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Author Payne, L.M.; Albrecht, W.; Langbein, W.; Borri, P.
Title The optical nanosizer – quantitative size and shape analysis of individual nanoparticles by high-throughput widefield extinction microscopy Type A1 Journal article
Year 2020 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale
Volume Issue (down) Pages
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Nanoparticles are widely utilised for a range of applications, from catalysis to medicine, requiring accurate knowledge of their size and shape. Current techniques for particle characterisation are either not very accurate or time consuming and expensive. Here we demonstrate a rapid and quantitative method for particle analysis based on measuring the polarisation-resolved optical extinction cross-section of hundreds of individual nanoparticles using wide-field microscopy, and determining the particle size and shape from the optical properties. We show measurements on three samples consisting of nominally spherical gold nanoparticles of 20 nm and 30 nm diameter, and gold nanorods of 30 nm length and 10 nm diameter. Nanoparticle sizes and shapes in three dimensions are deduced from the measured optical cross-sections at different wavelengths and light polarisation, by solving the inverse problem, using an ellipsoid model of the particle polarisability in the dipole limit. The sensitivity of the method depends on the experimental noise and the choice of wavelengths. We show an uncertainty down to about 1 nm in mean diameter, and 10% in aspect ratio when using two or three color channels, for a noise of about 50 nm<sup>2</sup>in the measured cross-section. The results are in good agreement with transmission electron microscopy, both 2D projection and tomography, of the same sample batches. Owing to its combination of experimental simplicity, ease of access to statistics over many particles, accuracy, and geometrical particle characterisation in 3D, this “optical nanosizer” method has the potential to become the technique of choice for quality control in next-generation particle manufacturing.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000558928800022 Publication Date 2020-07-08
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 6.7 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
Notes This work was supported by a Welsh Government Life Sciences Bridging Fund (grant LSBF/R6-005) and by the UK EPSRC (grant no. EP/I005072/1 and EP/M028313/1). PB acknowledges the Royal Society for her Wolfson research merit award (grant WM140077). The authors acknowledge funding from the European Commission (Grant EUSMI E191000350). WA acknowledges an Individual Fellowship from the Marie Sklodowska-Curie actions (MSCA) under the EU’s Horizon 2020 program (Grant 797153, SOPMEN), and Sara Bals for supporting the STEM measurements. The bright-field TEM was performed by Thomas Davies at Cardiff University. We acknowledge Attilio Zilli for helpful discussions and contributions in calculating the relative field strengths in the illumination and finite-element simulation of cross-sections shown in the ESI.† We acknowledge Iestyn Pope for technical support of the optical equipment. Approved Most recent IF: 6.7; 2020 IF: 7.367
Call Number UA @ lucian @c:irua:170485 Serial 6397
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Author Liu, P.; Arslan Irmak, E.; De Backer, A.; De wael, A.; Lobato, I.; Béché, A.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S.
Title Three-dimensional atomic structure of supported Au nanoparticles at high temperature Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale
Volume 13 Issue (down) Pages
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Au nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on CeO2 are extensively used as thermal catalysts since the morphology of the NPs is expected to be stable at elevated temperatures. Although it is well known that the activity of Au NPs depends on their size and surface structure, their three-dimensional (3D) structure at the atomic scale has not been completely characterized as a function of temperature. In this paper, we overcome the limitations of conventional electron tomography by combining atom counting applied to aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy images and molecular dynamics relaxation. In this manner, we are able to perform an atomic resolution 3D investigation of supported Au NPs. Our results enable us to characterize the 3D equilibrium structure of single NPs as a function of temperature. Moreover, the dynamic 3D structural evolution of the NPs at high temperatures, including surface layer jumping and crystalline transformations, has been studied.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000612999200029 Publication Date 2020-12-29
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 13 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (Grant 815128 REALNANO to SB, Grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to SVA, Grant 823717 ESTEEM3). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through grants to A. D. w. and A. D. B. and project funding G.0267.18N.; sygma; esteem3JRA; esteem3reported Approved Most recent IF: 7.367
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:174858 Serial 6665
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Author Skorikov, A.; Heyvaert, W.; Albecht, W.; Pelt, D.M.; Bals, S.
Title Deep learning-based denoising for improved dose efficiency in EDX tomography of nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale
Volume 13 Issue (down) Pages 12242-12249
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract The combination of energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron tomography is a powerful approach to retrieve the 3D elemental distribution in nanomaterials, providing an unprecedented level of information for complex, multi-component systems, such as semiconductor devices, as well as catalytic and plasmonic nanoparticles. Unfortunately, the applicability of EDX tomography is severely limited because of extremely long acquisition times and high electron irradiation doses required to obtain 3D EDX reconstructions with an adequate signal-to-noise ratio. One possibility to address this limitation is intelligent denoising of experimental data using prior expectations about the objects of interest. Herein, this approach is followed using the deep learning methodology, which currently demonstrates state-of-the-art performance for an increasing number of data processing problems. Design choices for the denoising approach and training data are discussed with a focus on nanoparticle-like objects and extremely noisy signals typical for EDX experiments. Quantitative analysis of the proposed method demonstrates its significantly enhanced performance in comparison to classical denoising approaches. This allows for improving the tradeoff between the reconstruction quality, acquisition time and radiation dose for EDX tomography. The proposed method is therefore especially beneficial for the 3D EDX investigation of electron beam-sensitive materials and studies of nanoparticle transformations.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000671395800001 Publication Date 2021-07-08
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 016.Veni.192.235 ; H2020 European Research Council, 815128 ; H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, 797153 ; H2020 Research Infrastructures, 731019; realnano; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 7.367
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179756 Serial 6799
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Author Fatermans, J.; Romolini, G.; Altantzis, T.; Hofkens, J.; Roeffaers, M.B.J.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S.
Title Atomic-scale detection of individual lead clusters confined in Linde Type A zeolites Type A1 Journal article
Year 2022 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale
Volume Issue (down) Pages
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Abstract Structural analysis of metal clusters confined in nanoporous materials is typically performed by X-ray-driven techniques. Although X-ray analysis has proved its strength in the characterization of metal clusters, it provides averaged structural information. Therefore, we here present an alternative workflow for bringing the characterization of confined metal clusters towards the local scale. This workflow is based on the combination of aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM), TEM image simulations, and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) with advanced statistical techniques. In this manner, we were able to characterize the clustering of Pb atoms in Linde Type A (LTA) zeolites with Pb loadings as low as 5 wt%. Moreover, individual Pb clusters could be directly detected. The proposed methodology thus enables a local-scale characterization of confined metal clusters in zeolites. This is important for further elucidation of the connection between the structure and the physicochemical properties of such systems.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000809619900001 Publication Date 0000-00-00
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 6.7 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes The authors acknowledge the Research Foundation Flanders through project fundings (FWO, G026718N, G050218N, ZW15_09-G0H6316N, and W002221N) and through a PhD scholarship to G.R. (grant 11C6920N), as well as iBOF-21-085 PERSIST. T.A. and S.V.A. acknowledge funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). J.H. acknowledges the Flemish government through long-term structural funding Methusalem (CASAS2, Meth/15/04) and the MPI as MPI fellow. M.R. acknowledges funding by the KU Leuven Research Fund (C14/19/079). S.B. and S.V.A. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC Consolidator Grants No. 815128−REALNANO and No. 770887−PICOMETRICS). The authors thank Dr. D. Chernyshov for the collection of XRD measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 6.7
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:189061 Serial 7076
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Author Bekaert, J.; Sevik, C.; Milošević, M.V.
Title First-principles exploration of superconductivity in MXenes Type A1 Journal article
Year 2020 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale
Volume 12 Issue (down) Pages 17354-17361
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Abstract MXenes are an emerging class of two-dimensional materials, which in their thinnest limit consist of a monolayer of carbon or nitrogen (X) sandwiched between two transition metal (M) layers. We have systematically searched for superconductivity among MXenes for a range of transition metal elements, based on a full first-principles characterization in combination with the Eliashberg formalism. Thus, we identified six superconducting MXenes: three carbides (Mo2C, W2C and Sc2C) and three nitrides (Mo2N, W2N and Ta2N). The highest critical temperature of similar to 16 K is found in Mo2N, for which a successful synthesis method has been established [Urbankowskiet al.,Nanoscale, 2017,9, 17722-17730]. Moreover, W2N presents a novel case of competing superconducting and charge density wave phases.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000563481700017 Publication Date 2020-08-07
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 6.7 Times cited 15 Open Access
Notes ; This work is supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under the contract number COST-118F187, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under award number FA9550-19-1-7048, by Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO) and the University of Antwerp (BOF). The collaboration was fostered by COST action NANOCOHYBRI (CA16218). Computational resources were provided by the High Performance and Grid Computing Center (TRGrid e-Infrastructure) of TUBITAK ULAKBIM, the National Center for High Performance Computing (UHeM) of Istanbul Technical University, and by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center), funded by the FWO and the Flemish Government – department EWI. J. B. acknowledges support of a postdoctoral fellowship of the FWO. ; Approved Most recent IF: 6.7; 2020 IF: 7.367
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:171988 Serial 6521
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Author Yagmurcukardes, M.; Sozen, Y.; Baskurt, M.; Peeters, F.M.; Sahin, H.
Title Interface-dependent phononic and optical properties of GeO/MoSO heterostructures Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale
Volume Issue (down) Pages
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Abstract The interface-dependent electronic, vibrational, piezoelectric, and optical properties of van der Waals heterobilayers, formed by buckled GeO (b-GeO) and Janus MoSO structures, are investigated by means of first-principles calculations. The electronic band dispersions show that O/Ge and S/O interface formations result in a type-II band alignment with direct and indirect band gaps, respectively. In contrast, O/O and S/Ge interfaces give rise to the formation of a type-I band alignment with an indirect band gap. By considering the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) on top of G(0)W(0) approximation, it is shown that different interfaces can be distinguished from each other by means of the optical absorption spectra as a consequence of the band alignments. Additionally, the low- and high-frequency regimes of the Raman spectra are also different for each interface type. The alignment of the individual dipoles, which is interface-dependent, either weakens or strengthens the net dipole of the heterobilayers and results in tunable piezoelectric coefficients. The results indicate that the possible heterobilayers of b-GeO/MoSO asymmetric structures possess various electronic, optical, and piezoelectric properties arising from the different interface formations and can be distinguished by means of various spectroscopic techniques.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000738899600001 Publication Date 2021-12-09
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2040-3364 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 7.367 Times cited 5 Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 7.367
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:184722 Serial 6998
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Author Conti, S.; Chaves, A.; Pandey, T.; Covaci, L.; Peeters, F.M.; Neilson, D.; Milošević, M.V.
Title Flattening conduction and valence bands for interlayer excitons in a moire MoS₂/WSe₂ heterobilayer Type A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue (down) Pages 1-11
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Abstract We explore the flatness of conduction and valence bands of interlayer excitons in MoS2/WSe2 van der Waals heterobilayers, tuned by interlayer twist angle, pressure, and external electric field. We employ an efficient continuum model where the moire pattern from lattice mismatch and/or twisting is represented by an equivalent mesoscopic periodic potential. We demonstrate that the mismatch moire potential is too weak to produce significant flattening. Moreover, we draw attention to the fact that the quasi-particle effective masses around the Gamma-point and the band flattening are reduced with twisting. As an alternative approach, we show (i) that reducing the interlayer distance by uniform vertical pressure can significantly increase the effective mass of the moire hole, and (ii) that the moire depth and its band flattening effects are strongly enhanced by accessible electric gating fields perpendicular to the heterobilayer, with resulting electron and hole effective masses increased by more than an order of magnitude – leading to record-flat bands. These findings impose boundaries on the commonly generalized benefits of moire twistronics, while also revealing alternative feasible routes to achieve truly flat electron and hole bands to carry us to strongly correlated excitonic phenomena on demand.
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Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001047512300001 Publication Date 2023-07-25
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2040-3364; 2040-3372 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 6.7 Times cited 1 Open Access Not_Open_Access: Available from 25.01.2024
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 6.7; 2023 IF: 7.367
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:198290 Serial 8819
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