-06-27  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 5 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:145195 Serial 4715  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vets, C.; Neyts, E.C. doi  openurl
  Title Stabilities of bimetallic nanoparticles for chirality-selective carbon nanotube growth and the effect of carbon interstitials 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 28 Pages 15430-15436  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Bimetallic nanoparticles play a crucial role in various applications. A better understanding of their properties would facilitate these applications and possibly even enable chirality-specific growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We here examine the stabilities of NiFe, NiGa, and FeGa nanoparticles and the effect of carbon dissolved in NiFe nanoparticles through density functional theory (DFT) calculations and Born Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations. We establish that nanoparticles with more Fe in the core and more Ga on the surface are more stable and compare these results with well-known properties such as surface energy and atom size. Furthermore, we find that the nanoparticles become more stable with increasing carbon content, both at 0 K and at 700 K. These results provide a basis for further research into the chirality-specific growth of CNT's.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000406355700050 Publication Date 2017-06-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 2 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:145206 Serial 4725  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Jafarzadeh, A.; Bal, K.M.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title CO2 activation on TiO2-supported Cu5 and Ni5 nanoclusters : effect of plasma-induced surface charging Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 123 Issue 11 Pages 6516-6525  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Surface charging is an often overlooked factor in many plasma-surface interactions and in particular in plasma catalysis. In this study, we investigate the effect of excess electrons induced by a plasma on the adsorption properties of CO2 on titania-supported Cu-5 and Ni-5 clusters using spin-polarized and dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations. The effect of excess electrons on the adsorption of Ni and Cu pentamers as well as on CO2 adsorption on a pristine anatase TiO2(101) slab is studied. Our results indicate that adding plasma-induced excess electrons to the system leads to further stabilization of the bent CO2 structure. Also, dissociation of CO2 on charged clusters is energetically more favorable than on neutral clusters. We hypothesize that surface charge is a plausible cause for the synergistic effects sometimes observed in plasma catalysis.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000462260700024 Publication Date 2019-02-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 4 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:159422 Serial 5281  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Nematollahi, P.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Identification of a unique pyridinic FeN4Cx electrocatalyst for N₂ reduction : tailoring the coordination and carbon topologies Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 126 Issue 34 Pages 14460-14469  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Although the heterogeneity of pyrolyzed Fe???N???C materials is known and has been reported previously, the atomic structure of the active sites and their detailed reaction mechanisms are still unknown. Here, we identified two pyridinic Fe???N4-like centers with different local C coordinates, i.e., FeN4C8 and FeN4C10, and studied their electrocatalytic activity for the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We also discovered the influence of the adsorption of NH2 as a functional ligand on catalyst performance on the NRR. We confirmed that the NRR selectivity of the studied catalysts is essentially governed either by the local C coordination or by the dynamic structure associated with the FeII/FeIII. Our investigations indicate that the proposed traditional pyridinic FeN4C10 has higher catalytic activity and selectivity for the NRR than the robust FeN4C8 catalyst, while it may have outstanding activity for promoting other (electro)catalytic reactions. <comment>Superscript/Subscript Available</comment  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000859545200001 Publication Date 2022-08-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 3.7 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 3.7  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:191469 Serial 7268  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Van de Sompel, P.; Khalilov, U.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Contrasting H-etching to OH-etching in plasma-assisted nucleation of carbon nanotubes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 125 Issue 14 Pages 7849-7855  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract To gain full control over the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a thorough understanding of the underlying plasma-catalyst mechanisms is required. Oxygen-containing species are often used as or added to the growth precursor gas, but these species also yield various radicals and ions, which may simultaneously etch the CNT during the growth. At present, the effect of these reactive species on the growth onset has not yet been thoroughly investigated. We here report on the etching mechanism of incipient CNT structures from OH and O radicals as derived from combined (reactive) molecular dynamics (MD) and force-bias Monte Carlo (tfMC) simulations. Our results indicate that the oxygen-containing radicals initiate a dissociation process. In particular, we show how the oxygen species weaken the interaction between the CNT and the nanocluster. As a result of this weakened interaction, the CNT closes off and dissociates from the cluster in the form of a fullerene. Beyond the specific systems studied in this work, these results are generically important in the context of PECVD-based growth of CNTs using oxygen-containing precursors.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000641307100032 Publication Date 2021-04-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:178393 Serial 7729  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Nematollahi, P.; Ma, H.; Schneider, W.F.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title DFT and microkinetic comparison of ru-doped porphyrin-like graphene and nanotubes toward catalytic formic acid decomposition and formation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Physical Chemistry C Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 125 Issue 34 Pages 18673-18683  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Immobilization of single metal atoms on a solid host opens numerous possibilities for catalyst designs. If that host is a two-dimensional sheet, sheet curvature becomes a design parameter potentially complementary to host and metal composition. Here, we use a combination of density functional theory calculations and microkinetic modeling to compare the mechanisms and kinetics of formic acid decomposition and formation, chosen for their relevance as a potential hydrogen storage medium, over single Ru atoms anchored to pyridinic nitrogen in a planar graphene flake (RuN4-G) and curved carbon nanotube (RuN4-CNT). Activation barriers are lowered and the predicted turnover frequencies are increased over RuN4-CNT relative to RuN4-CNT. The results highlight the potential of curvature control as a means to achieve high performance and robust catalysts.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000693413400013 Publication Date 2021-08-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447; 1932-7455 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:181538 Serial 7805  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. openurl 
  Title Numerical study of the size-dependent melting mechanisms of nickel nanoclusters Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2009 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C  
  Volume 113 Issue 7 Pages 2771-2776  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the size-dependent melting mechanism of nickel nanoclusters of various sizes. The melting process was monitored by the caloric curve, the overall cluster Lindemann index, and the atomic Lindemann index. Size-dependent melting temperatures were determined, and the correct linear dependence on inverse diameter was recovered. We found that the melting mechanism gradually changes from dynamic coexistence melting to surface melting with increasing cluster size. These findings are of importance in better understanding carbon nanotube growth by catalytic chemical vapor deposition as the phase state of the catalyst nanoparticle codetermines the growth mechanism.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 0000-00-00  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited Open Access  
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2009 IF: 4.224  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:76495 Serial 2410  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Khalilov, U.; Yusupov, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Selective Plasma Oxidation of Ultrasmall Si Nanowires 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 472-477  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Device performance of Si|SiOx core-shell based nanowires critically depends on the exact control over the oxide thickness. Low-temperature plasma oxidation is a highly promising alternative to thermal oxidation allowing for improved control over the oxidation process, in particular for ultrasmall Si nanowires. We here elucidate the room temperature plasma oxidation mechanisms of ultrasmall Si nanowires using hybrid molecular dynamics / force-bias Monte Carlo simulations. We demonstrate how the oxidation and concurrent water formation mechanisms are a function of the oxidizing plasma species and we demonstrate how the resulting core-shell oxide thickness can be controlled through these species. A new mechanism of water formation is discussed in detail. The results provide a detailed atomic level explanation of the oxidation process of highly curved Si surfaces. These results point out a route toward plasma-based formation of ultrathin core-shell Si|SiOx nanowires at room temperature.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000368562200057 Publication Date 2015-12-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 3 Open Access  
  Notes U.K. and M.Y. gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), Grants 12M1315N and 1200216N. This work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UA), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the UA. We thank Prof. A. C. T. van Duin for sharing the ReaxFF code. Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number c:irua:130677 Serial 4002  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Huygh, S.; Bogaerts, A.; Neyts, E.C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title How Oxygen Vacancies Activate CO2 Dissociation on TiO2 Anatase (001) 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 21659-21669  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract The adsorption, dissociation, and diffusion of CO2 on the anatase (001) surface was studied using DFT by means of the generalized gradient approximation using the Perdew−Burcke−Ernzerhof (PBE)-functional and applying corrections for long-range dispersion interactions. Different stable adsorption configurations were identified for the fully oxidized surface. The most stable adsorption configuration is the monodentated carbonate-like structure. Small energy barriers were identified for the conversion of a physisorbed to a chemisorbed configuration.

CO2 dissociation is found to be unfeasible on the stoichiometric surface. The introduction of oxygen vacancy defects gives rise to new highly stable adsorption configurations with a stronger activation of the C−O bonds. This leads to the possibility of exothermic dissociation of CO2 with barriers up to 22.2 kcal/mol,

corresponding to chemical lifetimes of less than 4 s at 300 K. These reactions cause a CO molecule to be formed, which will easily desorb, and the reduced surface to become oxidized. It is clear that oxygen vacancy defects play a key role in the catalytic activity of an anatase (001) surface. Oxygen vacancies play an important role in the dissociation of CO2 on the anatase (001) surface, and will play a significant role in complex problems, such as the catalytic conversion of CO2 to value-added chemicals.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000384626800055 Publication Date 2016-09-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 49 Open Access  
  Notes Stijn Huygh is funded as an aspirant of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, project number 11C0115N). This work was carried out using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerpen), a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI), and the UAntwerpen. Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:136164 Serial 4291  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zhang, Y.-R.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Influence of the Material Dielectric Constant on Plasma Generation inside Catalyst Pores 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 25923-25934  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)  
  Abstract Plasma catalysis is gaining increasing interest for various environmental applications, but the crucial question is whether plasma can be created inside catalyst pores and under which conditions. In practice, various catalytic support materials are used, with various dielectric constants. We investigate here the influence of the dielectric constant on the plasma properties inside catalyst pores and in the sheath in front of the pores, for various pore sizes. The calculations are performed by a two-dimensional fluid model for an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in helium. The electron impact ionization rate, electron temperature, electron and ion density, as well as the potential distribution and surface charge density, are analyzed for a better understanding of the discharge behavior inside catalyst pores. The results indicate that, in a 100 μm pore, the electron impact ionization in the pore, which is characteristic for the plasma generation inside the pore, is greatly enhanced for dielectric constants below 300. Smaller pore sizes only yield enhanced ionization for smaller dielectric constants, i.e., up to εr = 200, 150, and 50 for pore sizes of 50, 30, and 10 μm. Thus, the most common catalyst supports, i.e., Al2O3 and SiO2, which have dielectric constants around εr = 8−11 and 4.2, respectively, should allow more easily that microdischarges can be formed inside catalyst pores, even for smaller pore sizes. On the other hand, ferroelectric materials with dielectric constants above 300 never seem to yield plasma enhancement inside catalyst pores, not even for 100 μm pore sizes. Furthermore, it is clear that the dielectric constant of the material has a large effect on the extent of plasma enhancement inside the catalyst pores, especially in the range between εr = 4 and εr = 200. The obtained results are explained in detail based on the surface charge density at the pore walls,

and the potential distribution and electron temperature inside and above the pores. The results obtained with this model are

important for plasma catalysis, as the production plasma species in catalyst pores might affect the catalyst properties, and thus

improve the applications of plasma catalysis.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000388429100029 Publication Date 2016-11-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN (down) 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 34 Open Access  
  Notes This work was supported by the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO) (Grant G.0217.14N), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 11405019), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant 2015T80244). This work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI), and the University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 4.536  
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @ c:irua:138602 Serial 4319  
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