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Author Bals, S.; Van Aert, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Avila-Brande, D. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Statistical estimation of atomic positions from exit wave reconstruction with a precision in the picometer range Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2006 Publication (up) Physical review letters Abbreviated Journal Phys Rev Lett  
  Volume 96 Issue 9 Pages 096106,1-4  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The local structure of Bi4W2/3Mn1/3O8Cl is determined using quantitative transmission electron microscopy. The electron exit wave, which is closely related to the projected crystal potential, is reconstructed and used as a starting point for statistical parameter estimation. This method allows us to refine all atomic positions on a local scale, including those of the light atoms, with a precision in the picometer range. Using this method one is no longer restricted to the information limit of the electron microscope. Our results are in good agreement with x-ray powder diffraction data demonstrating the reliability of the method. Moreover, it will be shown that local effects can be interpreted using this approach.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication New York, N.Y. Editor  
  Language Wos 000235905700042 Publication Date 2006-03-10  
  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 69 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo; Iap V Approved Most recent IF: 8.462; 2006 IF: 7.072  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:56977 Serial 3154  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author van den Bos, K.H. W.; De Backer, A.; Martinez, G.T.; Winckelmans, N.; Bals, S.; Nellist, P.D.; Van Aert, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Unscrambling Mixed Elements using High Angle Annular Dark Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication (up) Physical review letters Abbreviated Journal Phys Rev Lett  
  Volume 116 Issue 116 Pages 246101  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The development of new nanocrystals with outstanding physicochemical properties requires a full threedimensional (3D) characterization at the atomic scale. For homogeneous nanocrystals, counting the number of atoms in each atomic column from high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy images has been shown to be a successful technique to get access to this 3D information. However, technologically important nanostructures often consist of more than one chemical element. In order to extend atom counting to heterogeneous materials, a new atomic lensing model is presented. This model takes dynamical electron diffraction into account and opens up new possibilities for unraveling the 3D composition at the atomic scale. Here, the method is applied to determine the 3D structure of Au@Ag core-shell nanorods, but it is applicable to a wide range of heterogeneous complex nanostructures.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000378059500010 Publication Date 2016-06-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0031-9007 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.462 Times cited 46 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through Projects No. G.0374.13N, No. G.0368.15N, and No. G.0369.15N, and by grants to K. H.W. van den Bos and A. De Backer. S. Bals and N. Winckelmans acknowledge funding from the European Research Council (Starting Grant No. COLOURATOMS 335078). The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme under Grant No. 312483—ESTEEM2. The authors are grateful to A. Rosenauer for providing the STEMsim program.; esteem2jra2; ECASSara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); Approved Most recent IF: 8.462  
  Call Number c:irua:133954 c:irua:133954 Serial 4084  
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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. doi  openurl
  Title Heterogeneity of silica and glycan-epitope distribution in epidermal idioblast cell walls in Adiantum raddianum laminae Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2013 Publication (up) 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.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000319474200004 Publication Date 2013-02-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  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 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 Garzia Trulli, M.; Claes, N.; Pype, J.; Bals, S.; Baert, K.; Terryn, H.; Sardella, E.; Favia, P.; Vanhulsel, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Deposition of aminosilane coatings on porous Al2O3microspheres by means of dielectric barrier discharges Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication (up) Plasma processes and polymers Abbreviated Journal Plasma Process Polym  
  Volume 14 Issue 14 Pages 1600211  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)  
  Abstract Advances in the synthesis of porous microspheres and in their functionalization are increasing the interest in applications of alumina. This paper deals with coatings plasma deposited from 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane by means of dielectric barrier discharges on alumina porous microspheres, shaped by a vibrational droplet coagulation technique. Aims of the work are the functionalization of the particles with active amino groups, as well as the evaluation of their surface coverage and of the penetration of the coatings into their pores. A multi-diagnostic approach was used for the chemical/morphological characterization of the particles. It was found that 5 min exposure to plasma discharges promotes the deposition of homogeneous coatings onto the microspheres and within their pores, down to 1 μm.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000410773200003 Publication Date 2017-01-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1612-8850 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 2.846 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The technical assistance of the VITO staff (Materials Dpt.) is gratefully acknowledged, especially D. Havermans, E. Van Hoof, R. Kemps (SEM-EDX), and A. De Wilde (Hg Porosimetry). Drs. S. Mullens and G. Scheltjens are kindly acknowledged for constructive discussions. Strategic Initiative Materials in Flanders (SIM) is gratefully acknowledged for its financial support. This research was carried out in the framework of the SIM-TRAP program (Tools for rational processing of nano-particles: controlling and tailoring nanoparticle based or nanomodified particle based materials). N. Claes and S. Bals acknowledge financial support from European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOM). (ROMEO:white; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); saraecas; ECAS_Sara; Approved Most recent IF: 2.846  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:139511UA @ admin @ c:irua:139511 Serial 4342  
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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. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Detection of amyloid fibrils in Parkinson’s disease using plasmonic chirality Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication (up) 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 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 Kalesaki, E.; Boneschanscher, M.P.; Geuchies, J.J.; Delerue, C.; Morais Smith, C.; Evers, W.H.; Allan, G.; Altantzis, T.; Bals, S.; Vanmaekelbergh, D. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Preparation and study of 2-D semiconductors with Dirac type bands due to the honeycomb nanogeometry Type P1 Proceeding
  Year 2014 Publication (up) Proceedings of the Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers T2 – Proceedings of SPIE Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 8981 Issue Pages 898107-898107  
  Keywords P1 Proceeding; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract The interest in 2-dimensional systems with a honeycomb lattice and related Dirac-­type electronic bands has exceeded the prototype graphene1. Currently, 2-­dimensional atomic2,3 and nanoscale4-­8 systems are extensively investigated in the search for materials with novel electronic properties that can be tailored by geometry. The immediate question that arises is how to fabricate 2-­D semiconductors that have a honeycomb nanogeometry, and as a consequence of that, display a Dirac-­type band structure? Here, we show that atomically coherent honeycomb superlattices of rocksalt (PbSe, PbTe) and zincblende (CdSe, CdTe) semiconductors can be obtained by nanocrystal self-­assembly and facet-­to-­facet atomic bonding, and subsequent cation exchange. We present a extended structural analysis of atomically coherent 2-­D honeycomb structures that were recently obtained with self-assembly and facet-­to-­facet bonding9. We show that this process may in principle lead to three different types of honeycomb structures, one with a graphene type-­, and two others with a silicene-­type structure. Using TEM, electron diffraction, STM and GISAXS it is convincingly shown that the structures are from the silicene-­type. In the second part of this work, we describe the electronic structure of graphene-­type and silicene type honeycomb semiconductors. We present the results of advanced electronic structure calculations using the sp3d5s* atomistic tight-­binding method10. For simplicity, we focus on semiconductors with a simple and single conduction band for the native bulk semiconductor. When the 3-­D geometry is changed into 2-­D honeycomb, a conduction band structure transformation to two types of Dirac cones, one for S-­ and one for P-­orbitals, is observed. The width of the bands depends on the honeycomb period and the coupling between the nanocrystals. Furthermore, there is a dispersionless P-­orbital band, which also forms a landmark of the honeycomb structure. The effects of considerable intrinsic spin-­orbit coupling are briefly considered. For heavy-­element compounds such as CdTe, strong intrinsic spin-­‐orbit coupling opens a non-­trivial gap at the P-­orbital Dirac point, leading to a quantum Spin Hall effect10-­12. Our work shows that well known semiconductor crystals, known for centuries, can lead to systems with entirely new electronic properties, by the simple action of nanogeometry. It can be foreseen that such structures will play a key role in future opto-­electronic applications, provided that they can be fabricated in a straightforward way.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000336040600004 Publication Date 2014-03-07  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work has been supported by funding of the French National Research Agency [ANR, (ANR-­‐09-­‐BLAN-­‐0421-­‐01)], NWO and the Dutch organization FOM [Programs “Control over Functional Nanoparticle Solids” (FNPS) and “Designing Dirac Carriers in Semiconductors” Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number c:irua:131912 Serial 4039  
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Author Deng, S.; Verbruggen, S.W.; He, Z.; Cott, D.J.; Vereecken, P.M.; Martens, J.A.; Bals, S.; Lenaerts, S.; Detavernier, C. doi  openurl
  Title Atomic layer deposition-based synthesis of photoactive TiO2 nanoparticle chains by using carbon nanotubes as sacrificial templates Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication (up) RSC advances Abbreviated Journal Rsc Adv  
  Volume 4 Issue 23 Pages 11648-11653  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract Highly ordered and self supported anatase TiO2 nanoparticle chains were fabricated by calcining conformally TiO2 coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). During annealing, the thin tubular TiO2 coating that was deposited onto the MWCNTs by atomic layer deposition (ALD) was transformed into chains of TiO2 nanoparticles ([similar]12 nm diameter) with an ultrahigh surface area (137 cm2 per cm2 of substrate), while at the same time the carbon from the MWCNTs was removed. Photocatalytic tests on the degradation of acetaldehyde proved that these forests of TiO2 nanoparticle chains are highly photoactive under UV light because of their well crystallized anatase phase.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000332470000017 Publication Date 2014-02-14  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2046-2069; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.108 Times cited 45 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes ; The authors wish to thank the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and UGENT-GOA-01G01513 for financial support. The authors acknowledge the European Research Council for funding under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement no. 239865-COCOON and no. 246791-COUNTATOMS. JAM acknowledges the Flemish government for long-term structural funding (Methusalem). ; Approved Most recent IF: 3.108; 2014 IF: 3.840  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:117298 Serial 168  
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Author Lin, F.; Meng; Kukueva, E.; Mertens, M.; Van Doorslaer, S.; Bals, S.; Cool, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title New insights into the mesophase transformation of ethane-bridged PMOs by the influence of different counterions under basic conditions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication (up) RSC advances Abbreviated Journal Rsc Adv  
  Volume 5 Issue 5 Pages 5553-5562  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Laboratory of adsorption and catalysis (LADCA)  
  Abstract The counterions are of crucial importance in determining the mesostructure and morphology of ethanebridged PMO materials synthesized under basic conditions. By using CTABr as the surfactant, the final PMO materials show a 2-D hexagonal (p6mm) mesophase, while PMO materials with cubic (Pm (3) over barn ) mesostructure are obtained when CTACl or CTA(SO4)(1)/(2) are used. With gradually replacing CTABr by CTACl or CTA(SO4) (1)/(2) while keeping the total surfactant concentration constant, a clear p6mm to Pm (3) over barn 3n mesophase evolution process is observed. For a given gel composition, the mesophase of ethanebridged PMO materials can also be adjusted by the addition of different sodium salts. In short, the effect of the counterions on the mesophase can be attributed to the binding strength of the ions on the surfactant micelles, which follows the Hofmeister series (SO42- < Cl- < Br-< NO3- < SCN-). Furthermore, it is found that the hydrolysis and condensation rate of the organosilica precursor also plays an important role in the formation of the final mesostructure  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000347304900010 Publication Date 2014-12-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2046-2069; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.108 Times cited 6 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes ; The Erasmus Mundus CONNEC program is acknowledged for PhD funding of F. L. Furthermore, the authors acknowledge support by the GOA-BOF project 'Optimization of the structureactivity relation in nanoporous materials', funded by the University of Antwerp. ; Approved Most recent IF: 3.108; 2015 IF: 3.840  
  Call Number c:irua:123768 Serial 2317  
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Author Kerkhofs, S.; Leroux, F.; Allouche, L.; Mellaerts, R.; Jammaer, J.; Aerts, A.; Kirschhock, C.E.A.; Magusin, P.C.M.M.; Taulelle, F.; Bals, S.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Martens, J.A.; url  doi
openurl 
  Title Single-step alcohol-free synthesis of coreshell nanoparticles of \gamma-casein micelles and silica Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication (up) RSC advances Abbreviated Journal Rsc Adv  
  Volume 4 Issue 49 Pages 25650-25657  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A new, single-step protocol for wrapping individual nanosized β-casein micelles with silica is presented. This biomolecule-friendly synthesis proceeds at low protein concentration at almost neutral pH, and makes use of sodium silicate instead of the common silicon alkoxides. This way, formation of potentially protein-denaturizing alcohols can be avoided. The pH of the citrate-buffered synthesis medium is close to the isoelectric point of β-casein, which favours micelle formation. A limited amount of sodium silicate is added to the protein micelle suspension, to form a thin silica coating around the β-casein micelles. The size distribution of the resulting proteinsilica structures was characterized using DLS and SAXS, as well as 1H NMR DOSY with a dedicated pulsed-field gradient cryo-probehead to cope with the low protein concentration. The degree of silica-condensation was investigated by 29Si MAS NMR, and the nanostructure was revealed by advanced electron microscopy techniques such as ESEM and HAADF-STEM. As indicated by the combined characterization results, a silica shell of 2 nm is formed around individual β-casein micelles giving rise to separate protein coresilica shell nanoparticles of 17 nm diameter. This alcohol-free method at mild temperature and pH is potentially suited for packing protein molecules into bio-compatible silica nanocapsules for a variety of applications in biosensing, therapeutic protein delivery and biocatalysis.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000338434500025 Publication Date 2014-05-29  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2046-2069; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.108 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fwo; 262348 Esmi; 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:can); Approved Most recent IF: 3.108; 2014 IF: 3.840  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:125382 Serial 3027  
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Author Boneschanscher, M.P.; Evers, W.H.; Geuchies, J.J.; Altantzis, T.; Goris, B.; Rabouw, F.T.; van Rossum, S.A.P.; van der Zant, H.S.J.; Siebbeles, L.D.A.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Swart, I.; Hilhorst, J.; Petukhov, A.V.; Bals, S.; Vanmaekelbergh, D.; pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Long-range orientation and atomic attachment of nanocrystals in 2D honeycomb superlattices Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication (up) Science Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 344 Issue 6190 Pages 1377-1380  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Oriented attachment of synthetic semiconductor nanocrystals is emerging as a route for obtaining new semiconductors that can have Dirac-type electronic bands like graphene, but also strong spin-orbit coupling. The two-dimensional assembly geometry will require both atomic coherence and long-range periodicity of the superlattices. We show how the interfacial self-assembly and oriented attachment of nanocrystals results in two-dimensional (2D) metal chalcogenide semiconductors with a honeycomb superlattice. We present an extensive atomic and nanoscale characterization of these systems using direct imaging and wave scattering methods. The honeycomb superlattices are atomically coherent, and have an octahedral symmetry that is buckled; the nanocrystals occupy two parallel planes. Considerable necking and large-scale atomic motion occurred during the attachment process.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor  
  Language Wos 000337531700035 Publication Date 2014-05-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0036-8075;1095-9203; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 37.205 Times cited 304 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Fwo; 262348 Esmi; 246791 Countatoms; 335078 Colouratom; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 37.205; 2014 IF: 33.611  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:117095 Serial 1840  
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Author Udayabhaskararao, T.; Altantzis, T.; Houben, L.; Coronado-Puchau, M.; Langer, J.; Popovitz-Biro, R.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.; Vuković, L.; Král, P.; Bals, S.; Klajn, R. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Tunable porous nanoallotropes prepared by post-assembly etching of binary nanoparticle superlattices Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication (up) Science Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 358 Issue 358 Pages 514-518  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Self-assembly of inorganic nanoparticles has been used to prepare hundreds of different colloidal crystals, but almost invariably with the restriction that the particles must be densely packed. Here,we show that non–close-packed nanoparticle arrays can be fabricated through the selective removal of one of two components comprising binary nanoparticle superlattices. First, a variety of binary nanoparticle superlattices were prepared at the liquid-air interface, including several arrangements that were previously unknown. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the particular role of the liquid in templating the formation of superlattices not achievable through self-assembly in bulk solution. Second, upon stabilization, all of these binary superlattices could be transformed into distinct “nanoallotropes”—nanoporous materials having the same chemical composition but differing in their nanoscale architectures.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000413757500043 Publication Date 2017-10-27  
  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 37.205 Times cited 113 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (grants 336080 CONFINEDCHEM to R.K. and 335078 COLOURATOM to S.B.), the Rothschild Caesarea Foundation (R.K.), the NSF (Division of Materials Research, grant 1506886) (P.K.), the European Commission (grant EUSMI 731019 to L.M.L.-M. and S.B.), and the startup funding from the University of Texas at El Paso (L.V.). L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (grant MAT2013- 46101-R). T.A. acknowledges funding from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through a postdoctoral grant. The computer support was provided by the Texas Advanced Computing Center. All data are reported in the main text and supplementary materials. ECAS_Sara (ROMEO:green; preprint:; postprint:can ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 37.205  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:147242UA @ admin @ c:irua:147242 Serial 4770  
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Author González-Rubio, G.; Mosquera, J.; Kumar, V.; Pedrazo-Tardajos, A.; Llombart, P.; Solís, D.M.; Lobato, I.; Noya, E.G.; Guerrero-Martínez, A.; Taboada, J.M.; Obelleiro, F.; MacDowell, L.G.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Micelle-directed chiral seeded growth on anisotropic gold nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication (up) Science Abbreviated Journal Science  
  Volume 368 Issue 368 Pages 1472-1477  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Surfactant-assisted seeded growth of metal nanoparticles (NPs) can be engineered to produce anisotropic gold nanocrystals with high chiroptical activity through the templating effect of chiral micelles formed in the presence of dissymmetric cosurfactants. Mixed micelles adsorb on gold nanorods, forming quasihelical patterns that direct seeded growth into NPs with pronounced morphological and optical handedness. Sharp chiral wrinkles lead to chiral plasmon modes with high dissymmetry factors (~0.20). Through variation of the dimensions of chiral wrinkles, the chiroptical properties can be tuned within the visible and near-infrared electromagnetic spectrum. The micelle-directed mechanism allows extension to other systems, such as the seeded growth of chiral platinum shells on gold nanorods. This approach provides a reproducible, simple, and scalable method toward the fabrication of NPs with high chiral optical activity.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000545264600040 Publication Date 2020-06-26  
  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 187 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC AdG No. 787510). G.G.-R. and J.M. thanks the Spanish MICIU for FPI (BES-2014-068972) and Juan de la Cierva-fellowships (FJCI-2015-25080). S.B., L.M.L.-M., V.K, 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.M.T and F.O acknowledge financial support from the Spanish MICIU (Grants TEC2017-85376-C2-1-R, TEC2017-85376-C2-2-R), as well as from the ERDF and the Galician Regional Government as part of the agreement for funding the Atlantic Research Center for Information and Communication Technologies (AtlantTIC). AG-M acknowledges financial support from the Spanish MICIU (Grant RTI2018-095844-BI00), EGN and LGM acknowledge funds from the Spanish MICIU (Grant No. FIS2017- 89361-C3-2-P), as well as the use of the Mare-Nostrum supercomputer and the technical support provided by Barcelona Supercomputing Center from the Spanish Network of Supercomputing (Grants QCM-2018-3-0039 and QCM-2019-1-0038). This work was performed under the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program from the Spanish State 13 Research Agency – Grant No. MDM-2017-0720.; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 56.9; 2020 IF: 37.205  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:170137 Serial 6391  
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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. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Size of cerium dioxide support nanocrystals dictates reactivity of highly dispersed palladium catalysts Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication (up) 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 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 Monai, M.; Jenkinson, K.; Melcherts, A.E.M.; Louwen, J.N.; Irmak, E.A.; Van Aert, S.; Altantzis, T.; Vogt, C.; van der Stam, W.; Duchon, T.; Smid, B.; Groeneveld, E.; Berben, P.; Bals, S.; Weckhuysen, B.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Restructuring of titanium oxide overlayers over nickel nanoparticles during catalysis Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication (up) Science Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 380 Issue 6645 Pages 644-651  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Reducible supports can affect the performance of metal catalysts by the formation of suboxide overlayers upon reduction, a process referred to as the strong metal-support interaction (SMSI). A combination of operando electron microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy revealed that thin TiOx overlayers formed on nickel/titanium dioxide catalysts during 400 degrees C reduction were completely removed under carbon dioxide hydrogenation conditions. Conversely, after 600 degrees C reduction, exposure to carbon dioxide hydrogenation reaction conditions led to only partial reexposure of nickel, forming interfacial sites in contact with TiOx and favoring carbon-carbon coupling by providing a carbon species reservoir. Our findings challenge the conventional understanding of SMSIs and call for more-detailed operando investigations of nanocatalysts at the single-particle level to revisit static models of structure-activity relationships.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000999020900010 Publication Date 2023-05-11  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0036-8075; 1095-9203 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 56.9 Times cited 29 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by BASF and NWO CHIPP (research grant to B.M.W.); the MCEC NWO Gravitation Program (B.M.W.); the ARC-CBBC NWO Program (B.M.W.); the European Research Council (grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A.); and the European Research Council (grant 815128 REALNANO to S.B.). Approved Most recent IF: 56.9; 2023 IF: 37.205  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:197432 Serial 8923  
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Author Reclusa, P.; Verstraelen, P.; Taverna, S.; Gunasekaran, M.; Pucci, M.; Pintelon, I.; Claes, N.; de Miguel-Pérez, D.; Alessandro, R.; Bals, S.; Kaushal, S.; Rolfo, C. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Improving extracellular vesicles visualization: From static to motion Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication (up) Scientific Reports Abbreviated Journal Sci Rep-Uk  
  Volume 10 Issue 10 Pages 6494  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract In the last decade extracellular vesicles (EVs) have become a hot topic. The findings on EVs content and effects have made them a major field of interest in cancer research. EVs, are able to be internalized through integrins expressed in parental cells, in a tissue specific manner, as a key step of cancer progression and pre-metastatic niche formation. However, this specificity might lead to new opportunities in cancer treatment by using EVs as devices for drug delivery. For future applications of EVs in cancer, improved protocols and methods for EVs isolation and visualization are required. Our group has put efforts on developing a protocol, able to track the EVs for in vivo internalization analysis. We showed, for the first time, the videos of labeled EVs uptake by living lung cancer cells.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000562145000002 Publication Date 2020-04-16  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2045-2322 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.6 Times cited 25 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Marzia Pucci is supported by a “AIRC” (Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro) fellowship. “The Leica SP 8 (Hercules grant AUHA.15.12) microscope was funded by the Hercules Foundation of the Flemish Government.” DdM-P is funded by the University of Granada PhD grant and University of Granada international mobility grant 2018/19. Approved Most recent IF: 4.6; 2020 IF: 4.259  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:169234 Serial 6362  
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Author Borah, R.; Ninakanti, R.; Bals, S.; Verbruggen, S.W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Plasmon resonance of gold and silver nanoparticle arrays in the Kretschmann (attenuated total reflectance) vs. direct incidence configuration Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication (up) Scientific reports Abbreviated Journal Sci Rep-Uk  
  Volume 12 Issue 1 Pages 15738-19  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract While the behaviour of plasmonic solid thin films in the Kretschmann (also known as Attenuated Total Reflection, ATR) configuration is well-understood, the use of discrete nanoparticle arrays in this optical configuration is not thoroughly explored. It is important to do so, since close packed plasmonic nanoparticle arrays exhibit exceptionally strong light-matter interactions by plasmonic coupling. The present work elucidates the optical properties of plasmonic Au and Ag nanoparticle arrays in both the direct normal incidence and Kretschmann configuration by numerical models, that are validated experimentally. First, hexagonal close packed Au and Ag nanoparticle films/arrays are obtained by air–liquid interfacial assembly. The numerical models for the rigorous solution of the Maxwell’s equations are validated using experimental optical spectra of these films before systematically investigating various parameters. The individual far-field/near-field optical properties, as well as the plasmon relaxation mechanism of the nanoparticles, vary strongly as the packing density of the array increases. In the Kretschmann configuration, the evanescent fields arising from p – and s -polarized (or TM and TE polarized) incidence have different directional components. The local evanescent field intensity and direction depends on the polarization, angle of incidence and the wavelength of incidence. These factors in the Kretschmann configuration give rise to interesting far-field as well as near-field optical properties. Overall, it is shown that plasmonic nanoparticle arrays in the Kretschmann configuration facilitate strong broadband absorptance without transmission losses, and strong near-field enhancement. The results reported herein elucidate the optical properties of self-assembled nanoparticle films, pinpointing the ideal conditions under which the normal and the Kretschmann configuration can be exploited in multiple light-driven applications.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000858344700048 Publication Date 2022-09-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2045-2322 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.6 Times cited 11 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes R.B. acknowledges financial support from the University of Antwerp Special Research Fund (BOF) for a DOCPRO4 doctoral scholarship (Grant FN541100001). Approved Most recent IF: 4.6  
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:190864 Serial 7194  
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Author Rehor, I.; Slegerova, J.; Kucka, J.; Proks, V.; Petrakova, V.; Adam, M.P.; Treussart, F.; Turner, S.; Bals, S.; Sacha, P.; Ledvina, M.; Wen, A.M.; Steinmetz, N.F.; Cigler, P.; pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Fluorescent nanodiamonds embedded in biocompatible translucent shells Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2014 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume 10 Issue 6 Pages 1106-1115  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract High pressure high temperature (HPHT) nanodiamonds (NDs) represent extremely promising materials for construction of fluorescent nanoprobes and nanosensors. However, some properties of bare NDs limit their direct use in these applications: they precipitate in biological solutions, only a limited set of bio-orthogonal conjugation techniques is available and the accessible material is greatly polydisperse in shape. In this work, we encapsulate bright 30-nm fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) in 1020-nm thick translucent (i.e., not altering FND fluorescence) silica shells, yielding monodisperse near-spherical particles of mean diameter 66 nm. High yield modification of the shells with PEG chains stabilizes the particles in ionic solutions, making them applicable in biological environments. We further modify the opposite ends of PEG chains with fluorescent dyes or vectoring peptide using click chemistry. High conversion of this bio-orthogonal coupling yielded circa 2000 dye or peptide molecules on a single FND. We demonstrate the superior properties of these particles by in vitro interaction with human prostate cancer cells: while bare nanodiamonds strongly aggregate in the buffer and adsorb onto the cell membrane, the shell encapsulated NDs do not adsorb nonspecifically and they penetrate inside the cells.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor  
  Language Wos 000333538000012 Publication Date 2014-02-05  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 79 Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes 262348 ESMI; Hercules; FWO Approved Most recent IF: 8.643; 2014 IF: 8.368  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:115566 Serial 1234  
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Author Wang, Y.; Belén Serrano, A.; Sentosun, K.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzán, L.M. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Stabilization and encapsulation of gold nanostars mediated by dithiols Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2015 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume 11 Issue 11 Pages 4314-4320  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Surface chemistry plays a pivotal role in regulating the morphology of nanoparticles, maintaining colloidal stability, and mediating the interaction with target analytes toward practical applications such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based sensing and imaging. The use of a binary ligand mixture composed of 1,4-benzenedithiol (BDT) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) to provide gold nanostars with long-term stability is reported. This is despite BDT being a bifunctional ligand, which usually leads to bridging and loss of colloidal stability. It is found however that neither BDT nor CTAC alone are able to provide sufficient colloidal and chemical stability. BDT-coated Au nanostars are additionally used as seeds to direct the encapsulation with a gold outer shell, leading to the formation of unusual nanostructures including semishell-coated gold nanostars, which are characterized by high-resolution electron microscopy and electron tomography. Finally, BDT is exploited as a probe to reveal the enhanced local electric fields in the different nanostructures, showing that the semishell configuration provides significantly high SERS signals as compared to other coreshell configurations obtained during seeded growth, including full shells.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor  
  Language Wos 000360852900009 Publication Date 2015-06-02  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 36 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes 267867 Plasmaquo; 335078 Colouratom; 262348 Esmi; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 8.643; 2015 IF: 8.368  
  Call Number c:irua:127571 Serial 3136  
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Author Goris, B.; van Huis, M.A.; Bals, S.; Zandbergen, H.W.; Manna, L.; Van Tendeloo, G. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Thermally induced structural and morphological changes of CdSe/CdS octapods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2012 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume 8 Issue 6 Pages 937-942  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Branched nanostructures are of great interest because of their promising optical and electronic properties. For successful and reliable integration in applications such as photovoltaic devices, the thermal stability of the nanostructures is of major importance. Here the different domains (CdSe cores, CdS pods) of the heterogeneous octapods are shown to have different thermal stabilities, and heating is shown to induce specific shape changes. The octapods are heated from room temperature to 700 °C, and investigated using (analytical and tomographic) transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At low annealing temperatures, pure Cd segregates in droplets at the outside of the octapods, indicating non-stochiometric composition of the octapods. Furthermore, the tips of the pods lose their faceting and become rounded. Further heating to temperatures just below the sublimation temperature induces growth of the zinc blende core at the expense of the wurtzite pods. At higher temperatures, (500700 °C), sublimation of the octapods is observed in real time in the TEM. Three-dimensional tomographic reconstructions reveal that the four pods pointing into the vacuum have a lower thermal stability than the four pods that are in contact with the support.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor  
  Language Wos 000301718800021 Publication Date 2012-01-31  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 20 Open Access  
  Notes Fwo; Esteem 026019 Approved Most recent IF: 8.643; 2012 IF: 7.823  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:95040 Serial 3633  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Li, Y.; Tan, H.; Yang, X.-Y.; Goris, B.; Verbeeck, J.; Bals, S.; Colson, P.; Cloots, R.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Su, B.-L. pdf  doi
openurl 
  Title Well shaped Mn3O4 nano-octahedra with anomalous magnetic behavior and enhanced photodecomposition properties Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2011 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume 7 Issue 4 Pages 475-483  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Very uniform and well shaped Mn3O4 nano-octahedra are synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method under the help of polyethylene glycol (PEG200) as a reductant and shape-directing agent. The nano-octahedra formation mechanism is monitored. The shape and crystal orientation of the nanoparticles is reconstructed by scanning electron microscopy and electron tomography, which reveals that the nano-octahedra only selectively expose {101} facets at the external surfaces. The magnetic testing demonstrates that the Mn3O4 nano-octahedra exhibit anomalous magnetic properties: the Mn3O4 nano-octahedra around 150 nm show a similar Curie temperature and blocking temperature to Mn3O4 nanoparticles with 10 nm size because of the vertical axis of [001] plane and the exposed {101} facets. With these Mn3O4 nano-octahedra as a catalyst, the photodecomposition of rhodamine B is evaluated and it is found that the photodecomposition activity of Mn3O4 nano-octahedra is much superior to that of commercial Mn3O4 powders. The anomalous magnetic properties and high superior photodecomposition activity of well shaped Mn3O4 nano-octahedra should be related to the special shape of the nanoparticles and the abundantly exposed {101} facets at the external surfaces. Therefore, the shape preference can largely broaden the application of the Mn3O4 nano-octahedra.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Weinheim Editor  
  Language Wos 000288080400008 Publication Date 2011-01-21  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810; ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 131 Open Access  
  Notes This work was realized in the frame of an Interuniversity Attraction Poles Program (Inanomat-P6/17)-Belgian State-Belgian Science Policy and the project “Redugaz”, financially supported by the European community and the Wallon government in the frame of Interreg IV (France-Wallonie). B. L. S. acknowledges the Chinese Central Government for an “Expert of the State” position in the program of “Thousand talents” and the Chinese Ministry of Education for a Changjiang Scholar position at the Wuhan University of Technology. H. T. acknowledges the financial support from FWO-Vlaanderen (Project nr. G.0147.06). J.V. thanks the financial support from the European Union under Framework 6 program for Integrated Infrastructure Initiative, Reference 026019 ESTEEM. Approved Most recent IF: 8.643; 2011 IF: 8.349  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:87908 Serial 3914  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zheng, G.; de Marchi, S.; Lopez-Puente, V.; Sentosun, K.; Polavarapu, L.; Perez-Juste, I.; Hill, E.H.; Bals, S.; Liz-Marzan, L.M.; Pastoriza-Santos, I.; Perez-Juste, J. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Encapsulation of Single Plasmonic Nanoparticles within ZIF-8 and SERS Analysis of the MOF Flexibility Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume 12 Issue 12 Pages 3935-3943  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Hybrid nanostructures composed of metal nanoparticles and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently received increasing attention toward various applications due to the combination of optical and catalytic properties of nanometals with the large internal surface area, tunable crystal porosity and unique chemical properties of MOFs. Encapsulation of metal nanoparticles of well-defined shapes into porous MOFs in a core-shell type configuration can thus lead to enhanced stability and selectivity in applications such as sensing or catalysis. In this study, the encapsulation of single noble metal nanoparticles with arbitrary shapes within zeolitic imidazolate-based metal organic frameworks (ZIF-8) is demonstrated. The synthetic strategy is based on the enhanced interaction between ZIF-8 nanocrystals and metal nanoparticle surfaces covered by quaternary ammonium surfactants. High resolution electron microscopy and tomography confirm a complete core-shell morphology. Such a well-defined morphology allowed us to study the transport of guest molecules through the ZIF-8 porous shell by means of surface-enhanced Raman scattering by the metal cores. The results demonstrate that even molecules larger than the ZIF-8 aperture and pore size may be able to diffuse through the framework and reach the metal core.  
  Address Departamento de Quiimica Fisica, Universidade de Vigo, 36310, Vigo, Spain  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Wos 000383375500006 Publication Date 2016-06-06  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 140 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MAT2013-45168-R) and the Xunta de Galicia/FEDER (Grant No. GPC2013-006; INBIOMED-FEDER “Unha maneira de facer Europa”). L.M.L.-M. acknowledges funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement No. 312184, SACS). S.B. acknowledges financial support from European Research Council (ERC) (ERC Starting Grant No. 335078-COLOURATOM). The authors thank Prof. Paolo Fornasiero for the nitrogen adsorption measurements. E.H.H. acknowledges the Spanish MINECO for a Juan de la Cierva fellowship. S.D.M. acknowledges the support from CsF/CNPq-Brazil fellowship.; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 8.643  
  Call Number c:irua:133953 Serial 4083  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Blommaerts, N.; Vanrompay, H.; Nuti, S.; Lenaerts, S.; Bals, S.; Verbruggen, S.W. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Unraveling Structural Information of Turkevich Synthesized Plasmonic Gold-Silver Bimetallic Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume 15 Issue 15 Pages 1902791  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)  
  Abstract For the synthesis of gold-silver bimetallic nanoparticles, the Turkevich method has been the state-of-the-art method for several decades. It has been presumed that this procedure results in a homogeneous alloy, although this has been debatable for many years. In this work, it is shown that neither a full alloy, nor a perfect core-shell particle is formed but rather a core-shell-like particle with altering metal composition along the radial direction. In-depth wet-chemical experiments are performed in combination with advanced transmission electron microscopy, including EDX tomography, and Finite Element Method modeling to support the observations. From the electron tomography results, the core-shell structure could be clearly visualized and the spatial distribution of gold and silver atoms could be quantified. Theoretical simulations are performed to demonstrate that even though UV-Vis spectra show only one plasmon band, this still originates from core-shell type structures. The simulations also indicate that the core-shell morphology does not so much affect the location of the plasmon band, but mainly results in significant band broadening. Wet-chemistry experiments provide the evidence that the synthesis pathway starts with gold enriched alloy cores, and later on in the synthesis mainly silver is incorporated to end up with a silver enriched alloy shell.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000482637100001 Publication Date 2019-08-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 26 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes Universiteit Antwerpen; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, 1S32617N G.0369.15N G.0381.16N ; Approved Most recent IF: 8.643  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:161636 Serial 5290  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Mychinko, M.; Skorikov, A.; Albrecht, W.; Sánchez‐Iglesias, A.; Zhuo, X.; Kumar, V.; Liz‐Marzán, L.M.; Bals, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title The Influence of Size, Shape, and Twin Boundaries on Heat‐Induced Alloying in Individual Au@Ag Core–Shell Nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume Issue Pages 2102348  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Environmental conditions during real-world application of bimetallic core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) often include the use of elevated temperatures, which are known to cause elemental redistribution, in turn significantly altering the properties of these nanomaterials. Therefore, a thorough understanding of such processes is of great importance. The recently developed combination of fast electron tomography with in situ heating holders is a powerful approach to investigate heat-induced processes at the single NP level, with high spatial resolution in 3D. In combination with 3D finite-difference diffusion simulations, this method can be used to disclose the influence of various NP parameters on the diffusion dynamics in Au@Ag core–shell systems. A detailed study of the influence of heating on atomic diffusion and alloying for Au@Ag NPs with varying core morphology and crystallographic details is carried out. Whereas the core shape and aspect ratio of the NPs play a minor role, twin boundaries are found to have a strong influence on the elemental diffusion.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000673326600001 Publication Date 2021-07-14  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 8 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The funding for this project was provided by European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128, REALNANO) and European Commission (grant 731019, EUSMI and grant 26019, ESTEEM). This work was performed under the Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Programme-Grant No. MDM-2017-0720, Ministry of Science and Innovation.; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 8.643  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:179856 Serial 6804  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Hudry, D.; De Backer, A.; Popescu, R.; Busko, D.; Howard, I.A.; Bals, S.; Zhang, Y.; Pedrazo‐Tardajos, A.; Van Aert, S.; Gerthsen, D.; Altantzis, T.; Richards, B.S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Interface Pattern Engineering in Core‐Shell Upconverting Nanocrystals: Shedding Light on Critical Parameters and Consequences for the Photoluminescence Properties Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume Issue Pages 2104441  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)  
  Abstract Advances in controlling energy migration pathways in core-shell lanthanide (Ln)-based hetero-nanocrystals (HNCs) have relied heavily on assumptions about how optically active centers are distributed within individual HNCs. In this article, it is demonstrated that different types of interface patterns can be formed depending on shell growth conditions. Such interface patterns are not only identified but also characterized with spatial resolution ranging from the nanometer- to the atomic-scale. In the most favorable cases, atomic-scale resolved maps of individual particles are obtained. It is also demonstrated that, for the same type of core-shell architecture, the interface pattern can be engineered with thicknesses of just 1 nm up to several tens of nanometers. Total alloying between the core and shell domains is also possible when using ultra-small particles as seeds. Finally, with different types of interface patterns (same architecture and chemical composition of the core and shell domains) it is possible to modify the output color (yellow, red, and green-yellow) or change (improvement or degradation) the absolute upconversion quantum yield. The results presented in this article introduce an important paradigm shift and pave the way toward the emergence of a new generation of core-shell Ln-based HNCs with better control over their atomic-scale organization.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000710758000001 Publication Date 2021-10-25  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 8.643 Times cited 17 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Helmholtz Recruitment Initiative Fellowship (B.S.R.) and the Helmholtz Association's Research Field Energy (Materials and Technologies for the Energy Transition program, Topic 1 Photovoltaics and Wind Energy). The authors would like to thank the Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF) for STEM access. This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (Grant agreement no. 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A. and Grant agreement no. 815128 REALNANO to S.B.). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through Projects no. G.0502.18N, G.0267.18N, and a postdoctoral grant to A.D.B. T.A. acknowledges funding from the University of Antwerp Research fund (BOF). This project had received funding (EUSMI proposal #E181100205) from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant agreement no 731019 (EUSMI). D.H. would like to thank “CGFigures” for helpful tutorials on 3D graphics with Blender.; sygmaSB Approved Most recent IF: 8.643  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183285 Serial 6817  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Marchetti, A.; Gori, A.; Ferretti, A.M.; Esteban, D.A.; Bals, S.; Pigliacelli, C.; Metrangolo, P. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Templated Out‐of‐Equilibrium Self‐Assembly of Branched Au Nanoshells Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 2206712  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Out-of-equilibrium self-assembly of metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been devised using different types of strategies and fuels, but the achievement of finite 3D structures with a controlled morphology through this assembly mode is still rare. Here we used a spherical peptide-gold superstructure (PAuSS) as a template to control the out-of-equilibrium self-assembly of Au NPs, obtaining a transient 3D branched Au-nanoshell (BAuNS) stabilized by sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). The BAuNS dismantled upon concentration gradient equilibration over time in the solution, leading to NPs disassembly. Notably, BAuNS assembly and disassembly favoured temporary interparticle plasmonic coupling, leading to a remarkable oscillation of their optical properties.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000914725800001 Publication Date 2023-01-17  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 13.3 Times cited 1 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes European Research Council, ERC‐2017‐PoC MINIRES 789815 ERC‐2012‐StG_20111012 FOLDHALO 307108 815128 ; Approved Most recent IF: 13.3; 2023 IF: 8.643  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:194299 Serial 7247  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Marchetti, A.; Gori, A.; Ferretti, A.M.; Esteban, D.A.; Bals, S.; Pigliacelli, C.; Metrangolo, P. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Templated Out‐of‐Equilibrium Self‐Assembly of Branched Au Nanoshells (Small 12/2023) Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2023 Publication (up) Small Abbreviated Journal Small  
  Volume 19 Issue 12 Pages  
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ;  
  Abstract Out-of-equilibrium self-assembly of metal nanoparticles (NPs) has been devised using different

types of strategies and fuels, but the achievement of finite 3D structures with a controlled

morphology through this assembly mode is still rare. Here we used a spherical peptide-gold

superstructure (PAuSS) as a template to control the out-of-equilibrium self-assembly of Au NPs,

obtaining a transient 3D branched Au-nanoshell (BAuNS) stabilized by sodium dodecyl sulphate

(SDS). The BAuNS dismantled upon concentration gradient equilibration over time in the solution,

leading to NPs disassembly. Notably, BAuNS assembly and disassembly favoured temporary

interparticle plasmonic coupling, leading to a remarkable oscillation of their optical properties.
 
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos Publication Date 2023-03-23  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1613-6810 ISBN Additional Links UA library record  
  Impact Factor 13.3 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access  
  Notes P.M. is grateful to the European Research Council (ERC) for the Starting Grant ERC-2012- StG_20111012 FOLDHALO (Grant Agreement no. 307108) and the Proof-of-Concept Grant ERC-2017-PoC MINIRES (Grant Agreement no.789815). A. M. and P. M. are thankful to the project Hydrogex funded by Cariplo Foundation (grant no. 2018-1720). D.A.E. and S.B. acknowledges financial support from ERC Consolidator Grant Number 815128 REALNANO and Grant Agreement No. 731019 (EUSMI). Approved Most recent IF: 13.3; 2023 IF: 8.643  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:200859 Serial 8960  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Arslan Irmak, E.; Liu, P.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title 3D Atomic Structure of Supported Metallic Nanoparticles Estimated from 2D ADF STEM Images: A Combination of Atom – Counting and a Local Minima Search Algorithm Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication (up) Small methods Abbreviated Journal Small Methods  
  Volume Issue Pages 2101150  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract Determining the three-dimensional (3D) atomic structure of nanoparticles (NPs) is critical to understand their structure-dependent properties. It is hereby important to perform such analyses under conditions relevant for the envisioned application. Here, we investigate the 3D structure of supported Au NPs at high temperature, which is of importance to understand their behavior during catalytic reactions. To overcome limitations related to conventional high-resolution electron tomography at high temperature, 3D characterization of NPs with atomic resolution has been performed by applying atom-counting using atomic resolution annular darkfield scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF STEM) images followed by structural relaxation. However, at high temperatures, thermal displacements, which affect the ADF STEM intensities, should be taken into account. Moreover, it is very likely that the structure of a NP investigated at elevated temperature deviates from a ground state configuration, which is difficult to determine using purely computational energy minimization approaches. In this paper, we therefore propose an optimized approach using an iterative local minima search algorithm followed by molecular dynamics (MD) structural relaxation of candidate structures associated with each local minimum. In this manner, it becomes possible to investigate the 3D atomic structure of supported NPs, which may deviate from their ground state configuration.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000716511600001 Publication Date 2021-11-10  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2366-9608 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor Times cited 12 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (Grant 815128 REALNANO to SB, Grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to SVA, Grant 823717 ESTEEM3). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project funding (G.0267.18N, G.0502.18N, G.0346.21N).; sygmaSB; esteem3jra; esteem3reported Approved Most recent IF: NA  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:183289 Serial 6820  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author De Backer, A.; Zhang, Z.; van den Bos, K.H.W.; Bladt, E.; Sánchez‐Iglesias, A.; Liz‐Marzán, L.M.; Nellist, P.D.; Bals, S.; Van Aert, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Element Specific Atom Counting at the Atomic Scale by Combining High Angle Annular Dark Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X‐ray Spectroscopy Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication (up) Small methods Abbreviated Journal Small Methods  
  Volume Issue Pages 2200875  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract A new methodology is presented to count the number of atoms in multimetallic nanocrystals by combining energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF STEM). For this purpose, the existence of a linear relationship between the incoherent HAADF STEM and EDX images is exploited. Next to the number of atoms for each element in the atomic columns, the method also allows quantification of the error in the obtained number of atoms, which is of importance given the noisy nature of the acquired EDX signals. Using experimental images of an Au@Ag core–shell nanorod, it is demonstrated that 3D structural information can be extracted at the atomic scale. Furthermore, simulated data of an Au@Pt core–shell nanorod show the prospect to characterize heterogeneous nanostructures with adjacent atomic numbers.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Wos 000862072700001 Publication Date 2022-09-30  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2366-9608 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 12.4 Times cited 5 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes This work was supported by the European Research Council (Grant 770887 PICOMETRICS to S.V.A., Grant 815128 REALNANO to S.B., and Grant 823717 ESTEEM3). The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium) through project fundings (G.0267.18N, G.0502.18N, G.0346.21N) and a postdoctoral grant to A.D.B.; esteem3reported; esteem3JRA Approved Most recent IF: 12.4  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:191570 Serial 7109  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Liu, Y.; Claes, N.; Trepka, B.; Bals, S.; Lang, P.R. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title A combined 3D and 2D light scattering study on aqueous colloidal model systems with tunable interactions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2016 Publication (up) Soft matter Abbreviated Journal Soft Matter  
  Volume 12 Issue 12 Pages 8485-8494  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract In this article we report on the synthesis and characterization of a system of colloidal spheres suspended in an aqueous solvent which can be refractive index-matched, thus allowing for investigations of the particle near-wall dynamics by evanescent wave dynamic light scattering at concentrations up to the isotropic to ordered transition and beyond. The particles are synthesized by copolymerization of a fluorinated acrylic ester monomer with a polyethylene-glycol (PEG) oligomer by surfactant free emulsion polymerization. Static and dynamic light scattering experiments in combination with cryo transmission electron microscopy reveal that the particles have a core shell structure with a significant enrichment of the PEG chains on the particles surface. In index-matching DMSO/water suspensions the particles arrange in an ordered phase at volume fraction above 7%, if no additional electrolyte is present. The near-wall dynamics at low volume fraction are quantitatively described by the combination of electrostatic repulsion and hydrodynamic interaction between the particles and the wall. At volume fractions close to the isotropic to ordered transition, the near-wall dynamics are more complex and qualitatively reminiscent of the behaviour which was observed in hard sphere suspensions at high concentrations.  
  Address Forschugszentrum Julich, Institute of Complex Systems ICS-3, Julich, Germany. p.lang@fz-juelich.de and Heinrich-Heine Universitat, Dusseldorf, Germany  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Wos 000386247100004 Publication Date 2016-08-22  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1744-683X ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 3.889 Times cited 2 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes The authors thank Prof. J. K. G. Dhont and the ICS-3 group for useful discussions and support. YL would like to thank the Marie Sklodowska Curie Initial Training Network SOMATAI under the EU Grant Agreement No. 316866 for financial support. BT contributed to this work during an internship at Forschungszentrum Ju¨lich supported by the International Helmholtz Research School of Biophysics and Soft Matter (IHRS BioSoft), which is gratefully acknowledged. SB and NC acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant No. 335078-COLOURATOMS).; ECAS_Sara; (ROMEO:yellow; preprint:; postprint:restricted ; pdfversion:cannot); Approved Most recent IF: 3.889  
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ c:irua:136166 Serial 4292  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author D'Olieslaeger, L.; Pfannmöller, M.; Fron, E.; Cardinaletti, I.; Van der Auweraer, M.; Van Tendeloo, G.; Bals, S.; Maes, W.; Vanderzande, D.; Manca, J.; Ethirajan, A. pdf  url
doi  openurl
  Title Tuning of PCDTBT : PC71BM blend nanoparticles for eco-friendly processing of polymer solar cells Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication (up) Solar energy materials and solar cells Abbreviated Journal Sol Energ Mat Sol C  
  Volume 159 Issue 159 Pages 179-188  
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)  
  Abstract We report the controlled preparation of water processable nanoparticles (NPs) employing the push-pull polymer PCDTBT and the fullerene acceptor PC71BM in order to enable solar cell processing using eco-friendly solvent (i.e. water). The presented method provides the possibility to separate the formation of the active layer blend and the deposition of the active layer into two different processes. For the first time, the benefits of aqueous processability for the high-potential class of push-pull polymers, generally requiring high boiling solvents, are made accessible. With our method we demonstrate excellent control over the blend stoichiometry and efficient mixing. Furthermore, we provide visualization of the nano morphology of the different NPs to obtain structural information down to similar to 2 nm resolution using advanced analytical electron microscopy. The imaging directly reveals very small compositional demixing in the PCDTBT:PC71BM blend NPs, in the size range of about <5 nm, indicating fine mixing at the molecular level. The suitability of the proposed methodology and materials towards the aspects of eco-friendly processing of organic solar cells is demonstrated through a processing of lab scale NPs solar cell prototypes reaching a power conversion efficiency of 1.9%. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Amsterdam Editor  
  Language Wos 000388053600021 Publication Date 2016-09-19  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0927-0248 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles  
  Impact Factor 4.784 Times cited 32 Open Access OpenAccess  
  Notes ; This work was supported by BOF funding of Hasselt University, the Interreg project Organext, and the IAP 7/05 project FS2 (Functional Supramolecular Systems), granted by the Science Policy Office of the Belgian Federal Government (BELSPO). A.E. is a post-doctoral fellow of the Flanders Research Foundation (FWO). M.P. gratefully acknowledges the SIM NanoForce program for financial support. S.B. further acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant #335078-COLOURATOMS). The authors are thankful for technical support by J. Smits, T. Vangerven, and J. Baccus. ; ecas_sara Approved Most recent IF: 4.784  
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:139157UA @ admin @ c:irua:139157 Serial 4450  
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