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Author van der Stam, W.; Gradmann, S.; Altantzis, T.; Ke, X.; Baldus, M.; Bals, S.; de Mello Donega, C.
  Title Shape Control of Colloidal Cu2-x S Polyhedral Nanocrystals by Tuning the Nucleation Rates Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 28 Issue 28 Pages 6705-6715
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Synthesis protocols for colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) with narrow size and shape distributions are of particular interest for the successful implementation of these nanocrystals into devices. Moreover, the preparation of NCs with well-defined crystal phases is of key importance. In this work, we show that Sn(IV)-thiolate complexes formed in situ strongly influence the nucleation and growth rates of colloidal Cu2-x S polyhedral NCs, thereby dictating their final size, shape, and crystal structure. This allowed us to successfully synthesize hexagonal bifrustums and hexagonal bipyramid NCs with low-chalcocite crystal structure, and hexagonal nanoplatelets with various thicknesses and aspect ratios with the djurleite crystal structure, by solely varying the concentration of Sn(IV)-additives (namely, SnBr4) in the reaction medium. Solution and solid-state 119Sn NMR measurements show that SnBr4 is converted in situ to Sn(IV)-thiolate complexes, which increase the Cu2-x S nucleation barrier without affecting the precursor conversion rates. This influences both the nucleation and growth rates in a concentration-dependent fashion and leads to a better separation between nucleation and growth. Our approach of tuning the nucleation and growth rates with in situ-generated Sn-thiolate complexes might have a more general impact due to the availability of various metal-thiolate complexes, possibly resulting in polyhedral NCs of a wide variety of metal-sulfide compositions.
  Address Condensed Matter and Interfaces, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University , P.O. Box 80000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands
  Corporate Author Thesis
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  Language English Wos 000384399000037 Publication Date 2016-09-02
  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 27 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) W.v.d.S. and C.d.M.D. acknowledge financial support from the division of Chemical Sciences (CW) of The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) under grant number ECHO.712.012.001. M.B. also gratefully acknowledges NWO for funding the NMR infrastructure (Middle Groot program, grant number 700.58.102). S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant # 335078-COLOURATOMS).; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:135928 Serial 4285
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Author Kelly, S.; Mercer, E.; De Meyer, R.; Ciocarlan, R.-G.; Bals, S.; Bogaerts, A.
  Title Microwave plasma-based dry reforming of methane: Reaction performance and carbon formation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Journal of CO2 utilization Abbreviated Journal Journal of CO2 Utilization
  Volume 75 Issue Pages 102564
  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 e investigate atmospheric pressure microwave (MW) plasma (2.45 GHz) conversion in CO2 and CH4 mixtures (i.e., dry reforming of methane, DRM) focusing on reaction performance and carbon formation. Promising energy costs of ~2.8–3.0 eV/molecule or ~11.1–11.9 kJ/L are amongst the best performance to date considering the current state-of-the-art for plasma-based DRM for all types of plasma. The conversion is in the range of ~46–49% and ~55–67% for CO2 and CH4, respectively, producing primarily syngas (i.e., H2 and CO) with H2/CO ratios of ~0.6–1 at CH4 fractions ranging from 30% to 45%. Water is the largest byproduct with levels ranging ~7–14% in the exhaust. Carbon particles visibly impact the plasma at higher CH4 fractions (> 30%), where they become heated and incandescent. Particle luminosity increases with increasing CH4 fractions, with the plasma becoming unstable near a 1:1 mixture (i.e., > 45% CH4). Electron microscopy of the carbon material reveals an agglomerated morphology of pure carbon nanoparticles. The mean particle size is determined as ~20 nm, free of any metal contamination, consistent with the electrode-less MW design.
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  Language Wos 001065310000001 Publication Date 2023-08-10
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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  ISSN 2212-9820 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 7.7 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We acknowledge financial support by a European Space Agency (ESA) Open Science Innovation Platform study (contract no. 4000137001/21/NL/GLC/ov), the European Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship ‘‘PENFIX’’ within Horizon 2020 (grant no. 838181), the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (grant no. 810182; SCOPE ERC Synergy project), the Excellence of Science FWOFNRS PLASyntH2 project (FWO grant no. G0I1822N and EOS no. 4000751) and the Methusalem project of the University of Antwerp Approved Most recent IF: 7.7; 2023 IF: 4.292
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:198155 Serial 8807
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Author Bae, J.; Cichocka, M.O.; Zhang, Y.; Bacsik, Z.; Bals, S.; Zou, X.; Willhammar, T.; Hong, S.B.
  Title Phase transformation behavior of a two-dimensional zeolite Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Angewandte Chemie: international edition in English Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 58 Issue 30 Pages 10230-10235
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Understanding the molecular-level mechanisms of phase transformation in solids is of fundamental interest for functional materials such as zeolites. Two-dimensional (2D) zeolites, when used as shape-selective catalysts, can offer improved access to the catalytically active sites and a shortened diffusion length in comparison with their 3D analogues. However, few materials are known to maintain both their intralayer microporosity and structure during calcination for organic structure-directing agent (SDA) removal. Herein we report that PST-9, a new 2D zeolite which has been synthesized via the multiple inorganic cation approach and fulfills the requirements for true layered zeolites, can be transformed into the small-pore zeolite EU-12 under its crystallization conditions through the single-layer folding process, but not through the traditional dissolution/recrystallization route. We also show that zeolite crystal growth pathway can differ according to the type of organic SDAs employed.
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  Language Wos 000476452700030 Publication Date 2019-05-22
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1433-7851; 0570-0833 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We acknowledge financial support from National Creative Research Initiative Program (2012R1A3A-2048833) through the National Research Foundation of Korea, the National Research Council of Science & Technology (CRC-14-1-KRICT) grant by the Korea government (MSIP), the Swedish Research Council (2017-04321), and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW) through the project grant 3DEM-NATUR (2012.0112). T.W. acknowledges an international postdoc grant from the Swedish Research Council (2014-06948). Approved no
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:181233 Serial 6878
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Author Vanrompay, H.; Skorikov, A.; Bladt, E.; Béché, A.; Freitag, B.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S.
  Title Fast versus conventional HAADF-STEM tomography of nanoparticles: advantages and challenges Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Ultramicroscopy Abbreviated Journal Ultramicroscopy
  Volume 221 Issue Pages 113191
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract HAADF-STEM tomography is a widely used experimental technique for analyzing nanometer-scale crystalline structures of a large variety of materials in three dimensions. Unfortunately, the acquisition of conventional HAADF-STEM tilt series can easily take up one hour or more, depending on the complexity of the experiment. It is therefore far from straightforward to investigate samples that do not withstand long acquisition or to acquire large amounts of tilt series during a single TEM experiment. The latter would lead to the ability to obtain statistically meaningful 3D data, or to perform in situ 3D characterizations with a much shorter time resolution. Various HAADF-STEM acquisition strategies have been proposed to accelerate the tomographic acquisition and reduce the required electron dose. These methods include tilting the holder continuously while acquiring a projection “movie” and a hybrid, incremental, methodology which combines the benefits of the conventional and continuous technique. However, until now an experimental evaluation has been lacking. In this paper, the different acquisition strategies will be experimentally compared in terms of speed, resolution and electron dose. This evaluation will be performed based on experimental tilt series acquired for various metallic nanoparticles with different shapes and sizes. We discuss the data processing involved with the fast HAADF-STEM tilt series and provide a general guideline when which acquisition strategy should be preferentially used.
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  Language Wos 000612539600003 Publication Date 2020-12-08
  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 15 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We acknowledge Prof. Luis M. Liz-Marzán and co-workers of the Bionanoplasmonics Laboratory, CIC biomaGUNE, Spain for providing the Au@Ag nanoparticles, Prof. Sara. E. Skrabalak and co-workers of Indiana University, United States for the provision of the Au octopods and Prof. Teri W. Odom of Northwestern University, United States for the provision of the Au nanostars. H.V. acknowledges financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant 1S32617N). S.B acknowledges financial support by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO grant G.0381.16N). This project received funding as well from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 731019 (EUSMI) and No 815128 (REALNANO). The authors acknowledge the entire EMAT technical staff for their support.; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 2.843
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:174551 Serial 6660
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Author Van Hoorebeke, L.; Leroux, O.; Leroux, F.; Mastroberti, A.A.; Santos-Silva, F.; Van Loo, D.; Bagniewska-Zadworna, A.; Bals, S.; Popper, Z.A.; de Araujo Mariath, J.E.
  Title Heterogeneity of silica and glycan-epitope distribution in epidermal idioblast cell walls in Adiantum raddianum laminae Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2013 Publication Planta Abbreviated Journal Planta
  Volume 237 Issue 6 Pages 1453-1464
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Laminae of Adiantum raddianum Presl., a fern belonging to the family Pteridaceae, are characterised by the presence of epidermal fibre-like cells under the vascular bundles. These cells were thought to contain silica bodies, but their thickened walls leave no space for intracellular silica suggesting it may actually be deposited within their walls. Using advanced electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis we showed the presence of silica in the cell walls of the fibre-like idioblasts. However, it was specifically localised to the outer layers of the periclinal wall facing the leaf surface, with the thick secondary wall being devoid of silica. Immunocytochemical experiments were performed to ascertain the respective localisation of silica deposition and glycan polymers. Epitopes characteristic for pectic homogalacturonan and the hemicelluloses xyloglucan and mannan were detected in most epidermal walls, including the silica-rich cell wall layers. The monoclonal antibody, LM6, raised against pectic arabinan, labelled the silica-rich primary wall of the epidermal fibre-like cells and the guard cell walls, which were also shown to contain silica. We hypothesise that the silicified outer wall layers of the epidermal fibre-like cells support the lamina during cell expansion prior to secondary wall formation. This implies that silicification does not impede cell elongation. Although our results suggest that pectic arabinan may be implicated in silica deposition, further detailed analyses are needed to confirm this. The combinatorial approach presented here, which allows correlative screening and in situ localisation of silicon and cell wall polysaccharide distribution, shows great potential for future studies.
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  Language Wos 000319474200004 Publication Date 2013-02-21
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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  ISSN 0032-0935;1432-2048; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 3.361 Times cited 16 Open Access
  Notes (up) We are grateful to the Laboratorio de Anatomia Vegetal of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and the Centro de Microscopia Eletronica (CME) of UFRGS. Thanks to Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) for the undergraduate degree grant provided (PIBIC) for the fourth author and research grant and support for the last one. The third author is grateful to Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES) for providing financial support (PRODOC). We acknowledge Christiane de Queiroz Lopes and Moema Queiroz (CME) for the technical assistance. We are indebted to Paul Knox (Centre for Plant Sciences, University of Leeds, UK) for kindly providing the monoclonal antibodies used in this study. The Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (FWO) is acknowledged for the doctoral grant to D. Van Loo (G.0100.08). Approved Most recent IF: 3.361; 2013 IF: 3.376
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:109641 Serial 1419
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Author Wang, D.; Hermes, M.; Najmr, S.; Tasios, N.; Grau-Carbonell, A.; Liu, Y.; Bals, S.; Dijkstra, M.; Murray, C.B.; van Blaaderen, A.
  Title Structural diversity in three-dimensional self-assembly of nanoplatelets by spherical confinement Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Nature communications Abbreviated Journal Nat Commun
  Volume 13 Issue 1 Pages 6001-6012
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Nanoplatelets offer many possibilities to construct advanced materials due to new properties associated with their (semi)two-dimensional shapes. However, precise control of both positional and orientational order of the nanoplatelets in three dimensions, which is required to achieve emerging and collective properties, is challenging to realize. Here, we combine experiments, advanced electron tomography and computer simulations to explore the structure of supraparticles self-assembled from nanoplatelets in slowly drying emulsion droplets. We demonstrate that the rich phase behaviour of nanoplatelets, and its sensitivity to subtle changes in shape and interaction potential can be used to guide the self-assembly into a wide range of different structures, offering precise control over both orientation and position order of the nanoplatelets. Our research is expected to shed light on the design of hierarchically structured metamaterials with distinct shape- and orientation- dependent properties. Nanoplatelets can be used as anisotropic building blocks for constructing novel optoelectronic materials. Here, Wang et al. show a route of assembling nanoplatelets with controllable positional and orientational order in three dimensions facilitated by the surface tension of drying emulsion droplets.
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  Language Wos 000867312100031 Publication Date 2022-10-12
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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  ISSN 2041-1723 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 16.6 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We thank A. Kadu, M. Chiappini, F. Rabouw, S. Paliwal, X. Xie, C. Xia and Z. Wang for fruitful discussions. D.W. and A.v.B. acknowledge partial financial support from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP-2007-2013)/ERC Advanced Grant Agreement 291667 HierarSACol. M.H. was supported by the Netherlands Center for Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversion (MCEC). D.W. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (grant 894254 SuprAtom). Y.L. acknowledges the Sustainability project between the faculties of Science and Geosciences of Utrecht University. M.D. acknowledges financial support from European Research Council (Grant No. ERC-2019-ADV-H2020 884902 SoftML). S.B. acknowledges financial support from ERC Consolidator Grant No. 815128 REALNANO. C.B.M. acknowledges support for materials synthesis from the Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative Award ONR N00014-18-1-2497. The authors acknowledge the EM square center at Utrecht University for the access to the microscopes. Approved Most recent IF: 16.6
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:191387 Serial 7214
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Author Zhang, Y.; Qin, S.; Claes, N.; Schilling, W.; Sahoo, P.K.; Ching, H.Y.V.; Jaworski, A.; Lemière, F.; Slabon, A.; Van Doorslaer, S.; Bals, S.; Das, S.
  Title Direct Solar Energy-Mediated Synthesis of Tertiary Benzylic Alcohols Using a Metal-Free Heterogeneous Photocatalyst Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering Abbreviated Journal Acs Sustain Chem Eng
  Volume 10 Issue 1 Pages 530-540
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Organic synthesis (ORSY)
  Abstract Direct hydroxylation via the functionalization of tertiary benzylic C(sp3)-H bond is of great significance for obtaining tertiary alcohols which find wide applications in pharmaceuticals as well as in fine chemical industries. However, current synthetic procedures use toxic reagents and therefore, the development of a sustainable strategy for the synthesis of tertiary benzyl alcohols is highly desirable. To solve this problem, herein, we report a metal-free

heterogeneous photocatalyst to synthesize the hydroxylated products using oxygen as the key reagent. Various benzylic substrates were employed into our mild reaction conditions to afford the desirable products in good to excellent yields. More importantly, gram-scale reaction was achieved via harvesting direct solar energy and exhibited high quantity of the product. The high stability of the catalyst was proved via recycling the catalyst and spectroscopic analyses. Finally, a possible mechanism was proposed based on the EPR and other experimental

evidence.
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  Language Wos 000736518000001 Publication Date 2022-01-10
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 2168-0485 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 8.4 Times cited 24 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We thank BOF joint PhD grant (to Y. Z.), Francqui Foundation and FWO research grant (to S.D.), Chinese Scholarship Council (to Y.Z.). A.S. would like to thank the Swedish Energy Agency for financial support (project nr: 5050-1). The SEM microscope was partly funded by the Hercules Fund from the Flemish Government. Approved Most recent IF: 8.4
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:184744 Serial 6900
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Author Abakumov, A.M.; Li, C.; Boev, A.; Aksyonov, D.A.; Savina, A.A.; Abakumova, T.A.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Bals, S.
  Title Grain boundaries as a diffusion-limiting factor in lithium-rich NMC cathodes for high-energy lithium-ion batteries Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication ACS applied energy materials Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 4 Issue 7 Pages 6777-6786
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract High-energy lithium-rich layered transition metal oxides are capable of delivering record electrochemical capacity and energy density as positive electrodes for Li-ion batteries. Their electrochemical behavior is extremely complex due to sophisticated interplay between crystal structure, electronic structure, and defect structure. Here we unravel an extra level of this complexity by revealing that the most typical representative Li1.2Ni0.13Mn0.54Co0.13O2 material, prepared by a conventional coprecipitation technique with Na2CO3 as a precipitating agent, contains abundant coherent (001) grain boundaries with a Na-enriched P2-structured block due to segregation of the residual sodium traces. The trigonal prismatic oxygen coordination of Na triggers multiple nanoscale twinning, giving rise to incoherent (104) boundaries. The cationic layers at the (001) grain boundaries are filled with transition metal cations being Mn-depleted and Co-enriched; this makes them virtually not permeable for the Li+ cations, and therefore they negatively influence the Li diffusion in and out of the spherical agglomerates. These results demonstrate that besides the mechanisms intrinsic to the crystal and electronic structure of Li-rich cathodes, their rate capability might also be depreciated by peculiar microstructural aspects. Dedicated engineering of grain boundaries opens a way for improving inherently sluggish kinetics of these materials.
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  Language Wos 000678382900042 Publication Date 2021-07-02
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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  ISSN 2574-0962 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor Times cited 4 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We thank Dr. M. V. Berekchiian (MSU) for assisting in ICPMS measurements. We acknowledge Russian Science Foundation (Grant 20-43-01012) and Research Foundation Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen, Project No. G0F1320N) for financial support. Approved Most recent IF: NA
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:180556 Serial 6841
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Author Albrecht, W.; Deng, T.-S.; Goris, B.; van Huis, M.A.; Bals, S.; van Blaaderen, A.
  Title Single Particle Deformation and Analysis of Silica-Coated Gold Nanorods before and after Femtosecond Laser Pulse Excitation Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication Nano letters Abbreviated Journal Nano Lett
  Volume 16 Issue 16 Pages 1818-1825
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract We performed single particle deformation experiments on silica-coated gold nanorods under femtosecond (fs) illumination. Changes in the particle shape were analyzed by electron microscopy and associated changes in the plasmon resonance by electron energy loss spectroscopy. Silica-coated rods were found to be more stable compared to uncoated rods but could still be deformed via an intermediate bullet-like shape for silica shell thicknesses of 14 nm. Changes in the size ratio of the rods after fs-illumination resulted in blue-shifting of the longitudinal plasmon resonances. Two-dimensional spatial mapping of the plasmon resonances revealed that the flat side of the bullet-like particles showed a less pronounced longitudinal plasmonic electric field enhancement. These findings were confirmed by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. Furthermore, at higher laser fluences size reduction of the particles was found as well as for particles that were not completely deformed yet.
  Address Soft Condensed Matter, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University , Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands
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  Language English Wos 000371946300045 Publication Date 2016-02-12
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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  ISSN 1530-6984 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 12.712 Times cited 55 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We thank Dr. Nicolas Gauquelin for his assistance during the EELS measurements and Thomas Atlantzis for the high-resolution images of the gold clusters. We furthermore thank Ernest van der Wee for the simulation of the confocal point spread functions. The authors acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council under the European Unions Seventh Framework Programme (FP-2007-2013)/ERC Advanced Grant Agreement #291667 HierarSACol and the Foundation of Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), which is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The authors furthermore acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS). The authors also appreciate financial support from the European Union under the Seventh Framework Program (Integrated Infrastructure Initiative N. 262348 European Soft Matter Infrastructure, ESMI). This work was supported by the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (FWO Vlaanderen) through a postdoctoral research grant to B.G.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 12.712
  Call Number c:irua:131924 c:irua:131924 Serial 4016
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Author Zhang, Y.; van Schayck, J.P.; Pedrazo-Tardajos, A.; Claes, N.; Noteborn, W.E.M.; Lu, P.-H.; Duimel, H.; Dunin-Borkowski, R.E.; Bals, S.; Peters, P.J.; Ravelli, R.B.G.
  Title Charging of vitreous samples in cryogenic electron microscopy mitigated by graphene Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 17 Issue 16 Pages 15836-15846
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Cryogenic electronmicroscopy can provide high-resolution reconstructionsof macromolecules embedded in a thin layer of ice from which atomicmodels can be built de novo. However, the interactionbetween the ionizing electron beam and the sample results in beam-inducedmotion and image distortion, which limit the attainable resolutions.Sample charging is one contributing factor of beam-induced motionsand image distortions, which is normally alleviated by including partof the supporting conducting film within the beam-exposed region.However, routine data collection schemes avoid strategies wherebythe beam is not in contact with the supporting film, whose rationaleis not fully understood. Here we characterize electrostatic chargingof vitreous samples, both in imaging and in diffraction mode. We mitigatesample charging by depositing a single layer of conductive grapheneon top of regular EM grids. We obtained high-resolution single-particleanalysis (SPA) reconstructions at 2 & ANGS; when the electron beamonly irradiates the middle of the hole on graphene-coated grids, usingdata collection schemes that previously failed to produce sub 3 & ANGS;reconstructions without the graphene layer. We also observe that theSPA data obtained with the graphene-coated grids exhibit a higher b factor and reduced particle movement compared to dataobtained without the graphene layer. This mitigation of charging couldhave broad implications for various EM techniques, including SPA andcryotomography, and for the study of radiation damage and the developmentof future sample carriers. Furthermore, it may facilitate the explorationof more dose-efficient, scanning transmission EM based SPA techniques.
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  Language Wos 001041649900001 Publication Date 2023-08-02
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  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
  Impact Factor 17.1 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We thank H. Nguyen for editing the manuscript. We warmly thank the M4i Microscopy CORE Lab team of FHML Maastricht University (MU) for their support and collaboration and Eve Timlin and Ye Gao (MU) for providing protein samples. Members of the Amsterdam Scientific Instruments team are acknowledged for their Timepix detector support. This work benefited from access to The Netherlands Centre for Electron Nanoscopy (NeCEN) with assistance from Ludovic Renault and Meindert Lamers. The authors acknowledge financial support of the Netherlands Electron Microscopy Infrastructure (NEMI), project number 184.034.014 of the National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Infrastructure of the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the PPP Allowance made available by Health-Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, to stimulate public-private partnerships, project 4DEM, number LSHM21029, and the LINK program from the Province of Limburg, The Netherlands, as well as financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme by grant no. 815128 (REALNANO). Approved Most recent IF: 17.1; 2023 IF: 13.942
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:198376 Serial 8840
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Author Montanarella, F.; Altantzis, T.; Zanaga, D.; Rabouw, F.T.; Bals, S.; Baesjou, P.; Vanmaekelbergh, D.; van Blaaderen, A.
  Title Composite Supraparticles with Tunable Light Emission Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano
  Volume 11 Issue 11 Pages 9136-9142
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Robust luminophores emitting light with broadly tunable colors are desirable in many applications such as light-emitting diode (LED)-based lighting, displays, integrated optoelectronics and biology. Nanocrystalline quantum dots with multicolor emission, from core- and shell-localized excitons, as well as solid layers of mixed quantum dots that emit different colors have been proposed. Here, we report on colloidal supraparticles that are composed of three types of Cd(Se,ZnS) core/(Cd,Zn)S shell nanocrystals with emission in the red, green, and blue. The emission of the supraparticles can be varied from pure to composite colors over the entire visible region and finetuned into variable shades of white light by mixing the nanocrystals in controlled proportions. Our approach results in supraparticles with sizes spanning the colloidal domain and beyond that combine versatility and processability with a broad, stable, and tunable emission, promising applications in lighting devices and biological research.
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  Language Wos 000411918200062 Publication Date 2017-09-26
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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  ISSN 1936-0851 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 36 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We thank J. J. Geuchies for help with the optical analysis, W. Vlug for providing silica particles filled with RITC, J. D. Meeldijk for his assistance with SE-STEM measurements, E. B. van der Wee for help with the calculation of the radial distribution functions, and M. van Huis and S. Dussi for very fruitful discussions. This work was supported by the European Comission via the Marie-Sklodowska Curie action Phonsi (H2020-MSCA-ITN-642656). D.V. wishes to thank the Dutch FOM (program DDC13), NWO−CW (Toppunt 718.015.002), and the European Research Council under HORIZON 2020 (grant 692691 FIRSTSTEP) for financial support. A.v.B. and F.M. acknowledge partial funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP-2007-2013)/ERC advanced grant agreement 291667: HierarSACol. S.B. and D.Z. acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (starting grant no. COLOURATOM 335078), and T.A. acknowledges funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through a postdoctoral grant. ECAS_Sara (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted 12 months embargo; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 13.942
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:146095UA @ admin @ c:irua:146095 Serial 4732
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Author Kumar, J.; Eraña, H.; López-Martínez, E.; Claes, N.; Martín, V.F.; Solís, D.M.; Bals, S.; Cortajarena, A.L.; Castilla, J.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.
  Title Detection of amyloid fibrils in Parkinson’s disease using plasmonic chirality Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Abbreviated Journal P Natl Acad Sci Usa
  Volume 115 Issue 115 Pages 3225-3230
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Amyloid fibrils, which are closely associated with various neurodegenerative

diseases, are the final products in many protein aggregation pathways. The identification of fibrils at low concentration is, therefore, pivotal in disease diagnosis and development of therapeutic strategies. We report a methodology for the specific identification of amyloid fibrils using chiroptical effects in plasmonic nanoparticles. The formation of amyloid fibrils based on α-synuclein was probed using gold nanorods, which showed no

apparent interaction with monomeric proteins but effective adsorption onto fibril structures via noncovalent interactions. The amyloid structure drives a helical nanorod arrangement, resulting in intense optical activity at the surface plasmon resonance wavelengths. This sensing technique was successfully applied to human brain homogenates of patients affected by Parkinson’s disease,

wherein protein fibrils related to the disease were identified through chiral signals from Au nanorods in the visible and near IR, whereas healthy brain samples did not exhibit any meaningful optical activity. The technique was additionally extended to the specific detection of infectious amyloids formed by prion proteins, thereby confirming the wide potential of the technique. The intense chiral response driven by strong dipolar coupling in helical Au nanorod arrangements allowed us to detect amyloid fibrils down to nanomolar concentrations.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000428382400032 Publication Date 2018-03-12
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0027-8424 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 9.661 Times cited 187 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We thank Prof. Dr. J.-P. Timmermans and the Antwerp Centre of Advanced Microscopy for providing access to the Tecnai G2 Spirit BioTWIN TEM. We also thank the Basque Biobank (Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research, BIOEF) for providing us with Parkinson’s disease-affected brain samples. J.K. acknowledges financial support from the European Commission under Marie Sklodowska-Curie Program H2020- MSCA-IF-2015708321. S.B. and A.L.C. acknowledge European Research Council Grants 335078 COLOURATOM and 648071 ProNANO. S.B. and L.M.L.-M. acknowledge funding from European Commission Grant EUSMI 731019. A.L.C., J.C., and L.M.L.-M. acknowledge funding from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) Grants MAT2013-46101- R, AGL2015-65046-C2-1-R, and BIO2016-77367-C2-1-R. (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:restricted); saraecas; ECASSara; Approved Most recent IF: 9.661
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:150355UA @ admin @ c:irua:150355 Serial 4918
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Author Muravev, V.; Parastaev, A.; van den Bosch, Y.; Ligt, B.; Claes, N.; Bals, S.; Kosinov, N.; Hensen, E.J.M.
  Title Size of cerium dioxide support nanocrystals dictates reactivity of highly dispersed palladium catalysts Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Science Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 380 Issue 6650 Pages 1174-1179
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract The catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts can be tuned by modulation of the size and structure of supported transition metals, which are typically regarded as the active sites. In single-atom metal catalysts, the support itself can strongly affect the catalytic properties. Here, we demonstrate that the size of cerium dioxide (CeO2) support governs the reactivity of atomically dispersed palladium (Pd) in carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation. Catalysts with small CeO2 nanocrystals (~4 nanometers) exhibit unusually high activity in a CO-rich reaction feed, whereas catalysts with medium-size CeO2 (~8 nanometers) are preferred for lean conditions. Detailed spectroscopic investigations reveal support size–dependent redox properties of the Pd-CeO2 interface.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 001010846100008 Publication Date 2023-06-16
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0036-8075 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 56.9 Times cited 22 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We thank the staff of the MAX IV Laboratory for time on beamline SPECIES under proposals 20200412 and 20190983; E. Kokkonen and A. Klyushin for assistance with NAP-XPS and RPES experiments conducted at SPECIES; staff of the MAX IV Laboratory for time on beamline BALDER under proposal 20200378; K. Klementiev for assistance with XAS measurements; J. Drnec at the ESRF for providing assistance in using beamline ID31; and V. Perez-Dieste and I. Villar Garcia at the CIRCE beamline at ALBA Synchrotron for help with acquiring preliminary RPES data obtained under proposal 2020024219. The synchrotron-based XRD measurements were performed on beamline ID31 at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Grenoble, France. Funding: This work was supported by the Netherlands Center for Multiscale Catalytic Energy Conversion (MCEC), a NWO Gravitation program funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Government of the Netherlands (V.M. and E.J.M.H.); the European Research Council (ERC consolidator grant 815128 REALNANO to S.B. and N.C.); and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (grant 823717–ESTEEM to S.B. and N.C). Research conducted at MAX IV, a Swedish national user facility, is supported by the Swedish Research council under contract 2018-07152, the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems under contract 2018-04969, and Formas under contract 2019-02496 (VM). Approved Most recent IF: 56.9; 2023 IF: 37.205
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:197199 Serial 8801
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Author Benetti, G.; Cavaliere, E.; Canteri, A.; Landini, G.; Rossolini, G.M.; Pallecchi, L.; Chiodi, M.; Van Bael, M.J.; Winckelmans, N.; Bals, S.; Gavioli, L.
  Title Direct synthesis of antimicrobial coatings based on tailored bi-elemental nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication APL materials Abbreviated Journal Apl Mater
  Volume 5 Issue 5 Pages 036105
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Ultrathin coatings based on bi-elemental nanoparticles (NPs) are very promising to limit the surface-related spread of bacterial pathogens, particularly in nosocomial environments. However, tailoring the synthesis, composition, adhesion to substrate, and antimicrobial spectrum of the coating is an open challenge. Herein, we report on a radically new nanostructured coating, obtained by a one-step gas-phase deposition technique, and composed of bi-elemental Janus type Ag/Ti NPs. The NPs are characterized by a cluster-in-cluster mixing phase with metallic Ag nano-crystals embedded in amorphous TiO2 and present a promising antimicrobial activity including also multidrug resistant strains. We demonstrate the flexibility of the method to tune the embedded Ag nano-crystals dimension, the total relative composition of the coating, and the substrate type, opening the possibility of tailoring the dimension, composition, antimicrobial spectrum, and other physical/chemical properties of such multi-elemental systems. This work is expected to significantly spread the range of applications of NPs coatings, not only as an effective tool in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections but also in other technologically relevant fields like sensors or nano-/micro joining.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000398951000014 Publication Date 2017-03-20
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 2166-532X ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 4.335 Times cited 21 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We thank Urs Gfeller for the XRF measurements, Francesco Banfi for valuable discussions on the manuscript and Giulio Viano for his valuable support in the microbiological analysis. The authors acknowledge the financial support of Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore through D.2.2 and D.3.1 grants and from the European Union through the 7th Framework Program (FP7) under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (Reference No. 312483 ESTEEM2). REFERENCES Approved Most recent IF: 4.335
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:141723UA @ admin @ c:irua:141723 Serial 4479
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Author Boschker, H.; Verbeeck, J.; Egoavil, R.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Huijben, M.; Houwman, E.P.; Koster, G.; Blank, D.H.A.; Rijnders, G.
  Title Preventing the reconstruction of the polar discontinuity at oxide heterointerfaces Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication Advanced functional materials Abbreviated Journal Adv Funct Mater
  Volume 22 Issue 11 Pages 2235-2240
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Perovskite oxide heteroepitaxy receives much attention because of the possibility to combine the diverse functionalities of perovskite oxide building blocks. A general boundary condition for the epitaxy is the presence of polar discontinuities at heterointerfaces. These polar discontinuities result in reconstructions, often creating new functionalities at the interface. However, for a significant number of materials these reconstructions are unwanted as they alter the intrinsic materials properties at the interface. Therefore, a strategy to eliminate this reconstruction of the polar discontinuity at the interfaces is required. We show that the use of compositional interface engineering can prevent the reconstruction at the La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/SrTiO3 (LSMO/STO) interface. The polar discontinuity at this interface can be removed by the insertion of a single La0.33Sr0.67O layer, resulting in improved interface magnetization and electrical conductivity.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor
  Language Wos 000304749600002 Publication Date 2012-03-23
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1616-301X; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 12.124 Times cited 72 Open Access
  Notes (up) We wish to acknowledge the financial support of the Dutch Science Foundation (NWO) and the Dutch Nanotechnology program NanoNed. S. B. acknowledges the financial support from the European Union under the Framework 6 program under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative. Reference 026019 ESTEEM. J. V. and G. V. T. acknowledge funding from the European Research Council under the 7th Framework Program (FP7), ERC grant N246791 – COUNTATOMS. R. E. acknowledges funding by the European Union Council under the 7th Framework Program (FP7) grant NNMP3-LA-2010-246102 IFOX. We thank Sandra Van Aert for stimulating discussions. Approved Most recent IF: 12.124; 2012 IF: 9.765
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:98907UA @ admin @ c:irua:98907 Serial 2712
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Author Altantzis, T.; Zanaga, D.; Bals, S.
  Title Advanced electron tomography of nanoparticle assemblies Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Europhysics letters Abbreviated Journal Epl-Europhys Lett
  Volume 119 Issue 119 Pages 38001
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Nanoparticle assemblies have attracted enormous scientific interest during the last

years, due to their unique properties compared to those of their building blocks. To understand

the origin of these properties and to establish the connection with their structure, a detailed and

quantitative structural characterization is essential. Transmission electron microscopy has been

widely used to investigate nano-assemblies. However, TEM images only correspond to a twodimensional

projection of a three-dimensional object. Therefore, in order to obtain the necessary

3D structural information electron tomography has to be applied. By means of advanced electron

tomography, both qualitative and quantitative information can be obtained, which can be used

for detailed theoretical studies.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000415019400023 Publication Date 2017-10-12
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0295-5075 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 1.957 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) We would like to thank the colleagues who have contributed to this work over the years, including L. M. Liz- Marzan, M. Grzelczak, A. Sanchez-Iglesias, D. Vanmaekelbergh, M. P. Boneschanscher, W. H. Evers, J. J. Geuchies, B. Goris, A. de Backer, S. van Aert, M.-P. Pileni, Z. Yang, K. J. Batenburg, J. Sijbers, F. Bleichrodt, W. J. Palenstijn, A. van Blaaderen, M. A. van Huis, F. M. Peeters, N. Winckelmans and D. Wang. The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (G.0381.16N, G.036915 G.0374.13 and funding of a postdoctoral grant to TA). SB and DZ acknowledge funding from the European Research Council, ERC grant No. 335078 – Colouratom. (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 1.957
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:146096UA @ admin @ c:irua:146096 Serial 4733
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Author Zheng, Y.-R.; Vernieres, J.; Wang, Z.; Zhang, K.; Hochfilzer, D.; Krempl, K.; Liao, T.-W.; Presel, F.; Altantzis, T.; Fatermans, J.; Scott, S.B.; Secher, N.M.; Moon, C.; Liu, P.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S.; Cao, A.; Anand, M.; Nørskov, J.K.; Kibsgaard, J.; Chorkendorff, I.
  Title Monitoring oxygen production on mass-selected iridium–tantalum oxide electrocatalysts Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Nature Energy Abbreviated Journal Nat Energy
  Volume Issue Pages
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
  Abstract Development of low-cost and high-performance oxygen evolution reaction catalysts is key to implementing polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzers for hydrogen production. Iridium-based oxides are the state-of-the-art acidic oxygen evolution reactio catalysts but still suffer from inadequate activity and stability, and iridium's scarcity motivates the discovery of catalysts with lower iridium loadings. Here we report a mass-selected iridium-tantalum oxide catalyst prepared by a magnetron-based cluster source with considerably reduced noble-metal loadings beyond a commercial IrO2 catalyst. A sensitive electrochemistry/mass-spectrometry instrument coupled with isotope labelling was employed to investigate the oxygen production rate under dynamic operating conditions to account for the occurrence of side reactions and quantify the number of surface active sites. Iridium-tantalum oxide nanoparticles smaller than 2 nm exhibit a mass activity of 1.2 ± 0.5 kA “g” _“Ir” ^“-1” and a turnover frequency of 2.3 ± 0.9 s-1 at 320 mV overpotential, which are two and four times higher than those of mass-selected IrO2, respectively. Density functional theory calculations reveal that special iridium coordinations and the lowered aqueous decomposition free energy might be responsible for the enhanced performance.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000728458000001 Publication Date 2021-12-09
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 2058-7546 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor Times cited 95 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) Y.-R.Z. and Z.W acknowledge funding from the Toyota Research Institute. This project has received funding from VILLUM FONDEN (grant no. 9455) and the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grants no. 741860-CLUNATRA, no. 815128−REALNANO and no. 770887−PICOMETRICS). S.B. and S.V.A. acknowledge funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, G026718N and G050218N). T.A. acknowledges the University of Antwerp Research Fund (BOF). STEM measurements were supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructure-Integrating Activities for Advanced Communities under grant agreement No 823717 – ESTEEM3.; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: NA
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:184794 Serial 6903
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Author Ding, Y.; Maitra, S.; Arenas Esteban, D.; Bals, S.; Vrielinck, H.; Barakat, T.; Roy, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Liu, J.; Li, Y.; Vlad, A.; Su, B.-L.
  Title Photochemical production of hydrogen peroxide by digging pro-superoxide radical carbon vacancies in carbon nitride Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Cell reports physical science Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 3 Issue 5 Pages 100874-17
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Artificial photosynthesis of H2O2, an environmentally friendly oxidant and a clean fuel, holds great promise. However, improving its efficiency and stability for industrial implementation remains highly challenging. Here, we report the visible-light H2O2 artificial photosynthesis by digging pro-superoxide radical carbon vacancies in three-dimensional hierarchical porous g-C3N4 through a simple hydrolysis-freeze-drying-thermal treatment. A significant electronic structure change is revealed upon the implantation of carbon vacancies, broadening visible-light absorption and facilitating the photogenerated charge separation. The strong electron affinity of the carbon vacancies promotes superoxide radical (O-center dot(2)-) formation, significantly boosting the H2O2 photocatalytic production. The developed photocatalyst shows an H2O2 evolution rate of 6287.5 mM g(-1) h(-1) under visible-light irradiation with a long cycling stability being the best-performing photocatalyst among all reported g-C3N4-based systems. Our work provides fundamental insight into highly active and stable photocatalysts with great potential for safe industrial H2O2 production.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000805830100006 Publication Date 2022-04-28
  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 12 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) Y.D. thanks the China Scholarship Council (201808310127) for financial support. This work is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1663225) , Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT_15R52) of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Program of Introducing Talents of Discipline to Universities-Plan 111 (grant no. B20002) from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education of China, and the National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFA0202602) . This research was also supported by the European Commission Interreg V France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen project “DepollutAir”. Approved Most recent IF: NA
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:189706 Serial 7090
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Author Zhang, Y.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.
  Title Understanding CeO2-Based Nanostructures through Advanced Electron Microscopy in 2D and 3D Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Particle and particle systems characterization Abbreviated Journal Part Part Syst Char
  Volume 36 Issue 36 Pages 1800287
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Engineering morphology and size of CeO2-based nanostructures on a (sub)nanometer scale will greatly influence their performance; this is because of their high oxygen storage capacity and unique redox properties, which allow faster switching of the oxidation state between Ce4+ and Ce3+. Although tremendous research has been carried out on the shapecontrolled synthesis of CeO2, the characterization of these nanostructures at the atomic scale remains a major challenge and the origin of debate. The rapid developments of aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (AC-TEM) have pushed the resolution below 1 Å, both in TEM and in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) mode. At present, not only morphology and structure, but also composition and electronic structure can be analyzed at an atomic scale, even in 3D. This review summarizes recent significant achievements using TEM/ STEM and associated spectroscopic techniques to study CeO2-based nanostructures and related catalytic phenomena. Recent results have shed light on the understanding of the different mechanisms. The potential and limitations, including future needs of various techniques, are discussed with recommendations to facilitate further developments of new and highly efficient CeO2-based nanostructures.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000455414600012 Publication Date 2018-10-24
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0934-0866 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 4.474 Times cited 22 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) Y.Z. acknowledges financial support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska- Curie grant agreement no. 665501 through a FWO [PEGASUS]2 Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship (12U4917N). S.B. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council, ERC grant no. 335078-Colouratom. ; ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.474
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @UA @ admin @ c:irua:156391 Serial 5151
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Author Wang, Y.; Sztranyovszky, Z.; Zilli, A.; Albrecht, W.; Bals, S.; Borri, P.; Langbein, W.
  Title Quantitatively linking morphology and optical response of individual silver nanohedra Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale
  Volume 14 Issue 30 Pages 11028-11037
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract The optical response of metal nanoparticles is governed by plasmonic resonances, which are dictated by the particle morphology. A thorough understanding of the link between morphology and optical response requires quantitatively measuring optical and structural properties of the same particle. Here we present such a study, correlating electron tomography and optical micro-spectroscopy. The optical measurements determine the scattering and absorption cross-section spectra in absolute units, and electron tomography determines the 3D morphology. Numerical simulations of the spectra for the individual particle geometry, and the specific optical set-up used, allow for a quantitative comparison including the cross-section magnitude. Silver nanoparticles produced by photochemically driven colloidal synthesis, including decahedra, tetrahedra and bi-tetrahedra are investigated. A mismatch of measured and simulated spectra is found in some cases when assuming pure silver particles, which is explained by the presence of a few atomic layers of tarnish on the surface, not evident in electron tomography. The presented method tightens the link between particle morphology and optical response, supporting the predictive design of plasmonic nanomaterials.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000828704000001 Publication Date 2022-07-15
  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 OpenAccess
  Notes (up) Z.S. acknowledges the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for his Ph.D. studentship award (grant EP/R513003/1). Y.W. acknowledges Iwan Moreels (University of Ghent) for training in nanoparticle synthesis. Y.W. acknowledges the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) for his Ph.D. studentship award (grant BB/L015889/1). This work was supported by the UK EPSRC (grants EP/I005072/1 and EP/M028313/1), and by the European Commission (EUSMI E191000350). W.A. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship from the Marie Skodowska-Curie actions (MSCA) under the EU's Horizon 2020 program (Grant 797153, SOPMEN). We thank Lukas Payne and Iestyn Pope for contributions to the development of the hardware and software used for the optical measurements. Approved Most recent IF: 6.7
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:189578 Serial 7092
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Author Chen, H.; Xu, J.; Wang, Y.; Wang, D.; Ferrer-Espada, R.; Wang, Y.; Zhou, J.; Pedrazo-Tardajos, A.; Yang, M.; Tan, J.-H.; Yang, X.; Zhang, L.; Sychugov, I.; Chen, S.; Bals, S.; Paulsson, J.; Yang, Z.
  Title Color-switchable nanosilicon fluorescent probes Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano
  Volume 16 Issue 9 Pages 15450-15459
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Fluorescent probes are vital to cell imaging by allowing specific parts of cells to be visualized and quantified. Color-switchable probes (CSPs), with tunable emission wavelength upon contact with specific targets, are particularly powerful because they not only eliminate the need to wash away all unbound probe but also allow for internal controls of probe concentrations, thereby facilitating quantification. Several such CSPs exist and have proven very useful, but not for all key cellular targets. Here we report a pioneering CSP for in situ cell imaging using aldehydefunctionalized silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) that switch their intrinsic photoluminescence from red to blue quickly when interacting with amino acids in live cells. Though conventional probes often work better in cell-free extracts than in live cells, the SiNCs display the opposite behavior and function well and fast in universal cell lines at 37 ? while requiring much higher temperature in extracts. Furthermore, the SiNCs only disperse in cytoplasm not nucleus, and their fluorescence intensity correlated linearly with the concentration of fed amino acids. We believe these nanosilicon probes will be promising tools to visualize distribution of amino acids and potentially quantify amino acid related processes in live cells.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000861080700001 Publication Date 2022-09-15
  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 1 Open Access Not_Open_Access
  Notes (up) Z.Y. and H.C. acknowledge the funding support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21905316, 22175201) , the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province (2019A050510018) , the Pearl River Recruitment Program of Talent (2019QN01C108) , the EU Infrastructure Project EUSMI (Grant No. E190700310) , and Sun Yat-sen University. S.C. acknowledge the funding support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32171192) . D.W. acknowledges an Individual Fellowship funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020 program (Grant No. 894254 SuprAtom) . S.B. and A.P.-T. acknowledge financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme by means of the grant agreement No. 731019 (EUSMI) and the ERC Consolidator Grant No. 815128 (REALNANO) . J.Z. acknowledged the funding support from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) . L.Z and J.X. thank Huzhou Li-in Biotechnology Co., Ltd. for the instrumentational and financial support. J.X. and R.F.-E. appreciate fruitful discussion with Dr. Emanuele Leoncini and Dr. Noah Olsman. J.X. and R.F.-E. also thank Mr. Daniel Eaton and Mr. Carlos Sanchez for their help with microscope setups. Approved Most recent IF: 17.1
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:191574 Serial 7288
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Author Tang, Z.; Liu, P.; Cao, H.; Bals, S.; Heeres, H.J.; Pescarmona, P.P.
  Title Pr/ZrO2 prepared by atomic trapping : an efficient catalyst for the conversion of glycerol to lactic acid with concomitant transfer hydrogenation of cyclohexene Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication ACS catalysis Abbreviated Journal Acs Catal
  Volume 9 Issue 9 Pages 9953-9963
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract A series of heterogeneous catalysts consisting of highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles supported on nanosized ZrO2 (20 to 60 nm) was synthesized and investigated for the one-pot transfer hydrogenation between glycerol and cyclohexene to produce lactic acid and cyclohexane, without any additional H-2. Different preparation methods were screened, by varying the calcination and reduction procedures with the purpose of optimizing the dispersion of Pt species (i.e., as single-atom sites or extra-fine Pt nanoparticles) on the ZrO2 support. The Pt/ZrO2 catalysts were characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy techniques (HAADF-STEM, TEM), elemental analysis (ICP-OES, EDX mapping), N-2-physisorption, H-2 temperature-programmed-reduction (H-2-TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Based on this combination of techniques it was possible to correlate the temperature of the calcination and reduction treatments with the nature of the Pt species. The best catalyst consisted of subnanometer Pt clusters (<1 nm) and atomically dispersed Pt (as Pt2+ and Pt4+) on the ZrO2 support, which were converted into extra-fine Pt nanoparticles (average size = 1.4 nm) upon reduction. These nanoparticles acted as catalytic species for the transfer hydrogenation of glycerol with cyclohexene, which gave an unsurpassed 95% yield of lactic acid salt at 96% glycerol conversion (aqueous glycerol solution, NaOH as promoter, 160 degrees C, 4.5 h, at 20 bar N-2). This is the highest yield and selectivity of lactic acid (salt) reported in the literature so far. Reusability experiments showed a partial and gradual loss of activity of the Pt/ZrO2 catalyst, which was attributed to the experimentally observed aggregation of Pt nanoparticles.
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  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000494549700025 Publication Date 2019-09-16
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 2155-5435 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor 10.614 Times cited 46 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes (up) Zhenchen Tang acknowledges the financial support from the China Scholarship Council for his Ph.D. grant. All the authors are grateful for the technical support from Erwin Wilbers, Anne Appeldoorn, and Marcel de Vries, the TEM support from Dr. Marc Stuart, and the ICP-OES support from Johannes van der Velde. Pei Liu and Sara Bals acknowledge financial support from the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Programme by means of grant agreement No. 731019 EUSMI. Approved Most recent IF: 10.614
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:164643 Serial 6326
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