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Author Mortet, V.; Zhang, L.; Echert, M.; Soltani, A.; d' Haen, J.; Douheret, O.; Moreau, M.; Osswald, S.; Neyts, E.; Troadec, D.; Wagner, P.; Bogaerts, A.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Haenen, K.
Title Characterization of nano-crystalline diamond films grown under continuous DC bias during plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition Type A3 Journal article
Year 2009 Publication Materials Research Society symposium proceedings Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue 1203 Pages
Keywords A3 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Nanocrystalline diamond films have generated much interested due to their diamond-like properties and low surface roughness. Several techniques have been used to obtain a high re-nucleation rate, such as hydrogen poor or high methane concentration plasmas. In this work, the properties of nano-diamond films grown on silicon substrates using a continuous DC bias voltage during the complete duration of growth are studied. Subsequently, the layers were characterised by several morphological, structural and optical techniques. Besides a thorough investigation of the surface structure, using SEM and AFM, special attention was paid to the bulk structure of the films. The application of FTIR, XRD, multi wavelength Raman spectroscopy, TEM and EELS yielded a detailed insight in important properties such as the amount of crystallinity, the hydrogen content and grain size. Although these films are smooth, they are under a considerable compressive stress. FTIR spectroscopy points to a high hydrogen content in the films, while Raman and EELS indicate a high concentration of sp2 carbon. TEM and EELS show that these films consist of diamond nano-grains mixed with an amorphous sp2 bonded carbon, these results are consistent with the XRD and UV Raman spectroscopy data.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Wuhan Editor
Language Wos Publication Date (up) 2010-03-27
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1946-4274; ISBN Additional Links UA library record
Impact Factor Times cited Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:81646 Serial 327
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Author Bogaerts, A.; De Bie, C.; Eckert, M.; Georgieva, V.; Martens, T.; Neyts, E.; Tinck, S.
Title Modeling of the plasma chemistry and plasmasurface interactions in reactive plasmas Type A1 Journal article
Year 2010 Publication Pure and applied chemistry Abbreviated Journal Pure Appl Chem
Volume 82 Issue 6 Pages 1283-1299
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this paper, an overview is given of modeling activities going on in our research group, for describing the plasma chemistry and plasmasurface interactions in reactive plasmas. The plasma chemistry is calculated by a fluid approach or by hybrid Monte Carlo (MC)fluid modeling. An example of both is illustrated in the first part of the paper. The example of fluid modeling is given for a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in CH4/O2, to describe the partial oxidation of CH4 into value-added chemicals. The example of hybrid MCfluid modeling concerns an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etch reactor in Ar/Cl2/O2, including also the description of the etch process. The second part of the paper deals with the treatment of plasmasurface interactions on the atomic level, with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations or a combination of MD and MC simulations.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication London Editor
Language Wos 000279063900010 Publication Date (up) 2010-04-21
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1365-3075;0033-4545; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.626 Times cited 13 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.626; 2010 IF: 2.134
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:82108 Serial 2134
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Author Eckert, M.; Neyts, E.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Insights into the growth of (ultra)nanocrystalline diamond by combined molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations Type A1 Journal article
Year 2010 Publication Crystal growth & design Abbreviated Journal Cryst Growth Des
Volume 10 Issue 7 Pages 3005-3021
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this paper, we present the results of combined molecular dynamics−Metropolis Monte Carlo (MD-MMC) simulations of hydrocarbon species at flat diamond (100)2 × 1 and (111)1 × 1 surfaces. The investigated species are considered to be the most important growth species for (ultra)nanocrystalline diamond ((U)NCD) growth. When applying the MMC algorithm to stuck species at monoradical sites, bonding changes are only seen for CH2. The sequence of the bond breaking and formation as put forward by the MMC simulations mimics the insertion of CH2 into a surface dimer as proposed in the standard growth model of diamond. For hydrocarbon species attached to two adjacent radical (biradical) sites, the MMC simulations give rise to significant changes in the bonding structure. For UNCD, the combinations of C3 and C3H2, and C3 and C4H2 (at diamond (100)2 × 1) and C and C2H2 (at diamond (111)1 × 1) are the most successful in nucleating new crystal layers. For NCD, the following combinations pursue the diamond structure the best: C2H2 and C3H2 (at diamond (100)2 × 1) and CH2 and C2H2 (at diamond (111)1 × 1). The different behaviors of the hydrocarbon species at the two diamond surfaces are related to the different sterical hindrances at the diamond surfaces.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000279422700032 Publication Date (up) 2010-05-25
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1528-7483;1528-7505; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 4.055 Times cited 13 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.055; 2010 IF: 4.390
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:83065 Serial 1675
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Author Gou, F.; Neyts, E.; Eckert, M.; Tinck, S.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Molecular dynamics simulations of Cl+ etching on a Si(100) surface Type A1 Journal article
Year 2010 Publication Journal of applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Appl Phys
Volume 107 Issue 11 Pages 113305,1-113305,6
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations using improved TersoffBrenner potential parameters were performed to investigate Cl+ etching of a {2×1} reconstructed Si(100) surface. Steady-state Si etching accompanying the Cl coverage of the surface is observed. Furthermore, a steady-state chlorinated reaction layer is formed. The thickness of this reaction layer is found to increase with increasing energy. The stoichiometry of SiClx species in the reaction layer is found to be SiCl:SiCl2:SiCl3 = 1.0:0.14:0.008 at 50 eV. These results are in excellent agreement with available experimental data. While elemental Si products are created by physical sputtering, most SiClx (0<x<4) etch products are produced by chemical-enhanced physical sputtering.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher American Institute of Physics Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor
Language Wos 000278907100018 Publication Date (up) 2010-06-04
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0021-8979; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 2.068 Times cited 15 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.068; 2010 IF: 2.079
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:82663 Serial 2175
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Author Eckert, M.; Neyts, E.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Differences between ultrananocrystalline and nanocrystalline diamond growth: theoretical investigation of CxHy species at diamond step edges Type A1 Journal article
Year 2010 Publication Crystal growth & design Abbreviated Journal Cryst Growth Des
Volume 10 Issue 9 Pages 4123-4134
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The behavior of hydrocarbon species at step edges of diamond terraces is investigated by means of combined molecular dynamics−Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations. The results show that the formation of ballas-like diamond films (like UNCD) and well-faceted diamond films (like NCD) can be related to the gas phase concentrations of CxHy in a new manner: Species that have high concentrations above the growing UNCD films suppress the extension of step edges through defect formation. The species that are present above the growing NCD film, however, enhance the extension of diamond terraces, which is believed to result in well-faceted diamond films. Furthermore, it is shown that, during UNCD growth, CxHy species with x ≥ 2 play an important role, in contrast to the currently adopted CVD diamond growth mechanism. Finally, the probabilities for the extension of the diamond (100) terrace are much higher than those for the diamond (111) terrace, which is in full agreement with the experimental observation that diamond (100) facets are more favored than diamond (111) facets during CVD diamond growth.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000281353900042 Publication Date (up) 2010-08-16
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1528-7483;1528-7505; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 4.055 Times cited 11 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.055; 2010 IF: 4.390
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:83696 Serial 694
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Author Neyts, E.C.; Shibuta, Y.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Catalyzed growth of carbon nanotube with definable chirality by hybrid molecular dynamics-force biased Monte Carlo simulations Type A1 Journal article
Year 2010 Publication ACS nano Abbreviated Journal Acs Nano
Volume 4 Issue 11 Pages 6665-6672
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Metal-catalyzed growth mechanisms of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were studied by hybrid molecular dynamics−Monte Carlo simulations using a recently developed ReaxFF reactive force field. Using this novel approach, including relaxation effects, a CNT with definable chirality is obtained, and a step-by-step atomistic description of the nucleation process is presented. Both root and tip growth mechanisms are observed. The importance of the relaxation of the network is highlighted by the observed healing of defects.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000284438000043 Publication Date (up) 2010-10-12
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1936-0851;1936-086X; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 13.942 Times cited 129 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 13.942; 2010 IF: 9.865
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:84759 Serial 294
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Author Neyts, E.; Maeyens, A.; Pourtois, G.; Bogaerts, A.
Title A density-functional theory simulation of the formation of Ni-doped fullerenes by ion implantation Type A1 Journal article
Year 2011 Publication Carbon Abbreviated Journal Carbon
Volume 49 Issue 3 Pages 1013-1017
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Using self-consistent KohnSham density-functional theory molecular dynamics simulations, we demonstrate the theoretical possibility to synthesize NiC60, the incarfullerene Ni@C60 and the heterofullerene C59Ni in an ion implantation setup. The corresponding formation mechanisms of all three complexes are elucidated as a function of the ion implantation energy and impact location, suggesting possible routes for selectively synthesizing these complexes.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Oxford Editor
Language Wos 000286683500032 Publication Date (up) 2010-11-14
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0008-6223; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 6.337 Times cited 13 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 6.337; 2011 IF: 5.378
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:85139 Serial 639
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Author Eckert, M.; Mortet, V.; Zhang, L.; Neyts, E.; Verbeeck, J.; Haenen, ken; Bogaerts, A.
Title Theoretical investigation of grain size tuning during prolonged bias-enhanced nucleation Type A1 Journal article
Year 2011 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
Volume 23 Issue 6 Pages 1414-1423
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this paper, the effects of prolonged bias-enhanced nucleation (prolonged BEN) on the growth mechanisms of diamond are investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) and combined MD-Metropolis Monte Carlo (MD-MMC) simulations. First, cumulative impacts of CxHy+ and Hx+ on an a-C:H/nanodiamond composite were simulated; second, nonconsecutive impacts of the dominant ions were simulated in order to understand the observed phenomena in more detail. As stated in the existing literature, the growth of diamond structures during prolonged BEN is a process that takes place below the surface of the growing film. The investigation of the penetration behavior of CxHy+ and Hx+ species shows that the carbon-containing ions remain trapped within this amorphous phase where they dominate mechanisms like precipitation of sp3 carbon clusters. The H+ ions, however, penetrate into the crystalline phase at high bias voltages (>100 V), destroying the perfect diamond structure. The experimentally measured reduction of grain sizes at high bias voltage, reported in the literature, might thus be related to penetrating H+ ions. Furthermore, the CxHy+ ions are found to be the most efficient sputtering agents, preventing the build up of defective material.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000288291400011 Publication Date (up) 2011-02-23
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; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 9.466 Times cited 9 Open Access
Notes Iwt; Fwo; Esteem 026019; Iap Approved Most recent IF: 9.466; 2011 IF: 7.286
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:87642 Serial 3605
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Author Neyts, E.C.; Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; van Duin, A.C.T.
Title Hyperthermal oxygen interacting with silicon surfaces : adsorption, implantation, and damage creation Type A1 Journal article
Year 2011 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C
Volume 115 Issue 15 Pages 4818-4823
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations, we have investigated the effect of single-impact, low-energy (thermal-100 eV) bombardment of a Si(100){2 × 1} surface by atomic and molecular oxygen. Penetration probability distributions, as well as defect formation distributions, are presented as a function of the impact energy for both species. It is found that at low impact energy, defects are created chemically due to the chemisorption process in the top layers of the surface, while at high impact energy, additional defects are created by a knock-on displacement of Si. These results are of particular importance for understanding device performances of silica-based microelectronic and photovoltaic devices.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000288401200060 Publication Date (up) 2011-03-02
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 28 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2011 IF: 4.805
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:89858 Serial 1543
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Author Bogaerts, A.; Eckert, M.; Mao, M.; Neyts, E.
Title Computer modelling of the plasma chemistry and plasma-based growth mechanisms for nanostructured materials Type A1 Journal article
Year 2011 Publication Journal of physics: D: applied physics Abbreviated Journal J Phys D Appl Phys
Volume 44 Issue 17 Pages 174030-174030,16
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this review paper, an overview is given of different modelling efforts for plasmas used for the formation and growth of nanostructured materials. This includes both the plasma chemistry, providing information on the precursors for nanostructure formation, as well as the growth processes itself. We limit ourselves to carbon (and silicon) nanostructures. Examples of the plasma modelling comprise nanoparticle formation in silane and hydrocarbon plasmas, as well as the plasma chemistry giving rise to carbon nanostructure formation, such as (ultra)nanocrystalline diamond ((U)NCD) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The second part of the paper deals with the simulation of the (plasma-based) growth mechanisms of the same carbon nanostructures, i.e. (U)NCD and CNTs, both by mechanistic modelling and detailed atomistic simulations.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication London Editor
Language Wos 000289512700030 Publication Date (up) 2011-04-15
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 25 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 2.588; 2011 IF: 2.544
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:88364 Serial 463
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Author Neyts, E.C.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Changing chirality during single-walled carbon nanotube growth : a reactive molecular dynamics/Monte Carlo study Type A1 Journal article
Year 2011 Publication Journal of the American Chemical Society Abbreviated Journal J Am Chem Soc
Volume 133 Issue 43 Pages 17225-17231
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The growth mechanism and chirality formation of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) on a surface-bound nickel nanocluster are investigated by hybrid reactive molecular dynamics/force-biased Monte Carlo simulations. The validity of the interatomic potential used, the so-called ReaxFF potential, for simulating catalytic SWNT growth is demonstrated. The SWNT growth process was found to be in agreement with previous studies and observed to proceed through a number of distinct steps, viz., the dissolution of carbon in the metallic particle, the surface segregation of carbon with the formation of aggregated carbon clusters on the surface, the formation of graphitic islands that grow into SWNT caps, and finally continued growth of the SWNT. Moreover, it is clearly illustrated in the present study that during the growth process, the carbon network is continuously restructured by a metal-mediated process, thereby healing many topological defects. It is also found that a cap can nucleate and disappear again, which was not observed in previous simulations. Encapsulation of the nanoparticle is observed to be prevented by the carbon network migrating as a whole over the cluster surface. Finally, for the first time, the chirality of the growing SWNT cap is observed to change from (11,0) over (9,3) to (7,7). It is demonstrated that this change in chirality is due to the metal-mediated restructuring process.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000297380900026 Publication Date (up) 2011-10-06
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0002-7863;1520-5126; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 13.858 Times cited 116 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 13.858; 2011 IF: 9.907
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:92043 Serial 309
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Author Khalilov, U.; Neyts, E.C.; Pourtois, G.; van Duin, A.C.T.
Title Can we control the thickness of ultrathin silica layers by hyperthermal silicon oxidation at room temperature? Type A1 Journal article
Year 2011 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C
Volume 115 Issue 50 Pages 24839-24848
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations by means of the ReaxFF potential, we studied the growth mechanism of ultrathin silica (SiO2) layers during hyperthermal oxidation at room temperature. Oxidation of Si(100){2 × 1} surfaces by both atomic and molecular oxygen was investigated in the energy range 15 eV. The oxidation mechanism, which differs from thermal oxidation, is discussed. In the case of oxidation by molecular O2, silica is quickly formed and the thickness of the formed layers remains limited compared to oxidation by atomic oxygen. The Si/SiO2 interfaces are analyzed in terms of partial charges and angle distributions. The obtained structures of the ultrathin SiO2 films are amorphous, including some intrinsic defects. This study is important for the fabrication of silica-based devices in the micro- and nanoelectronics industry, and more specifically for the fabrication of metal oxide semiconductor devices.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000297947700050 Publication Date (up) 2011-11-16
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 36 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2011 IF: 4.805
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:94303 Serial 273
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Author Neyts, E.C.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Insights in the plasma-assisted growth of carbon nanotubes through atomic scale simulations : effect of electric field Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Journal of the American Chemical Society Abbreviated Journal J Am Chem Soc
Volume 134 Issue 2 Pages 1256-1260
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are nowadays routinely grown in a thermal CVD setup. State-of-the-art plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) growth, however, offers advantages over thermal CVD. A lower growth temperature and the growth of aligned freestanding single-walled CNTs (SWNTs) makes the technique very attractive. The atomic scale growth mechanisms of PECVD CNT growth, however, remain currently entirely unexplored. In this contribution, we employed molecular dynamics simulations to focus on the effect of applying an electric field on the SWNT growth process, as one of the effects coming into play in PECVD. Using sufficiently strong fields results in (a) alignment of the growing SWNTs, (b) a better ordering of the carbon network, and (c) a higher growth rate relative to thermal growth rate. We suggest that these effects are due to the small charge transfer occurring in the Ni/C system. These simulations constitute the first study of PECVD growth of SWNTs on the atomic level.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000301084300086 Publication Date (up) 2011-11-30
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0002-7863;1520-5126; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 13.858 Times cited 56 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 13.858; 2012 IF: 10.677
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:97163 Serial 1673
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Author Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C.
Title Hyperthermal oxidation of Si(100)2x1 surfaces : effect of growth temperature Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C
Volume 116 Issue 15 Pages 8649-8656
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations based on the ReaxFF potential, we studied the growth mechanism of ultrathin silica (SiO2) layers during hyperthermal oxidation as a function of temperature in the range 100-1300 K. Oxidation of Si(100){2 x 1} surfaces by both atomic and molecular oxygen was investigated for hyperthermal impact energies in the range of 1 to 5 eV. Two different growth mechanisms are found, corresponding to a low temperature oxidation and a high temperature one. The transition temperature between these mechanisms is estimated to be about 700 K. Also, the initial step of the Si oxidation process is analyzed in detail. Where possible, we validated our results with experimental and ab initio data, and good agreement was obtained. This study is important for the fabrication of silica-based devices in the micro- and nanoelectronics industry and, more specifically, for the fabrication of metal oxide semiconductor devices.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000302924900035 Publication Date (up) 2012-03-26
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 32 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2012 IF: 4.814
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:98259 Serial 1542
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Author Mees, M.J.; Pourtois, G.; Neyts, E.C.; Thijsse, B.J.; Stesmans, A.
Title Uniform-acceptance force-bias Monte Carlo method with time scale to study solid-state diffusion Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Physical review : B : condensed matter and materials physics Abbreviated Journal Phys Rev B
Volume 85 Issue 13 Pages 134301-134301,9
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Monte Carlo (MC) methods have a long-standing history as partners of molecular dynamics (MD) to simulate the evolution of materials at the atomic scale. Among these techniques, the uniform-acceptance force-bias Monte Carlo (UFMC) method [ G. Dereli Mol. Simul. 8 351 (1992)] has recently attracted attention [ M. Timonova et al. Phys. Rev. B 81 144107 (2010)] thanks to its apparent capacity of being able to simulate physical processes in a reduced number of iterations compared to classical MD methods. The origin of this efficiency remains, however, unclear. In this work we derive a UFMC method starting from basic thermodynamic principles, which leads to an intuitive and unambiguous formalism. The approach includes a statistically relevant time step per Monte Carlo iteration, showing a significant speed-up compared to MD simulations. This time-stamped force-bias Monte Carlo (tfMC) formalism is tested on both simple one-dimensional and three-dimensional systems. Both test-cases give excellent results in agreement with analytical solutions and literature reports. The inclusion of a time scale, the simplicity of the method, and the enhancement of the time step compared to classical MD methods make this method very appealing for studying the dynamics of many-particle systems.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000302290500001 Publication Date (up) 2012-04-03
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1098-0121;1550-235X; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 3.836 Times cited 31 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 3.836; 2012 IF: 3.767
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:97160 Serial 3809
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Neyts, E.C.
Title PECVD growth of carbon nanotubes : from experiment to simulation Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Journal of vacuum science and technology: B: micro-electronics processing and phenomena Abbreviated Journal
Volume 30 Issue 3 Pages 030803-030803,17
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Nanostructured carbon materials show a tremendous variety in atomic structure, morphology, properties, and applications. As all properties are ultimately determined by the structure of the material, a thorough understanding of the growth mechanisms that give rise to the particular structure is critical. On many occasions, it has been shown that plasma enhanced growth can be strongly beneficial. This review will describe the authors current understanding of plasma enhanced growth of carbon nanotubes, the prototypical example of nanostructured carbon materials, as obtained from experiments, simulations, and modeling. Specific emphasis is put on where experiments and computational approaches correspond, and where they differ. Also, the current status on simulating PECVD growth of some other carbon nanomaterials is reviewed, including amorphous carbon, graphene, and metallofullerenes. Finally, computational challenges with respect to the simulation of PECVD growth are identified.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor
Language Wos 000305042000010 Publication Date (up) 2012-04-16
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 2166-2746; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor Times cited 42 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:97166 Serial 2570
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Author Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Modeling the growth of SWNTs and graphene on the atomic scale Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication ECS transactions Abbreviated Journal
Volume 45 Issue 4 Pages 73-78
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The possibility of application of nanomaterials is determined by our ability to control the properties of the materials, which are ultimately determined by their structure and hence their growth processes. We employ hybrid molecular dynamics / Monte Carlo (MD/MC) simulations to explore the growth of SWNTs and graphene on nickel as a catalyst, with the specific goal of unraveling the growth mechanisms. While the general observations are in agreement with the literature, we find a number of interesting phenomena to be operative which are crucial for the growth, and which are not accessible by MD simulations alone due to the associated time scale. Specifically, we observe metal mediated healing and restructuring processes to take place, reorganizing the carbon network during the initial nucleation step. In the case of carbon nanotube growth, this leads to the growth of tubes with a determinable chirality. In the case of graphene formation, we find that graphene is only formed at temperatures above 700 K. These results are of importance for understanding the growth mechanisms of these carbon nanomaterials on the fundamental level.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Electrochemical Society Place of Publication Pennington Editor
Language Wos 000316890000008 Publication Date (up) 2012-04-27
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1938-6737;1938-5862; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:108535 Serial 2144
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Author Neyts, E.C.; Thijsse, B.J.; Mees, M.J.; Bal, K.M.; Pourtois, G.
Title Establishing uniform acceptance in force biased Monte Carlo simulations Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Journal of chemical theory and computation Abbreviated Journal J Chem Theory Comput
Volume 8 Issue 6 Pages 1865-1869
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Uniform acceptance force biased Monte Carlo (UFMC) simulations have previously been shown to be a powerful tool to simulate atomic scale processes, enabling one to follow the dynamical path during the simulation. In this contribution, we present a simple proof to demonstrate that this uniform acceptance still complies with the condition of detailed balance, on the condition that the characteristic parameter lambda = 1/2 and that the maximum allowed step size is chosen to be sufficiently small. Furthermore, the relation to Metropolis Monte Carlo (MMC) is also established, and it is shown that UFMC reduces to MMC by choosing the characteristic parameter lambda = 0 [Rao, M. et al. Mol. Phys. 1979, 37, 1773]. Finally, a simple example compares the UFMC and MMC methods.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000305092400002 Publication Date (up) 2012-05-16
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1549-9618;1549-9626; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 5.245 Times cited 20 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 5.245; 2012 IF: 5.389
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:99090 Serial 1082
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Author Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C.
Title Self-limiting oxidation in small-diameter Si nanowires Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
Volume 24 Issue 11 Pages 2141-2147
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Recently, core shell silicon nanowires (Si-NWs) have been envisaged to be used for field-effect transistors and photovoltaic applications. In spite of the constant downsizing of such devices, the formation of ultrasmall diameter core shell Si-NWs currently remains entirely unexplored. We report here on the modeling of the formation of such core shell Si-NWs using a dry thermal oxidation of 2 nm diameter (100) Si nanowires at 300 and 1273 K, by means of reactive molecular dynamics simulations using the ReaxFF potential. Two different oxidation mechanisms are discussed, namely a self-limiting process that occurs at low temperature (300 K), resulting in a Si core I ultrathin SiO2 silica shell nanowire, and a complete oxidation process that takes place at a higher temperature (1273 K), resulting in the formation of an ultrathin SiO2 silica nanowire. The oxidation kinetics of both cases and the resulting structures are analyzed in detail. Our results demonstrate that precise control over the Si-core radius of such NWs and the SiOx (x <= 2.0) oxide shell is possible by controlling the growth temperature used during the oxidation process.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000305092600021 Publication Date (up) 2012-05-18
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; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 9.466 Times cited 45 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.466; 2012 IF: 8.238
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:99079 Serial 2976
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Author Mortet, V.; Zhang, L.; Eckert, M.; D'Haen, J.; Soltani, A.; Moreau, M.; Troadec, D.; Neyts, E.; De Jaeger, J.C.; Verbeeck, J.; Bogaerts, A.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Haenen, K.; Wagner, P.
Title Grain size tuning of nanocrystalline chemical vapor deposited diamond by continuous electrical bias growth : experimental and theoretical study Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Physica status solidi : A : applications and materials science Abbreviated Journal Phys Status Solidi A
Volume 209 Issue 9 Pages 1675-1682
Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this work, a detailed structural and spectroscopic study of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin films grown by a continuous bias assisted CVD growth technique is reported. This technique allows the tuning of grain size and phase purity in the deposited material. The crystalline properties of the films are characterized by SEM, TEM, EELS, and Raman spectroscopy. A clear improvement of the crystalline structure of the nanograined diamond film is observed for low negative bias voltages, while high bias voltages lead to thin films consisting of diamond grains of only ∼10 nm nanometer in size, showing remarkable similarities with so-called ultrananocrystalline diamond. These layers arecharacterized by an increasing amount of sp2-bonded carbon content of the matrix in which the diamond grains are embedded. Classical molecular dynamics simulations support the observed experimental data, giving insight in the underlying mechanism for the observed increase in deposition rate with bias voltage. Furthermore, a high atomic concentration of hydrogen has been determined in these films. Finally, Raman scattering analyses confirm that the Raman line observed at ∼1150 cm−1 cannot be attributed to trans-poly-acetylene, which continues to be reported in literature, reassigning it to a deformation mode of CHx bonds in NCD.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000308942100009 Publication Date (up) 2012-09-04
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1862-6300; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 1.775 Times cited 31 Open Access
Notes M.E. and E.N. acknowledge financial support from, respectively, the Institute for Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT), and the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). J.V. gratefully acknowledges financial support from the GOA project “XANES meets ELNES” of the research fund of the University of Antwerp. Calculation support was provided by the University of Antwerp through the core facility CALCUA. G.V.T. acknowledges the ERC grant COUNTATOMS. The work was also financially supported by the joint UAUHasseltMethusalem “NANO” network, the Research Programs G.0068.07 and G.0555.10N of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO), the IAP-P6/42 project “Quantum Effects in Clusters and Nanowires”, and by the EU FP7 through the Integrated Infrastructure Initiative “ESMI” (No. 262348), the Marie Curie ITN “MATCON” (PITN-GA-2009-238201), and the Collaborative Project “DINAMO” (No. 245122). Approved Most recent IF: 1.775; 2012 IF: 1.469
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:101516UA @ admin @ c:irua:101516 Serial 1364
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Author Somers, W.; Bogaerts, A.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C.
Title Plasma species interacting with nickel surfaces : toward an atomic scale understanding of plasma-catalysis Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C
Volume 116 Issue 39 Pages 20958-20965
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The adsorption probability and reaction behavior of CHx plasma species on various nickel catalyst surfaces is investigated by means of reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the ReaxFF potential. Such catalysts are used in the reforming of hydrocarbons and in the growth of carbon nanotubes, and further insight in the underlying mechanisms of these processes is needed to increase their applicability. Single and consecutive impacts of CHx radicals (x={1,2,3}) were performed on four different Ni surfaces, at a temperature of 400 K. The adsorption probability is shown to be related to the number of free electrons, i.e. a higher number leads to more adsorptions, and the steric hindrance caused by the hydrogen atoms bonded to the impacting CHx species. Furthermore, some of the CH bonds break after adsorption, which generally leads to diffusion of the hydrogen atom over the surface. Additionally, these adsorbed H-atoms can be used in reactions to form new molecules, such as CH4 and C2Hx, although this is dependent on the precise morphology of the surface. New molecules are also formed by subtraction of H-atoms from adsorbed radicals, leading to occasional formation of H2 and C2Hx molecules.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000309375700040 Publication Date (up) 2012-09-10
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 37 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2012 IF: 4.814
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:101522 Serial 2640
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Author Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C.
Title On the c-Si\mid a-SiO2 interface in hyperthermal Si oxidation at room temperature Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C
Volume 116 Issue 41 Pages 21856-21863
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The exact structure and properties of the Si vertical bar SiO2 interface are very important in microelectronics and photovoltaic devices such as metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and solar cells. Whereas Si vertical bar SiO2 structures are traditionally produced by thermal oxidation, hyperthermal oxidation shows a number of promising advantages. However, the Si vertical bar SiO2 interface induced in hyperthermal Si oxidation has not been properly investigated yet. Therefore, in this work, the interface morphology and interfacial stresses during hyperthermal oxidation at room temperature are studied using reactive molecular dynamics simulations based on the ReaxFF potential. Interface thickness and roughness, as well as the bond length and bond angle distributions in the interface are discussed and compared with other models developed for the interfaces induced by traditional thermal oxidation. The formation of a compressive stress is observed. This compressive stress, which at the interface amounts about 2 GPa, significantly slows down the inward silica growth. This value is close to the experimental value in the Si vertical bar SiO2 interface obtained in traditional thermal oxidation.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000309902100026 Publication Date (up) 2012-09-26
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 27 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2012 IF: 4.814
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:102167 Serial 2458
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Author Yusupov, M.; Neyts, E.C.; Khalilov, U.; Snoeckx, R.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Atomic-scale simulations of reactive oxygen plasma species interacting with bacterial cell walls Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication New journal of physics Abbreviated Journal New J Phys
Volume 14 Issue 9 Pages 093043
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In recent years there has been growing interest in the use of low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasmas for biomedical applications. Currently, however, there is very little fundamental knowledge regarding the relevant interaction mechanisms of plasma species with living cells. In this paper, we investigate the interaction of important plasma species, such as O3, O2 and O atoms, with bacterial peptidoglycan (or murein) by means of reactive molecular dynamics simulations. Specifically, we use the peptidoglycan structure to model the gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus murein. Peptidoglycan is the outer protective barrier in bacteria and can therefore interact directly with plasma species. Our results demonstrate that among the species mentioned above, O3 molecules and especially O atoms can break important bonds of the peptidoglycan structure (i.e. CO, CN and CC bonds), which subsequently leads to the destruction of the bacterial cell wall. This study is important for gaining a fundamental insight into the chemical damaging mechanisms of the bacterial peptidoglycan structure on the atomic scale.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Bristol Editor
Language Wos 000309393400001 Publication Date (up) 2012-09-27
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1367-2630; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 3.786 Times cited 47 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 3.786; 2012 IF: 4.063
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:101014 Serial 189
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Author Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; Bogaerts, A.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C.
Title Reactive molecular dynamics simulations on SiO2-coated ultra-small Si-nanowires Type A1 Journal article
Year 2013 Publication Nanoscale Abbreviated Journal Nanoscale
Volume 5 Issue 2 Pages 719-725
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract The application of coreshell SiSiO2 nanowires as nanoelectronic devices strongly depends on their structure, which is difficult to tune precisely. In this work, we investigate the formation of the coreshell nanowires at the atomic scale, by reactive molecular dynamics simulations. The occurrence of two temperature-dependent oxidation mechanisms of ultra-small diameter Si-NWs is demonstrated. We found that control over the Si-core radius and the SiOx (x ≤ 2) oxide shell is possible by tuning the growth temperature and the initial Si-NW diameter. Two different structures were obtained, i.e., ultrathin SiO2 silica nanowires at high temperature and Si core|ultrathin SiO2 silica nanowires at low temperature. The transition temperature is found to linearly decrease with the nanowire curvature. Finally, the interfacial stress is found to be responsible for self-limiting oxidation, depending on both the initial Si-NW radius and the oxide growth temperature. These novel insights allow us to gain control over the exact morphology and structure of the wires, as is needed for their application in nanoelectronics.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Cambridge Editor
Language Wos 000313426200036 Publication Date (up) 2012-11-16
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 7.367 Times cited 17 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 7.367; 2013 IF: 6.739
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:102584 Serial 2824
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Author Bogaerts, A.; Aerts, R.; Snoeckx, R.; Somers, W.; Van Gaens, W.; Yusupov, M.; Neyts, E.
Title Modeling of plasma and plasma-surface interactions for medical, environmental and nano applications Type A1 Journal article
Year 2012 Publication Journal of physics : conference series Abbreviated Journal
Volume 399 Issue Pages 012011
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this paper, an overview is given of modeling investigations carried out in our research group for a better understanding of plasmas used for medical, environmental and nano applications. The focus is both on modeling the plasma chemistry and the plasma-surface interactions. The plasma chemistry provides the densities and fluxes of the important plasma species. This information can be used as input when modeling the plasma-surface interactions. The combination of plasma simulations and plasma – surface interaction simulations provides a more comprehensive understanding of the underlying processes for these applications.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Bristol Editor
Language Wos 000312261700011 Publication Date (up) 2012-11-26
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1742-6588;1742-6596; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor Times cited 7 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: NA
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:104727 Serial 2130
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Author Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Combining molecular dynamics with Monte Carlo simulations : implementations and applications Type A1 Journal article
Year 2013 Publication Theoretical chemistry accounts : theory, computation, and modeling Abbreviated Journal Theor Chem Acc
Volume 132 Issue 2 Pages 1320-12
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In this contribution, we present an overview of the various techniques for combining atomistic molecular dynamics with Monte Carlo simulations, mainly in the context of condensed matter systems, as well as a brief summary of the main accelerated dynamics techniques. Special attention is given to the force bias Monte Carlo technique and its combination with molecular dynamics, in view of promising recent developments, including a definable timescale. Various examples of the application of combined molecular dynamics / Monte Carlo simulations are given, in order to demonstrate the enhanced simulation efficiency with respect to either pure molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Wos 000318294700010 Publication Date (up) 2012-12-19
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 1432-881X;1432-2234; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 1.89 Times cited 27 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 1.89; 2013 IF: 2.143
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:104725 Serial 404
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Author Neyts, E.C.; Ostrikov, K.; Han, Z.J.; Kumar, S.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Bogaerts, A.
Title Defect healing and enhanced nucleation of carbon nanotubes by low-energy ion bombardment Type A1 Journal article
Year 2013 Publication Physical review letters Abbreviated Journal Phys Rev Lett
Volume 110 Issue 6 Pages 065501-65505
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Structural defects inevitably appear during the nucleation event that determines the structure and properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes. By combining ion bombardment experiments with atomistic simulations we reveal that ion bombardment in a suitable energy range allows these defects to be healed resulting in an enhanced nucleation of the carbon nanotube cap. The enhanced growth of the nanotube cap is explained by a nonthermal ion-induced graphene network restructuring mechanism.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor
Language Wos 000314687300022 Publication Date (up) 2013-02-07
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0031-9007;1079-7114; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
Impact Factor 8.462 Times cited 50 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 8.462; 2013 IF: 7.728
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:105306 Serial 616
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Author Yusupov, M.; Bogaerts, A.; Huygh, S.; Snoeckx, R.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C.
Title Plasma-induced destruction of bacterial cell wall components : a reactive molecular dynamics simulation Type A1 Journal article
Year 2013 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C
Volume 117 Issue 11 Pages 5993-5998
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasmas are gaining increasing attention for biomedical applications. However, very little fundamental information on the interaction mechanisms between the plasma species and biological cells is currently available. We investigate the interaction of important plasma species, such as OH, H2O2, O, O3, as well as O2 and H2O, with bacterial peptidoglycan by means of reactive molecular dynamics simulations, aiming for a better understanding of plasma disinfection. Our results show that OH, O, O3, and H2O2 can break structurally important bonds of peptidoglycan (i.e., CO, CN, or CC bonds), which consequently leads to the destruction of the bacterial cell wall. The mechanisms behind these breakups are, however, dependent on the impinging plasma species, and this also determines the effectiveness of the cell wall destruction.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000316773000056 Publication Date (up) 2013-02-23
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 59 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2013 IF: 4.835
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:107154 Serial 2636
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Author Somers, W.; Bogaerts, A.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Huygh, S.; Bal, K.M.; Neyts, E.C.
Title Temperature influence on the reactivity of plasma species on a nickel catalyst surface : an atomic scale study Type A1 Journal article
Year 2013 Publication Catalysis today Abbreviated Journal Catal Today
Volume 211 Issue Pages 131-136
Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract In recent years, the potential use of hydrogen as a clean energy source has gained considerable attention. Especially H2 formation by Ni-catalyzed reforming of methane at elevated temperatures is an attractive process. However, a more fundamental knowledge at the atomic level is needed for a full comprehension of the reactions at the catalyst surface. In this contribution, we therefore investigate the H2 formation after CHx impacts on a Ni(1 1 1) surface in the temperature range 4001600 K, by means of reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the ReaxFF potential. While some H2 formation is already observed at the lower temperatures, substantial H2 formation is only obtained at elevated temperatures of 1400 K and above. At 1600 K, the H2 molecules are even the most frequently formed species. In direct correlation with the increasing dehydrogenation at elevated temperatures, an increased surface-to-subsurface C-diffusivity is observed as well. This study highlights the major importance of the temperature on the H2 formation.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor
Language Wos 000320697800020 Publication Date (up) 2013-03-25
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 4.636 Times cited 27 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.636; 2013 IF: 3.309
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:108675 Serial 3500
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Author Khalilov, U.; Pourtois, G.; Huygh, S.; van Duin, A.C.T.; Neyts, E.C.; Bogaerts, A.
Title New mechanism for oxidation of native silicon oxide Type A1 Journal article
Year 2013 Publication The journal of physical chemistry: C : nanomaterials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal J Phys Chem C
Volume 117 Issue 19 Pages 9819-9825
Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
Abstract Continued miniaturization of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) requires an ever-decreasing thickness of the gate oxide. The structure of ultrathin silicon oxide films, however, critically depends on the oxidation mechanism. Using reactive atomistic simulations, we here demonstrate how the oxidation mechanism in hyperthermal oxidation of such structures may be controlled by the oxidation temperature and the oxidant energy. Specifically, we study the interaction of hyperthermal oxygen with energies of 15 eV with thin SiOx (x ≤ 2) films with a native oxide thickness of about 10 Å. We analyze the oxygen penetration depth probability and compare with results of the hyperthermal oxidation of a bare Si(100){2 × 1} (c-Si) surface. The temperature-dependent oxidation mechanisms are discussed in detail. Our results demonstrate that, at low (i.e., room) temperature, the penetrated oxygen mostly resides in the oxide region rather than at the SiOx|c-Si interface. However, at higher temperatures, starting at around 700 K, oxygen atoms are found to penetrate and to diffuse through the oxide layer followed by reaction at the c-Si boundary. We demonstrate that hyperthermal oxidation resembles thermal oxidation, which can be described by the DealGrove model at high temperatures. Furthermore, defect creation mechanisms that occur during the oxidation process are also analyzed. This study is useful for the fabrication of ultrathin silicon oxide gate oxides for metal-oxide-semiconductor devices as it links parameters that can be straightforwardly controlled in experiment (oxygen temperature, velocity) with the silicon oxide structure.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
Language Wos 000319649100032 Publication Date (up) 2013-04-23
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 24 Open Access
Notes Approved Most recent IF: 4.536; 2013 IF: 4.835
Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:107989 Serial 2321
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