|   | 
Details
   web
Records
Author Vlasov, E.; Skorikov, A.; Sánchez-Iglesias, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S.
Title Secondary electron induced current in scanning transmission electron microscopy: an alternative way to visualize the morphology of nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication ACS materials letters Abbreviated Journal ACS Materials Lett.
Volume Issue Pages 1916-1921
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Electron tomography (ET) is a powerful tool to determine the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nanomaterials in a transmission electron microscope. However, the acquisition of a conventional tilt series for ET is a time-consuming process and can therefore not provide 3D structural information in a time-efficient manner. Here, we propose surface-sensitive secondary electron (SE) imaging as an alternative to ET for the investigation of the morphology of nanomaterials. We use the SE electron beam induced current (SEEBIC) technique that maps the electrical current arising from holes generated by the emission of SEs from the sample. SEEBIC imaging can provide valuable information on the sample morphology with high spatial resolution and significantly shorter throughput times compared with ET. In addition, we discuss the contrast formation mechanisms that aid in the interpretation of SEEBIC data.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001006191600001 Publication Date 2023-06-12
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2639-4979 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The funding for this project was provided by European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128, REALNANO). J.V. acknowledges the eBEAM project, which is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 101017720 (FET-Proactive EBEAM). L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (grant # PID2020-117779RB-I00). Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:197004 Serial 8795
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Greboval, C.; Chu, A.; Vale Magalhaes, D.; Ramade, J.; Qu, J.; Rastogi, P.; Khalili, A.; Chee, S.-S.; Aubin, H.; Vincent, G.; Bals, S.; Delerue, C.; Lhuillier, E.
Title Ferroelectric gating of narrow band-gap nanocrystal arrays with enhanced light-matter coupling Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Acs Photonics Abbreviated Journal Acs Photonics
Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 259-268
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract As narrow band gap nanocrystals become a considerable building block for the design of infrared sensors, device design needs to match their actual operating conditions. While in the near and shortwave infrared, room-temperature operation has been demonstrated, longer wavelengths still require low-temperature operations and thus specific design. Here, we discuss how field-effect transistors (FETs) can be compatible with low-temperature detection. To reach this goal, two key developments are proposed. First, we report the gating of nanocrystal films from SrTiO3 which leads to high gate capacitance with leakage and breakdown free operation in the 4-100 K range. Second, we demonstrate that this FET is compatible with a plasmonic resonator whose role is to achieve strong light absorption from a thin film used as the channel of the FET. Combining three resonances, broadband absorption from 1.5 to 3 mu m reaching 30% is demonstrated. Finally, combining gate and enhanced light-matter coupling, we show that detectivity can be as high as 10(12) Jones for a device presenting a 3 mu m cutoff wavelength and 30 K operation.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000612567900028 Publication Date 2021-01-10
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2330-4022 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 6.756 Times cited 21 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The project is supported by ERC Starting Grant BlackQD (Grant No. 756225) and Consolidator Grant Realnano (815128). This project has received funding from the European Commission (Grant 731019, EUSMI). We acknowledge the use of clean-room facilities from the “Centrale de ProximitéParis-Centre”. This work has been supported by the Region Ile-de-France in the framework of DIM Nano-K (Grant dopQD). This work was supported by French state funds managed by the ANR within the Investissements d’Avenir programme under Reference ANR-11-IDEX-0004-02 and, more specifically, within the framework of the Cluster of Excellence MATISSE and also by the Grant IPER-Nano2 (ANR-18CE30-0023-01), Copin (ANR-19-CE24-0022), Frontal (ANR-19-CE09-0017), Graskop (ANR-19-CE09-0026), and NITQuantum. J.Q. thanks Chinese Scholarship Council for Ph.D. Grant, while A.C. thanks Agence Innovation Defense.; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 6.756
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:176708 Serial 6725
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Chee, S.-S.; Greboval, C.; Vale Magalhaes, D.; Ramade, J.; Chu, A.; Qu, J.; Rastogi, P.; Khalili, A.; Dang, T.H.; Dabard, C.; Prado, Y.; Patriarche, G.; Chaste, J.; Rosticher, M.; Bals, S.; Delerue, C.; Lhuillier, E.
Title Correlating structure and detection properties in HgTe nanocrystal films Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Nano Letters Abbreviated Journal Nano Lett
Volume 21 Issue 10 Pages 4145-4151
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract HgTe nanocrystals (NCs) enable broadly tunable infrared absorption, now commonly used to design light sensors. This material tends to grow under multipodic shapes and does not present well-defined size distributions. Such point generates traps and reduces the particle packing, leading to a reduced mobility. It is thus highly desirable to comprehensively explore the effect of the shape on their performance. Here, we show, using a combination of electron tomography and tight binding simulations, that the charge dissociation is strong within HgTe NCs, but poorly shape dependent. Then, we design a dual-gate field-effect-transistor made of tripod HgTe NCs and use it to generate a planar p-n junction, offering more tunability than its vertical geometry counterpart. Interestingly, the performance of the tripods is higher than sphere ones, and this can be correlated with a stronger Te excess in the case of sphere shapes which is responsible for a higher hole trap density.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000657242300002 Publication Date 2021-05-06
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1530-6984 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 12.712 Times cited 20 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The project is supported by ERC starting grant blackQD (Grant No. 756225) and consolidator grant Realnano (815128). This project has received funding from the European Commission (Grant 731019, EUSMI). We acknowledge the use of cleanroom facilities from the “Centrale de Proximité Paris-Centre”. This work has been supported by the Region Ile-de-France in the framework of DIM Nano-K (Grant dopQD). This work was supported by French state funds managed by the ANR within the Investissements d’Avenir programme under reference ANR11-IDEX-0004-02, and more specifically within the framework of the Cluster of Excellence MATISSE and also by grants IPERNano2 (ANR-18CE30-0023-01), Copin (ANR-19-CE24- 0022), Frontal (ANR-19-CE09-0017), Graskop (ANR-19- CE09-0026), and NITQuantum (ANR-20-ASTR-0008-01). A.C. thanks Agence innovation defense for Ph.D. funding; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 12.712
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:179127 Serial 6837
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vanrenterghem, B.; Papaderakis, A.; Sotiropoulos, S.; Tsiplakides, D.; Balomenou, S.; Bals, S.; Breugelmans, T.
Title The reduction of benzylbromide at Ag-Ni deposits prepared by galvanic replacement Type A1 Journal article
Year 2016 Publication Electrochimica acta Abbreviated Journal Electrochim Acta
Volume 196 Issue 196 Pages 756-768
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Abstract A two-step procedure was applied to prepare bimetallic Ag-Ni glassy carbon supported catalysts (Ag-Ni/GC). First Ni layers were prepared by means of electrodeposition in an aqueous deaerated nickel chloride + nickel sulfamate + boric acid solution. Second, the partial replacement of Ni layers by Ag was achieved upon immersion of the latter in solutions containing silver nitrate. Three different pretreatment protocols were used after preparation of the Ag/Ni deposits; as prepared, cathodised in alkali and scanned in acid. After the pretreatment the surface was characterised by means of spectroscopy techniques (scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray) and electrochemically in an alkali NaOH solution through cyclic voltammetry (CV). Afterwards the modified electrodes were tested for the reduction of benzylbromide in acetonitrile solutions by using CV and were found to show improved activity compared to bulk Ag electrode. The highest activity towards benzylbromide reduction was observed for pre-cathodised Ag-Ni electrodes. A final stage of the research focuses on the development of a practical Ag/Ni foam catalyst for the reduction of benzylbromide. Due to the high electrochemical active surface area of Ag/Ni foam, a higher conversion of benzyl bromide was obtained in comparison with bulk Ag.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000372877400083 Publication Date 2016-03-02
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0013-4686 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 4.798 Times cited 21 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The quanta 250 FEG microscope of the Electron Microscopy for Material Science group at the University of Antwerp was funded by the Hercules foundation of the Flemish government. Sara Bals acknowledges financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS).; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 4.798
Call Number c:irua:132081 Serial 4065
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vanrenterghem, B.; Geboes, B.; Bals, S.; Ustarroz, J.; Hubin, A.; Breugelmans, T.
Title Influence of the support material and the resulting particle distribution on the deposition of Ag nanoparticles for the electrocatalytic activity of benzyl bromide reduction Type A1 Journal article
Year 2016 Publication Applied catalysis : B : environmental Abbreviated Journal Appl Catal B-Environ
Volume 181 Issue 181 Pages 542-549
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Abstract tSilver nanoparticles (NPs) were deposited on nickel, titanium and gold substrates using a potentiostaticdouble-pulse method. The influence of the support material on both the morphology and the electro-catalytic activity of Ag NPs for the reduction reaction of benzyl bromide was investigated and comparedwith previous research regarding silver NPs on glassy carbon. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) dataindicated that spherical monodispersed NPs were obtained on Ni, Au and GC substrate with an averageparticle size of respectively 216 nm, 413 nm and 116 nm. On a Ti substrate dendritic NPs were obtainedwith a larger average particle density of 480 nm. The influence of the support material on the electrocat-alytic activity was tested by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) for the reduction reaction of benzylbromide(1 mM) in acetonitrile + 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (Bu4NClO4). When the nucleation poten-tial (En) was applied at high cathodic overpotential, a positive shift of the reduction potential was obtained.The nucleation (tn) and growth time (tg) mostly had an influence on the current density whereas longerdeposition times lead to larger current densities. For these three parameters an optimum was present.The best electrocatalytic activity was obtained with Ag NPs deposited on Ni were a shift of the reduc-tion peak potential of 145 mV for the reaction of benzyl bromide was measured in comparance to bulksilver. The deposition on Au substrate yielded a positive shift of 114 mV. There was no indication of analtered reaction mechanism as the reaction was characterized as diffusion controlled and the transfercoefficients were in accordance with bulk silver. There was a beneficial catalitic activity measured due tothe interplay between support and NPs. This resulted in a shift of the reduction peak potential of 34 mV(Ag NPs on Au) and 65 mV (Ag NPs on Ni) compared to Ag NPs on a GC substrate.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000364256000052 Publication Date 2015-08-18
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0926-3373 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 9.446 Times cited 16 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The Quanta 250 FEG microscope of the Electron Microscopy forMaterial Science group at the University of Antwerp was fundedby the Hercules foundation of the Flemish Government. Sara Balsacknowledges financial support from European Research Council(ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS).; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 9.446
Call Number c:irua:128345 Serial 4064
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Moggia, G.; Hoekx, S.; Daems, N.; Bals, S.; Breugelmans, T.
Title Synthesis and characterization of a highly electroactive composite based on Au nanoparticles supported on nanoporous activated carbon for electrocatalysis Type A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication ChemElectroChem Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 1-11
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Abstract A facile, “one-pot”, chemical approach to synthesize gold-based nanoparticles finely dispersed on porous activated carbon (Norit) was demonstrated in this work. The pH of the synthesis bath played a critical role in determining the optimal gold-carbon interaction, which enabled a successful deposition of the gold nanoparticles onto the carbon matrix with a maximized metal utilization of 93 %. The obtained AuNP/C nanocomposite was characterized using SEM, HAADF-STEM electron tomography and electrochemical techniques. It was found that the Au nanoparticles, with diameters between 5 and 20 nm, were evenly distributed over the carbon matrix, both inside and outside the pores. Electrochemical characterization indicated that the composite had a very large electroactive surface area (EASA), as high as 282.4 m2 gAu-1. By exploiting its very high EASA, the catalyst was intended to boost the productivity of glucaric acid in the electrooxidation of its precursor, gluconic acid. However, cyclic voltammetry experiments revealed a very limited reactivity towards gluconic acid oxidation, due to the spacial hindrance of gluconic acid molecule which prevented diffusion inside the catalyst nanopores. On the other hand, the as-synthesized nanocomposite promises to be effective towards the ORR, and might thus find potential application as anode catalyst for fuel cells as well as for the scalability of all those electrochemical reactions involving small molecules with high diffusivity and catalysed by noble metals (i. e. CO2, CH4, N2, etc..). Electrocatalysis: Gold nanoparticles with diameter between 5 and 20 nm evenly distributed onto porous activated carbon (Norit) were obtained using a facile “one-pot” chemical synthesis technique with very high metal utilization. The AuNP/C nanocomposite was characterized using SEM, HAADF-STEM electron tomography and electrochemical techniques, revealing a very large electroactive surface area (EASA). The figure shows the HAADF-STEM image (a) and the respective EDX elemental distribution (b) for the AuNP/C composite with 9.3 % Au-loading developed in this work (Au is marked in red and C in green).image
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001060398900001 Publication Date 2023-09-08
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2196-0216 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 4 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The research described in this article has not been supported by the Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency of the European Commission. The views expressed in this article have not been adopted or in any way approved by the European Commission and do not constitute a statement of the European Commission & apos;s views.r S. Hoekx was supported by Research Foundation Flanders (FWO 1S42623N). The authors would like to thank Prof. Dr. Christophe Vande Velde, University of Antwerp, for the XRD analysis. Approved Most recent IF: 4; 2023 IF: 4.136
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199210 Serial 8941
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yang, Z.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; Tendeloo, G.V.; Pileni, M.-P.
Title Do Binary Supracrystals Enhance the Crystal Stability? Type A1 Journal article
Year 2018 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C
Volume 122 Issue 122 Pages 13515-13521
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract We study the oxygen thermal stability of two binary

systems. The larger particles are magnetic amorphous Co (7.2 nm) or

Fe3O4 (7.5 nm) nanocrystals, whereas the smaller ones (3.7 nm) are

Au nanocrystals. The nanocrystal ordering as well as the choice of the

magnetic nanoparticles very much influence the stability of the binary

system. A perfect crystalline structure is obtained with the Fe3O4/Au

binary supracrystals. For the Co/Au binary system, oxidation of Co

results in the chemical transformation from Co to CoO, where the size

of the amorphous Co nanoparticles increases from 7.2 to 9.8 nm in

diameter. During the volume expansion of the Co nanoparticles, Au

nanoparticles within the binary assemblies coalesce and are at the

origin of the instability of the binary nanoparticle supracrystals. On the

other hand, for the Fe3O4/Au binary system, the oxidation of Fe3O4 to

γ-Fe2O3 does not lead to a size change of the nanoparticles, which

maintains the stability of the binary nanoparticle supracrystals. A similar behavior is observed for an AlB2-type Co−Ag binary

system: The crystalline structure is maintained, whereas in disordered assemblies, coalescence of Ag nanocrystals is observed.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000437811500035 Publication Date 2018-01-30
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1932-7447 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 4.536 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The research leading to these results has been supported by an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council under Grant 267129. The authors appreciate financial support by the European Union under the Framework 7 program under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (Reference No. 262348 ESMI). S.B. acknowledges funding from ERC Starting Grant COLOURATOMS (335078). T.A. acknowledges a postdoctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.536
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:149388UA @ admin @ c:irua:149388 Serial 4812
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Yang, Z.; Altantzis, T.; Zanaga, D.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Pileni, M.-P.
Title Supracrystalline Colloidal Eggs: Epitaxial Growth and Freestanding Three-Dimensional Supracrystals in Nanoscaled Colloidosomes Type A1 Journal article
Year 2016 Publication Journal of the American Chemical Society Abbreviated Journal J Am Chem Soc
Volume 138 Issue 138 Pages 3493-3500
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract The concept of template-confined chemical reactions allows the synthesis of complex molecules that would hardly be producible through conventional method. This idea was developed to produce high quality nanocrystals more than 20 years ago. However, template-mediated assembly of colloidal nanocrystals is still at an elementary level, not only because of the limited templates suitable for colloidal assemblies, but also because of the poor control over the assembly of nanocrystals within a confined space. Here, we report the design of a new system called “supracrystalline colloidal eggs” formed by controlled assembly of nanocrystals into complex colloidal supracrystals through superlattice-matched epitaxial overgrowth along the existing colloidosomes. Then, with this concept, we extend the supracrystalline growth to lattice-mismatched binary nanocrystal superlattices, in order to reach anisotropic superlattice growths, yielding freestanding binary nanocrystal supracrystals that could not be produced previously.
Address CEA/IRAMIS , CEA Saclay F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Wos 000372477700034 Publication Date 2016-02-24
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0002-7863 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 13.858 Times cited 57 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The research leading to these results has been supported by an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council under Grant 267129. The authors appreciate financial support by the European Union under the Framework 7 program under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (Reference No. 312483 ESTEEM2). The authors thank Dr. P. A. Albouy for the SAXS measurement.; esteem2_ta Approved Most recent IF: 13.858
Call Number c:irua:131923 c:irua:131923 Serial 4018
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Altantzis, T.; Yang, Z.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Pileni, M.-P.
Title Thermal Stability of CoAu13Binary Nanoparticle Superlattices under the Electron Beam Type A1 Journal article
Year 2016 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
Volume 28 Issue 28 Pages 716-719
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract One primary goal of self-assembly in nanoscale regime is to implement multifunctional binary nanoparticle superlattices into practical use. In the last decade, considerable effort has been put into the fabrication of binary nanoparticle superlattices with controllable structure and stoichiometry. However, limited effort has been made in order to improve the stability of these binary nanoparticle superlattices, which is a prerequisite for their potential application. In this work, we demonstrate that the carbon deposition from specimen contamination can play an auxiliary role during the heat treatment of binary nanoparticle superlattices. With the in-situ carbon matrix formation, the thermal stability of CoAu 13 binary nanoparticle superlattices is unambiguously enhanced.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000370112200007 Publication Date 2016-01-20
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 9.466 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The research leading to these results has been supported by an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council under Grant 267129. The authors appreciate financial support by theEuropean Union under the Framework 7 program under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (Reference No. 262348 ESMI). S.B. acknowledges funding from ERC Starting Grant COLOURATOMS (335078).; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
Call Number c:irua:131908 Serial 4040
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Liao, T.-W.; Verbruggen, S.; Claes, N.; Yadav, A.; Grandjean, D.; Bals, S.; Lievens, P.
Title TiO2 Films Modified with Au Nanoclusters as Self-Cleaning Surfaces under Visible Light Type A1 Journal article
Year 2018 Publication Nanomaterials Abbreviated Journal Nanomaterials-Basel
Volume 8 Issue 8 Pages 30
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
Abstract In this study, we applied cluster beam deposition (CBD) as a new approach for fabricating efficient plasmon-based photocatalytic materials. Au nanoclusters (AuNCs) produced in the gas phase were deposited on TiO2 P25-coated silicon wafers with coverage ranging from 2 to 8 atomic monolayer (ML) equivalents. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of the AuNCs modified TiO2 P25 films show that the surface is uniformly covered by the AuNCs that remain isolated at low coverage (2 ML, 4 ML) and aggregate at higher coverage (8 ML). A clear relationship between AuNCs coverage and photocatalytic activity towards stearic acid photo-oxidation was measured, both under ultraviolet and green light illumination. TiO2 P25 covered with 4 ML AuNCs showed the best stearic acid photo-oxidation performance under green light illumination (Formal Quantum Efficiency 1.6 x 10-6 over a period of 93 h). These results demonstrate the large potential of gas-phase AuNCs beam deposition technology for the fabrication of visible light active plasmonic photocatalysts.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000424131600030 Publication Date 2018-01-08
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2079-4991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 3.553 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n 607417 (Catsense). We also thank the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO, Belgium), the Flemish Concerted Action (BOF KU Leuven, Project No. GOA/14/007) research program, and the microscope was partly funded by the Hercules Fund from the Flemish Government for the support. N.C. and S.B. acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOM). ECAS_Sara (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); Approved Most recent IF: 3.553
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147898UA @ admin @ c:irua:147898 Serial 4805
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Garzia Trulli, M.; Claes, N.; Pype, J.; Bals, S.; Baert, K.; Terryn, H.; Sardella, E.; Favia, P.; Vanhulsel, A.
Title Deposition of aminosilane coatings on porous Al2O3microspheres by means of dielectric barrier discharges Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication Plasma processes and polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym
Volume 14 Issue 14 Pages 1600211
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)
Abstract Advances in the synthesis of porous microspheres and in their functionalization are increasing the interest in applications of alumina. This paper deals with coatings plasma deposited from 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane by means of dielectric barrier discharges on alumina porous microspheres, shaped by a vibrational droplet coagulation technique. Aims of the work are the functionalization of the particles with active amino groups, as well as the evaluation of their surface coverage and of the penetration of the coatings into their pores. A multi-diagnostic approach was used for the chemical/morphological characterization of the particles. It was found that 5 min exposure to plasma discharges promotes the deposition of homogeneous coatings onto the microspheres and within their pores, down to 1 μm.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000410773200003 Publication Date 2017-01-05
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1612-8850 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.846 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The technical assistance of the VITO staff (Materials Dpt.) is gratefully acknowledged, especially D. Havermans, E. Van Hoof, R. Kemps (SEM-EDX), and A. De Wilde (Hg Porosimetry). Drs. S. Mullens and G. Scheltjens are kindly acknowledged for constructive discussions. Strategic Initiative Materials in Flanders (SIM) is gratefully acknowledged for its financial support. This research was carried out in the framework of the SIM-TRAP program (Tools for rational processing of nano-particles: controlling and tailoring nanoparticle based or nanomodified particle based materials). N. Claes and S. Bals acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOM). (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 2.846
Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:139511UA @ admin @ c:irua:139511 Serial 4342
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Willhammar, T.; Sentosun, K.; Mourdikoudis, S.; Goris, B.; Kurttepeli, M.; Bercx, M.; Lamoen, D.; Partoens, B.; Pastoriza-Santos, I.; Pérez-Juste, J.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.
Title Structure and vacancy distribution in copper telluride nanoparticles influence plasmonic activity in the near-infrared Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication Nature communications Abbreviated Journal Nat Commun
Volume 8 Issue 8 Pages 14925
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
Abstract Copper chalcogenides find applications in different domains including photonics, photothermal therapy and photovoltaics. CuTe nanocrystals have been proposed as an alternative to noble metal particles for plasmonics. Although it is known that deviations from stoichiometry are a prerequisite for plasmonic activity in the near-infrared, an accurate description of the material and its (optical) properties is hindered by an insufficient understanding of the atomic structure and the influence of defects, especially for materials in their nanocrystalline form. We demonstrate that the structure of Cu1.5±xTe nanocrystals canbe determined using electron diffraction tomography. Real-space high-resolution electron tomography directly reveals the three-dimensional distribution of vacancies in the structure. Through first-principles density functional theory, we furthermore demonstrate that the influence of these vacancies on the optical properties of the nanocrystals is determined. Since our methodology is applicable to a variety of crystalline nanostructured materials, it is expected to provide unique insights concerning structure–property correlations.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000397799700001 Publication Date 2017-03-30
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2041-1723 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 12.124 Times cited 37 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The work was financially supported by the European Research Council through an ERC Starting Grant (#335078-COLOURATOMS). T.W. acknowledges the Swedish Research Council for an international postdoc grant. We acknowledge financial support of FWO-Vlaanderen through project G.0216.14N, G.0369.15N and a postdoctoral research grant to B.G. The computational resources and services used in this work were provided by the VSC (Flemish Supercomputer Center) and the HPC infrastructure of the University of Antwerp (CalcUA), both funded by the FWO-Vlaanderen and the Flemish Government–Department EWI. The work was further supported by the Spanish MINECO (MAT2013-45168-R). S.M. thanks the Action ooSupporting Postdoctoral Researchers44 of the Operational Program ‘Education and Lifelong Learning’ (Action’s Beneficiary: General Secretariat for Research and Technology of Greece), which was co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Greek State. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); ECAS_Sara Approved Most recent IF: 12.124
Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:142203UA @ admin @ c:irua:142203 Serial 4538
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Goris, B.; Meledina, M.; Turner, S.; Zhong, Z.; Batenburg, K.J.; Bals, S.
Title Three dimensional mapping of Fe dopants in ceria nanocrystals using direct spectroscopic electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
Year 2016 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy
Volume 171 Issue 171 Pages 55-62
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Electron tomography is a powerful technique for the 3D characterization of the morphology of nanostructures. Nevertheless, resolving the chemical composition of complex nanostructures in 3D remains challenging and the number of studies in which electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) is combined with tomography is limited. During the last decade, dedicated reconstruction algorithms have been developed for HAADF-STEM tomography using prior knowledge about the investigated sample. Here, we will use the prior knowledge that the experimental spectrum of each reconstructed voxel is a linear combination of a well-known set of references spectra in a so-called direct spectroscopic tomography technique. Based on a simulation experiment, it is shown that this technique provides superior results in comparison to conventional reconstruction methods for spectroscopic data, especially for spectrum images containing a relatively low signal to noise ratio. Next, this technique is used to investigate the spatial distribution of Fe dopants in Fe:Ceria nanoparticles in 3D. It is shown that the presence of the Fe2+ dopants is correlated with a reduction of the Ce atoms from Ce4+ towards Ce3+. In addition, it is demonstrated that most of the Fe dopants are located near the voids inside the nanoparticle.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000389106200007 Publication Date 2016-09-06
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 13 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) The work was supported by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen) by project funding (G038116N, 3G004613) and by a post-doctoral research grants to B.G. S.B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant no. COLOURATOMS 335078). K.J.B. acknowledges funding from The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (program 639.072.005.). We would like to thank Dr. Hilde Poelman, Dr. Vladimir Galvita and Prof. Dr. Guy B. Marin for the synthesis of the investigated sample.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 2.843
Call Number c:irua:135185 c:irua:135185 Serial 4123
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kalesaki, E.; Boneschanscher, M.P.; Geuchies, J.J.; Delerue, C.; Morais Smith, C.; Evers, W.H.; Allan, G.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; Vanmaekelbergh, D.
Title Preparation and study of 2-D semiconductors with Dirac type bands due to the honeycomb nanogeometry Type P1 Proceeding
Year 2014 Publication Proceedings of the Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers T2 – Proceedings of SPIE Abbreviated Journal
Volume 8981 Issue Pages 898107-898107
Keywords P1 Proceeding; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract The interest in 2-dimensional systems with a honeycomb lattice and related Dirac-­type electronic bands has exceeded the prototype graphene1. Currently, 2-­dimensional atomic2,3 and nanoscale4-­8 systems are extensively investigated in the search for materials with novel electronic properties that can be tailored by geometry. The immediate question that arises is how to fabricate 2-­D semiconductors that have a honeycomb nanogeometry, and as a consequence of that, display a Dirac-­type band structure? Here, we show that atomically coherent honeycomb superlattices of rocksalt (PbSe, PbTe) and zincblende (CdSe, CdTe) semiconductors can be obtained by nanocrystal self-­assembly and facet-­to-­facet atomic bonding, and subsequent cation exchange. We present a extended structural analysis of atomically coherent 2-­D honeycomb structures that were recently obtained with self-assembly and facet-­to-­facet bonding9. We show that this process may in principle lead to three different types of honeycomb structures, one with a graphene type-­, and two others with a silicene-­type structure. Using TEM, electron diffraction, STM and GISAXS it is convincingly shown that the structures are from the silicene-­type. In the second part of this work, we describe the electronic structure of graphene-­type and silicene type honeycomb semiconductors. We present the results of advanced electronic structure calculations using the sp3d5s* atomistic tight-­binding method10. For simplicity, we focus on semiconductors with a simple and single conduction band for the native bulk semiconductor. When the 3-­D geometry is changed into 2-­D honeycomb, a conduction band structure transformation to two types of Dirac cones, one for S-­ and one for P-­orbitals, is observed. The width of the bands depends on the honeycomb period and the coupling between the nanocrystals. Furthermore, there is a dispersionless P-­orbital band, which also forms a landmark of the honeycomb structure. The effects of considerable intrinsic spin-­orbit coupling are briefly considered. For heavy-­element compounds such as CdTe, strong intrinsic spin-­‐orbit coupling opens a non-­trivial gap at the P-­orbital Dirac point, leading to a quantum Spin Hall effect10-­12. Our work shows that well known semiconductor crystals, known for centuries, can lead to systems with entirely new electronic properties, by the simple action of nanogeometry. It can be foreseen that such structures will play a key role in future opto-­electronic applications, provided that they can be fabricated in a straightforward way.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000336040600004 Publication Date 2014-03-07
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This work has been supported by funding of the French National Research Agency [ANR, (ANR-­‐09-­‐BLAN-­‐0421-­‐01)], NWO and the Dutch organization FOM [Programs “Control over Functional Nanoparticle Solids” (FNPS) and “Designing Dirac Carriers in Semiconductors” Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number c:irua:131912 Serial 4039
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Skorikov, A.; Albrecht, W.; Bladt, E.; Xie, X.; van der Hoeven, J.E.S.; van Blaaderen, A.; Van Aert, S.; Bals, S.
Title Quantitative 3D Characterization of Elemental Diffusion Dynamics in Individual Ag@Au Nanoparticles with Different Shapes Type A1 Journal article
Year 2019 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano
Volume 13 Issue 13 Pages 13421-13429
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Anisotropic bimetallic nanoparticles are promising candidates for plasmonic and catalytic applications. Their catalytic performance and plasmonic properties are closely linked to the distribution of the two metals, which can change during applications in which the particles are exposed to heat. Due to this fact, correlating the thermal stability of complex heterogeneous nanoparticles to their microstructural properties is of high interest for the practical applications of such materials. Here, we employ quantitative electron tomography in high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADFSTEM) mode to measure the 3D elemental diffusion dynamics in individual anisotropic Au−Ag nanoparticles upon heating in situ. This approach allows us to study the elemental redistribution in complex, asymmetric nanoparticles on a single particle level, which has been inaccessible to other techniques so far. In this work, we apply the proposed method to compare the alloying dynamics of Au−Ag nanoparticles with different shapes and compositions and find that the shape of the nanoparticle does not exhibit a significant effect on the alloying speed whereas the composition does. Finally, comparing the experimental results to diffusion simulations allows us to estimate the diffusion coefficients of the metals for individual nanoparticles.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000500650000115 Publication Date 2019-10-25
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This project has received funding from the European Commission (grant 731019, EUSMI) and European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grants 815128, REALNANO; 770887, PICOMETRICS; 648991, 3MC; and ERC Advanced Grant 291667, HierarSACol). This project has also received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement 823717, ESTEEM3. W.A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (grant 797153, SOPMEN). E.B. acknowledges a postdoctoral grant 12T2719N from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). X.X. acknowledges financial support from the EU H2020-MSCAITN-2015 project 676045, MULTIMAT. The authors also acknowledge financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grants G038116N, G026718N, and G036915N).; sygma; esteem3JRA; esteem3reported Approved Most recent IF: 13.942
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:164061 Serial 5379
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Milagres de Oliveira, T.; Albrecht, W.; González-Rubio, G.; Altantzis, T.; Lobato Hoyos, I.P.; Béché, A.; Van Aert, S.; Guerrero-Martínez, A.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Bals, S.
Title 3D Characterization and Plasmon Mapping of Gold Nanorods Welded by Femtosecond Laser Irradiation Type A1 Journal article
Year 2020 Publication Acs Nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano
Volume 14 Issue Pages acsnano.0c02610
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Abstract Ultrafast laser irradiation can induce morphological and structural changes in plasmonic nanoparticles. Gold nanorods (Au NRs), in particular, can be welded together upon irradiation with femtosecond laser pulses, leading to dimers and trimers through the formation of necks between individual nanorods. We used electron tomography to determine the 3D (atomic) structure at such necks for representative welding geometries and to characterize the induced defects. The spatial distribution of localized surface plasmon modes for different welding configurations was assessed by electron energy loss spectroscopy. Additionally, we were able to directly compare the plasmon line width of single-crystalline and welded Au NRs with single defects at the same resonance energy, thus making a direct link between the structural and plasmonic properties. In this manner, we show that the occurrence of (single) defects results in significant plasmon broadening.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000586793400016 Publication Date 2020-08-19
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 17.1 Times cited 25 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This project has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC Consolidator Grants #815128 – REALNANO and #770887 – PICOMETRICS). The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project funding G.0381.16N and G.0267.18N. W.A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie 27 Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (grant 797153, SOPMEN). G.G.-R. acknowledge receipt of FPI Fellowship from the Spanish MINECO. This work has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) (Grants RTI2018-095844-B-I00 and MAT2017-86659-R) and the Madrid Regional Government (Grant P2018/NMT-4389). A.B. acknowledges funding from FWO project G093417N and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 823717 – ESTEEM3. L.M.L.-M. acknowledges the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State Research Agency (Grant No. MDM-2017-0720); Comunidad de Madrid, P2018/NMT-4389 ; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, MAT2017-86659-R RTI2018-095844-B-I00 ; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, 797153 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, G.0267.18N G.0381.16N G093417N ; H2020 Research Infrastructures, 823717 ; H2020 European Research Council, 770887 815128 ; Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, MDM-2017-0720 ; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 17.1; 2020 IF: 13.942
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:172440 Serial 6426
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Mulder, J.T.; Meijer, M.S.; van Blaaderen, J.J.; du Fosse, I.; Jenkinson, K.; Bals, S.; Manna, L.; Houtepen, A.J.
Title Understanding and preventing photoluminescence quenching to achieve unity photoluminescence quantum yield in Yb:YLF nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal
Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 3274-3286
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Ytterbium-doped LiYF4 (Yb:YLF) is a commonly used material for laser applications, as a photon upconversion medium, and for optical refrigeration. As nanocrystals (NCs), the material is also of interest for biological and physical applications. Unfortunately, as with most phosphors, with the reduction in size comes a large reduction of the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), which is typically associated with an increase in surface-related PL quenching. Here, we report the synthesis of bipyramidal Yb:YLF NCs with a short axis of similar to 60 nm. We systematically study and remove all sources of PL quenching in these NCs. By chemically removing all traces of water from the reaction mixture, we obtain NCs that exhibit a near-unity PLQY for an Yb3+ concentration below 20%. At higher Yb3+ concentrations, efficient concentration quenching occurs. The surface PL quenching is mitigated by growing an undoped YLF shell around the NC core, resulting in near-unity PLQY values even for fully Yb3+-based LiYbF4 cores. This unambiguously shows that the only remaining quenching sites in core-only Yb:YLF NCs reside on the surface and that concentration quenching is due to energy transfer to the surface. Monte Carlo simulations can reproduce the concentration dependence of the PLQY. Surprisingly, Fo''rster resonance energy transfer does not give satisfactory agreement with the experimental data, whereas nearest-neighbor energy transfer does. This work demonstrates that Yb3+-based nanophosphors can be synthesized with a quality close to that of bulk single crystals. The high Yb3+ concentration in the LiYbF4/LiYF4 core/shell nanocrystals increases the weak Yb3+ absorption, making these materials highly promising for fundamental studies and increasing their effectiveness in bioapplications and optical refrigeration.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000912997300001 Publication Date 2023-01-06
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 9.5 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 766900 (Testing the Large-Scale Limit of Quantum Mechanics). A.J.H. and I.d.F. further acknowledge the European Research Council Horizon 2020 ERC Grant Agreement No. 678004 (Doping on Demand) for financial support. The authors thank Freddy Rabouw and Andries Meijerink (Utrecht University) for very fruitful discussions and extremely useful advice. The author s thank Jos Thieme for his help with the laser setups used . The authors furthermore thank Niranjan Saikumar for proofreading the manuscript. Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2023 IF: 7.504
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:194317 Serial 7348
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Mulder, J.T.T.; Jenkinson, K.; Toso, S.; Prato, M.; Evers, W.H.H.; Bals, S.; Manna, L.; Houtepen, A.J.J.
Title Nucleation and growth of bipyramidal Yb:LiYF₄ nanocrystals : growing up in a hot environment Type A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal
Volume 35 Issue 14 Pages 5311-5321
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Lanthanide-doped LiYF4 (Ln:YLF) is commonlyused fora broad variety of optical applications, such as lasing, photon upconversionand optical refrigeration. When synthesized as nanocrystals (NCs),this material is also of interest for biological applications andfundamental physical studies. Until now, it was unclear how Ln:YLFNCs grow from their ionic precursors into tetragonal NCs with a well-defined,bipyramidal shape and uniform dopant distribution. Here, we studythe nucleation and growth of ytterbium-doped LiYF4 (Yb:YLF),as a template for general Ln:YLF NC syntheses. We show that the formationof bipyramidal Yb:YLF NCs is a multistep process starting with theformation of amorphous Yb:YLF spheres. Over time, these spheres growvia Ostwald ripening and crystallize, resulting in bipyramidal Yb:YLFNCs. We further show that prolonged heating of the NCs results inthe degradation of the NCs, observed by the presence of large LiFcubes and small, irregular Yb:YLF NCs. Due to the similarity in chemicalnature of all lanthanide ions our work sheds light on the formationstages of Ln:YLF NCs in general.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001021474500001 Publication Date 2023-07-03
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0897-4756; 1520-5002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
Impact Factor 8.6 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 766900 (Testing the large-scale limit of quantum mechanics). The authors thank Niranjan Saikumar for proof reading the manuscript. Approved Most recent IF: 8.6; 2023 IF: 9.466
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197787 Serial 8907
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Windels, S.; Diefenhardt, T.; Jain, N.; Marquez, C.; Bals, S.; Schlummer, M.; De Vos, D.E.
Title Catalytic upcycling of PVC waste-derived phthalate esters into safe, hydrogenated plasticizers Type A1 Journal article
Year 2022 Publication Green chemistry : cutting-edge research for a greener sustainable future Abbreviated Journal Green Chem
Volume 24 Issue 2 Pages 754-766
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Recycling of end-of-life polyvinyl chloride (PVC) calls for solutions to deal with the vast amounts of harmful phthalate plasticizers that have historically been incorporated in PVC. Here, we report on the upcycling of such waste-extracted phthalate esters into analogues of the much safer diisononyl 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylate plasticizer (DINCH), via a catalytic one-pot (trans)esterification-hydrogenation process. For most of the virgin phthalates, Ru/Al2O3 is a highly effective hydrogenation catalyst, yielding >99% ring-hydrogenated products under mild reaction conditions (0.1 mol% Ru, 80 degrees C, 50 bar H-2). However, applying this reaction to PVC-extracted phthalates proved problematic, (1) as benzyl phthalates are hydrogenolyzed to benzoic acids that inhibit the Ru-catalyst, and (2) because impurities in the plasticizer extract (PVC, sulfur) further retard the hydrogenation. These complications were solved by coupling the hydrogenation to an in situ (trans)esterification with a higher alcohol, and by pretreating the extract with an activated carbon adsorbent. In this way, a real phthalate extract obtained from post-consumer PVC waste was eventually completely (>99%) hydrogenated to phthalate-free, cycloaliphatic plasticizers.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000726865200001 Publication Date 2021-11-30
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1463-9262; 1463-9270 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 9.8 Times cited 8 Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes (up) This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement no. 821366 (programma acronym: Circular Flooring). D. E. D. V. thanks FWO for project funding (SBO project S001819N Triple Cycle); N. J. and S. B. acknowledge the financial support from FWO and FNRS (EOS 30489208). Finally, the authors also thank S. Smolders for assistance with the TGA-MS experiments and D. Paredaens for his experimental contribution Approved Most recent IF: 9.8
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:184746 Serial 6958
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Chen, Q.; Skorikov, A.; van der Hoeven, J.E.S.; van Blaaderen, A.; Albrecht, W.; Perez-Garza, H.H.; Bals, S.
Title Estimation of temperature homogeneity in MEMS-based heating nanochips via quantitative HAADF-STEM tomography Type A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication Particle and particle systems characterization Abbreviated Journal
Volume 41 Issue 2 Pages 1-8
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Sample holders for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) have recently become popular for investigating the behavior of nanomaterials under in situ or environmental conditions. The accuracy and reproducibility of these in situ holders are essential to ensure the reliability of experimental results. In addition, the uniformity of an applied temperature trigger across the MEMS chip is a crucial parameter. In this work, it is measured the temperature homogeneity of MEMS-based heating sample supports by locally analyzing the dynamics of heat-induced alloying of Au@Ag nanoparticles located in different regions of the support through quantitative fast high-angle annular dark-field scanning TEM tomography. These results demonstrate the superior temperature homogeneity of a microheater design based on a heating element shaped as a circular spiral with a width decreasing outwards compared to a double spiral-shaped designed microheater. The proposed approach to measure the local temperature homogeneity based on the thermal properties of bimetallic nanoparticles will support the future development of MEMS-based heating supports with improved thermal properties and in situ studies where high precision in the temperature at a certain position is required. This schematic delineates an approach to quantifying potential localized temperature deviation within a nanochip. Employing two comparable nanoparticles as thermal probes in discrete nanochip regions, the alloying kinetics of these nanoparticles are monitorable using in situ quantitative high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) tomography, thus enabling the precise estimation of local temperature deviations.image
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 001060394600001 Publication Date 2023-09-08
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0934-0866 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
Impact Factor 2.7 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes (up) This project was funded from the European Commission and The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network MUMMERING (Grant Agreement no. 765604) Approved Most recent IF: 2.7; 2023 IF: 4.474
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:199219 Serial 8863
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Kundu, P.; Heidari, H.; Bals, S.; Ravishankar, N.; Van Tendeloo, G.
Title Formation and thermal stability of gold-silica nanohybrids : insight into the mechanism and morphology by electron tomography Type A1 Journal article
Year 2014 Publication Angewandte Chemie: international edition in English Abbreviated Journal Angew Chem Int Edit
Volume 53 Issue 15 Pages 3970-3974
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Gold-silica hybrids are appealing in different fields of applications like catalysis, sensorics, drug delivery, and biotechnology. In most cases, the morphology and distribution of the heterounits play significant roles in their functional behavior. Methods of synthesizing these hybrids, with variable ordering of the heterounits, are replete; however, a complete characterization in three dimensions could not be achieved yet. A simple route to the synthesis of Au-decorated SiO2 spheres is demonstrated and a study on the 3D ordering of the heterounits by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography is presentedat the final stage, intermediate stages of formation, and after heating the hybrid. The final hybrid evolves from a soft self-assembled structure of Au nanoparticles. The hybrid shows good thermal stability up to 400 degrees C, beyond which the Au particles start migrating inside the SiO2 matrix. This study provides an insight in the formation mechanism and thermal stability of the structures which are crucial factors for designing and applying such hybrids in fields of catalysis and biotechnology. As the method is general, it can be applied to make similar hybrids based on SiO2 by tuning the reaction chemistry as needed.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor
Language Wos 000333634800036 Publication Date 2014-03-05
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1433-7851; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 11.994 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This research has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program (ERC; grant number 246791)— COUNTATOMS, COLOURATOMS, as well as from the IAP 7/05 Programme initiated by the Belgian Science Policy Office. Funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is also acknowledged.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 11.994; 2014 IF: 11.261
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:117186 Serial 1251
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Geuchies, J.J.; van Overbeek, C.; Evers, W.H.; Goris, B.; de Backer, A.; Gantapara, A.P.; Rabouw, F.T.; Hilhorst, J.; Peters, J.L.; Konovalov, O.; Petukhov, A.V.; Dijkstra, M.; Siebbeles, L.D.A.; van Aert, S.; Bals, S.; Vanmaekelbergh, D.
Title In situ study of the formation mechanism of two-dimensional superlattices from PbSe nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
Year 2016 Publication Nature materials Abbreviated Journal Nat Mater
Volume 15 Issue 15 Pages 1248-1254
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Oriented attachment of PbSe nanocubes can result in the formation of two-dimensional (2D) superstructures with long-range nanoscale and atomic order. This questions the applicability of classic models in which the superlattice grows by first forming a nucleus, followed by sequential irreversible attachment of nanocrystals, as one misaligned attachment would disrupt the 2D order beyond repair. Here, we demonstrate the formation mechanism of 2D PbSe superstructures with square geometry by using in situ grazing-incidence X-ray scattering (small angle and wide angle), ex situ electron microscopy, and Monte Carlo simulations. We observed nanocrystal adsorption at the liquid/gas interface, followed by the formation of a hexagonal nanocrystal monolayer. The hexagonal geometry transforms gradually through a pseudo-hexagonal phase into a phase with square order, driven by attractive interactions between the {100} planes perpendicular to the liquid substrate, which maximize facet-to-facet overlap. The nanocrystals then attach atomically via a necking process, resulting in 2D square superlattices.
Address Condensed Matter and Interfaces, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language English Wos 000389104400011 Publication Date 2016-09-05
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1476-1122 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 39.737 Times cited 182 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This research is part of the programme ‘Designing Dirac Carriers in semiconductor honeycomb superlattices (DDC13),’ which is supported by the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), which is part of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). J.J.G. acknowledges funding from the Debye and ESRF Graduate Programs. The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (G.036915 G.037413 and funding of postdoctoral grants to B.G. and A.d.B). S.B. acknowledges the European Research Council, ERC grant No 335078—Colouratom. The authors gratefully acknowledge I. Swart and M. van Huis for fruitful discussions. We acknowledge funding from NWO-CW TOPPUNT ‘Superficial Superstructures’. The X-ray scattering measurements were performed at the ID10 beamline at ESRF under proposal numbers SC-4125 and SC-3786. The authors thank G. L. Destri and F. Zontone for their support during the experiments.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 39.737
Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:136165 Serial 4289
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zhong, Z.; Goris, B.; Schoenmakers, R.; Bals, S.; Batenburg, K.J.
Title A bimodal tomographic reconstruction technique combining EDS-STEM and HAADF-STEM Type A1 Journal article
Year 2017 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy
Volume 174 Issue 174 Pages 35-45
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract A three-dimensional (3D) chemical characterization of nanomaterials can be obtained using tomography based on high angle annular dark field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) or energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) STEM. These two complementary techniques have both advantages and disadvantages. The Z-contrast images have good image quality but lack robustness in the compositional analysis, while the elemental maps give more element-specific information, but at a low signal-to-noise ratio and a longer exposure time. Our aim is to combine these two types of complementary information in one single tomographic reconstruction process. Therefore, an imaging model is proposed combining both HAADF-STEM

and EDS-STEM. Based on this model, the elemental distributions can be reconstructed using both types of information simultaneously during the reconstruction process. The performance of the new technique is evaluated using simulated data and real experimental data. The results demonstrate that combining two imaging modalities leads to tomographic reconstructions with suppressed noise and enhanced contrast.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000403342200005 Publication Date 2016-12-11
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 26 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This research is supported by the Dutch Technology Foundation STW (http://www.stw.nl/), which is part of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and which is partly funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation under project number 13314. It is also supported by the Flemish research foundation (FWO Vlaanderen) by project funding (G038116N) and a postdoctoral research grant to B.G. Funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. COLOURATOMS 335078) is acknowledged by S.B. The authors would like to thank Dr. Bernd Rieger and Dr. Richard Aveyard for useful discussions, and Prof. Dr. Luis M. Liz-Marzan for providing the investigated samples. We also acknowledge COST Action MP1207 for networking support. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 2.843
Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:141719UA @ admin @ c:irua:141719 Serial 4484
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Boschker, H.; Huijben, M.; Vailinois, A.; Verbeeck, J.; Van Aert, S.; Luysberg, M.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Houwman, E.P.; Koster, G.; Blank, D.H.A.; Rijnders, G.
Title Optimized fabrication of high-quality La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 thin films considering all essential characteristics Type A1 Journal article
Year 2011 Publication Journal of physics: D: applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Phys D Appl Phys
Volume 44 Issue 20 Pages 205001-205001,9
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract In this paper, an overview of the fabrication and properties of high-quality La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) thin films is given. A high-quality LSMO film combines a smooth surface morphology with a large magnetization and a small residual resistivity, while avoiding precipitates and surface segregation. In the literature, typically only a few of these issues are adressed. We therefore present a thorough characterization of our films, which were grown by pulsed laser deposition. The films were characterized with reflection high energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction, magnetization and transport measurements, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The films have a saturation magnetization of 4.0 µB/Mn, a Curie temperature of 350 K and a residual resistivity of 60 µΩ cm. These results indicate that high-quality films, combining both large magnetization and small residual resistivity, were realized. A comparison between different samples presented in the literature shows that focussing on a single property is insufficient for the optimization of the deposition process. For high-quality films, all properties have to be adressed. For LSMO devices, the thin-film quality is crucial for the device performance. Therefore, this research is important for the application of LSMO in devices.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication London Editor
Language Wos 000290150900001 Publication Date 2011-04-29
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0022-3727;1361-6463; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.588 Times cited 99 Open Access
Notes (up) This research was financially supported by the Dutch Science Foundation, by NanoNed, a nanotechnology program of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, and by the NanOxide program of the European Science Foundation. This work is supported in part by the Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, under contract DE-AC02-76SF00515. Approved Most recent IF: 2.588; 2011 IF: 2.544
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:89557UA @ admin @ c:irua:89557 Serial 2491
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Xi, J.; Yang, S.; Silvioli, L.; Cao, S.; Liu, P.; Chen, Q.; Zhao, Y.; Sun, H.; Hansen, J.N.; Haraldsted, J.-P.B.; Kibsgaard, J.; Rossmeisl, J.; Bals, S.; Wang, S.; Chorkendorff, I.
Title Highly active, selective, and stable Pd single-atom catalyst anchored on N-doped hollow carbon sphere for electrochemical H₂O₂ synthesis under acidic conditions Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Journal Of Catalysis Abbreviated Journal J Catal
Volume 393 Issue Pages 313-323
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have recently attracted broad scientific interests due to their unique structural feature, the single-atom dispersion. Optimized electronic structure as well as high stability are required for single-atom catalysts to enable efficient electrochemical production of H2O2. Herein, we report a facile synthesis method that stabilizes atomic Pd species on the reduced graphene oxide/Ndoped carbon hollow carbon nanospheres (Pd1/N-C). Pd1/N-C exhibited remarkable electrochemical H2O2 production rate with high faradaic efficiency, reaching 80%. The single-atom structure and its high H2O2 production rate were maintained even after 10,000 cycle stability test. The existence of single-atom Pd as well as its coordination with N species is responsible for its high activity, selectivity, and stability. The N coordination number and substrate doping around Pd atoms are found to be critical for an optimized adsorption energy of intermediate *OOH, resulting in efficient electrochemical H2O2 production. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000640923500003 Publication Date 2020-11-26
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0021-9517 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 6.844 Times cited 40 Open Access Not_Open_Access
Notes (up) This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51772110), Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (No. 2019CFB539), Danmarks Innovationsfond within the ProActivE project (5160-00003B), Villum Foundation V-SUSTAIN grant 9455 to the Villum Center for the Science of Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals, the Carlsberg Foundation grant CF18-0435, the Institutional Research Program (2E30220) of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Shenzhen Science and Technology Plan under Grant (JCYJ20170818160751460) and the Open Project of Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Engineering Process of Ministry of Education (No. GCP20200205). The authors would like to acknowledge the Analytical and Testing Center of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics for SEM, TEM, Raman and XPS measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 6.844
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:178321 Serial 6796
Permanent link to this record
 

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

 
Author Filez, M.; Feng, J.-Y.; Minjauw, M.M.; Solano, E.; Poonkottil, N.; Van Daele, M.; Ramachandran, R.K.; Li, C.; Bals, S.; Poelman, H.; Detavernier, C.; Dendooven, J.; Filez, M.; Minjauw, M.; Solano, E.; Poonkottil, N.; Li, C.; Bals, S.; Dendooven, J.
Title Shuffling atomic layer deposition gas sequences to modulate bimetallic thin films and nanoparticle properties Type A1 Journal article
Year 2022 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
Abstract Atomic layer deposition (ALD) typically employs metal precursors and co-reactant pulses to deposit thin films in a layer-by-layer fashion. While conventional ABAB-type ALD sequences implement only two functionalities, namely, a metal source and ligand exchange agent, additional functionalities have emerged, including etching and reduction agents. Herein, we construct gas-phase sequences-coined as ALD+-with complex-ities reaching beyond the classic ABAB-type ALD by freely combining multiple functionalities within irregular pulse schemes, e.g., ABCADC. The possibilities of such combinations are explored as a smart strategy to tailor bimetallic thin films and nanoparticle (NP) properties. By doing so, we demonstrate that bimetallic thin films can be tailored with target thickness and through the full compositional range, while the morphology can be flexibly modulated from thin films to NPs by shuI 1ing the pulse sequence. These complex pulse schemes are expected to be broadly applicable but are here explored for Pd-Ru bimetallic thin films and NPs.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000823205700001 Publication Date 2022-06-29
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0897-4756; 1520-5002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This research was funded by the Research Foundation, Flanders (FWO) , and the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (GOA 01G01019) . M.F. and M.M.M. acknowledge the FWO for a postdoctoral research fellowship (1280621N) . N.P. acknowledges the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skiodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 765378. For the GISAXS measurements, the author s received funding from the European Community's Transnational Access Program CALIPSOplus. E.S. acknowledges the Spanish project RTI2018-093996-B-C32 MICINN/FEDER funds. Air Liquide is acknowledged for supporting this research. The authors acknowledge SOLEIL for the provision of synchrotron radiation facilities and would like to thank Dr. Alessandro Coati for assistance in using beamline SiXS. The GIWAXS experiments were performed at NCD-SWEET beamline at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff . Approved no
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:189541 Serial 8928
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Li, C.; Tardajos, A.P.; Wang, D.; Choukroun, D.; Van Daele, K.; Breugelmans, T.; Bals, S.
Title A simple method to clean ligand contamination on TEM grids Type A1 Journal article
Year 2021 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy
Volume 221 Issue Pages 113195
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Abstract Colloidal nanoparticles (NPs) including nanowires and nanosheets made by chemical methods involve many organic ligands. When the structure of NPs is investigated via transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the organic ligands act as a source for e-beam induced deposition and this causes substantial build-up of carbon layers in the investigated areas, which is typically referred to as “contamination” in the eld of electron mi- croscopy. This contamination is often more severe for scanning TEM, a technique that is based on a focused electron beam and hence higher electron dose rate. In this paper, we report a simple and effective method to clean drop-cast TEM grids that contain NPs with ligands. Using a combination of activated carbon and ethanol, this method effectively reduces the amount of ligands on TEM grids, and therefore greatly improves the quality of electron microscopy images and subsequent analytical measurements. This ef cient and facile method can be helpful during electron microscopy investigation of different kinds of nanomaterials that suffer from ligand- induced contamination.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000612539600002 Publication Date 0000-00-00
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0304-3991 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.843 Times cited 10 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This research was funded by the University Antwerp GOA project (ID 33928). DW acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (grant 894254 SuprAtom). Approved Most recent IF: 2.843
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:174947 Serial 6666
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Parastaev, A.; Muravev, V.; Osta, E.H.; Kimpel, T.F.; Simons, J.F.M.; van Hoof, A.J.F.; Uslamin, E.; Zhang, L.; Struijs, J.J.C.; Burueva, D.B.; Pokochueva, E.V.; Kovtunov, K.V.; Koptyug, I.V.; Villar-Garcia, I.J.; Escudero, C.; Altantzis, T.; Liu, P.; Béché, A.; Bals, S.; Kosinov, N.; Hensen, E.J.M.
Title Breaking structure sensitivity in CO2 hydrogenation by tuning metal–oxide interfaces in supported cobalt nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
Year 2022 Publication Nature Catalysis Abbreviated Journal Nat Catal
Volume 5 Issue 11 Pages 1051-1060
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
Abstract A high dispersion of the active metal phase of transition metals on oxide supports is important when designing efficient heterogeneous catalysts. Besides nanoparticles, clusters and even single metal atoms can be attractive for a wide range of reactions. However, many industrially relevant catalytic transformations suffer from structure sensitivity, where reducing the size of the metal particles below a certain size substantially lowers catalytic performance. A case in point is the low activity of small cobalt nanoparticles in the hydrogenation of CO and CO2. Here we show how engineering of catalytic sites at the metal–oxide interface in cerium oxide–zirconium dioxide (ceria–zirconia)-supported cobalt can overcome this structure sensitivity. Few-atom cobalt clusters dispersed on 3 nm cobalt(II)-oxide particles stabilized by ceria–zirconia yielded a highly active CO2 methanation catalyst with a specific activity higher than that of larger particles under the same conditions.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000884939300006 Publication Date 2022-11-17
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2520-1158 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 37.8 Times cited 32 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This research was supported by the Applied and Engineering Sciences division of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research through the Alliander (now Qirion) Perspective program on Plasma Conversion of CO2. We acknowledge Diamond Light Source for time on beamline B18 under proposal SP20715-1. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 823717 – ESTEEM3. S.B. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant #815128 REALNANO) and T.A. acknowledges funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). A.B. received funding from the European Union under grant agreement No 823717 – ESTEEM3. The authors acknowledge funding through the Hercules grant (FWO, University of Antwerp) I003218N “Infrastructure for imaging nanoscale processes in gas/vapour or liquid environments”. I.V.K., D.B.B., and E.V.P. acknowledge the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (contract 075-15-2021-580) for financial support of parahydrogen-based studies. Experiments using synchrotron radiation XPS were performed at the CIRCE beamline at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff. F. Oropeza Palacio and Rim C.J. van de Poll are acknowledged for the help with RPES measurements.; esteem3reported; esteem3jra Approved Most recent IF: 37.8
Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:192068 Serial 7230
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ndayirinde, C.; Gorbanev, Y.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; De Meyer, R.; Smets, A.; Vlasov, E.; Bals, S.; Cool, P.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis : packed catalysts act as plasma modifiers Type A1 Journal article
Year 2023 Publication Catalysis today Abbreviated Journal
Volume 419 Issue Pages 114156-12
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract We studied the plasma-catalytic production of NH3 from H2 and N2 in a dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor using five different Co-based catalysts supported on Al2O3, namely Co/Al2O3, CoCe/Al2O3, CoLa/Al2O3, CoCeLa/Al2O3 and CoCeMg/Al2O3. The catalysts were characterized via several techniques, including SEM-EDX, and their performance was compared. The best performing catalyst was found to be CoLa/Al2O3, but the dif-ferences in NH3 concentration, energy consumption and production rate between the different catalysts were limited under the same conditions (i.e. feed gas, flow rate and ratio, and applied power). At the same time, the plasma properties, such as the plasma power and current profile, varied significantly depending on the catalyst. Taken together, these findings suggest that in the production of NH3 by plasma catalysis, our catalysts act as plasma modifiers, i.e., they change the discharge properties and hence the gas phase plasma chemistry. Importantly, this effect dominates over the direct catalytic effect (as e.g. in thermal catalysis) defined by the chemistry on the catalyst surface.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000987221300001 Publication Date 2023-04-10
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0920-5861 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 5.3 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess
Notes (up) This research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project) and the Methusalem project of the University of Antwerp. We also gratefully acknowledge the NH3-TPD analysis performed by Sander Bossier. Approved Most recent IF: 5.3; 2023 IF: 4.636
Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197268 Serial 8917
Permanent link to this record