Abstract: Electrodeposition is an increasingly important method to synthesize supported nanoparticles, yet the early stages of electrochemical nanoparticle formation are not perfectly understood. In this paper, the early stages of silver nanoparticle electrodeposition on carbon substrates have been studied by aberration-corrected TEM, using carbon-coated TEM grids as electrochemical electrodes. In this manner we have access to as-deposited nanoparticle size distribution and structural characterization at the atomic scale combined with electrochemical measurements, which represents a breakthrough in a full understanding of the nanoparticle electrodeposition mechanisms. Whereas classical models, based upon characterization at the nanoscale, assume that electrochemical growth is only driven by direct attachment, the results reported hereafter indicate that early nanoparticle growth is mostly driven by nanocluster surface movement and aggregation. Hence, we conclude that electrochemical nulceation and growth models should be revised and that an electrochemical aggregative growth mechanism should be considered in the early stages of nanoparticle electrodeposition.

Abstract: Development of efficient production methods of nanodiamond (ND) particles containing substitutional nitrogen and nitrogen-vacancy (NV) complexes remains an important goal in the nanodiamond community. ND synthesized from explosives is generally not among the preferred candidates for imaging applications owing to lack of optically active particles containing NV centers. In this paper, we have systematically studied representative classes of NDs produced by detonation shock wave conversion of different carbon precursor materials, namely, graphite and a graphite/hexogen mixture into ND, as well as ND produced from different combinations of explosives using different cooling methods (wet or dry cooling). We demonstrate that (i) the N content in nanodiamond particles can be controlled through a correct selection of the carbon precursor material (addition of graphite, explosives composition); (ii) particles larger than approximately 20 nm may contain in situ produced optically active NV centers, and (iii) in ND produced from explosives, NV centers are detected only in ND produced by wet synthesis. ND synthesized from a mixture of graphite/explosive contains the largest amount of NV centers formed during synthesis and thus deserves special attention.

Abstract: Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the size-dependent melting mechanism of nickel nanoclusters of various sizes. The melting process was monitored by the caloric curve, the overall cluster Lindemann index, and the atomic Lindemann index. Size-dependent melting temperatures were determined, and the correct linear dependence on inverse diameter was recovered. We found that the melting mechanism gradually changes from dynamic coexistence melting to surface melting with increasing cluster size. These findings are of importance in better understanding carbon nanotube growth by catalytic chemical vapor deposition as the phase state of the catalyst nanoparticle codetermines the growth mechanism.

Abstract: The electrodeposition of nickel nanostructures on glassy carbon was investigated in 1:2 choline chloride urea deep eutectic solvent (DES) containing different amounts of water. By combining electrochemical techniques, with ex situ field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, the effect of water content on the electrochemical processes occurring during nickel deposition was better understood. At highly negative potentials and depending on water content, Ni growth is halted due to water splitting and formation of a mixed layer of Ni/NiOx(OH)(2(1-x)(ads)). Moreover, under certain conditions, the DES components can also be (electro)chemically reduced at the electrode surface, blocking further three-dimensional growth of the Ni NPs. Hence, a two-dimensional crystalline Ni-containing network can be formed in the interparticle region.

Abstract: Optimization of catalytic materials for a given application is greatly constrained by linear scaling relations. Recently, however, it has been demonstrated that it is possible to reversibly modulate the chemisorption of molecules on nanomaterials by charging (i.e., injection or removal of electrons) and hence reversibly and selectively modify catalytic activity beyond structure−activity correlations. The fundamental physical relation between the properties of the material, the charging process, and the chemisorption energy, however, remains unclear, and a systematic exploration and optimization of charge-switchable sorbent materials is not yet possible. Using hybrid DFT calculations of CO2 chemisorption on hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets with several types of defects and dopants, we here reveal the existence of fundamental correlations between the electron affinity of a material and charge-induced chemisorption, show how defect engineering can be used to modulate the strength and efficiency of the adsorption process, and demonstrate that excess electrons stabilize many topological defects. We then show how these insights could be exploited in the development of new electrocatalytic materials and the synthesis of doped nanomaterials. Moreover, we demonstrate that calculated chemical properties of charged materials are highly sensitive to the employed computational methodology because of the self-interaction error, which underlines the theoretical challenge posed by such systems.

Abstract: Transparent binder is used to substitute conventional black asphalt binder and to provide light-colored pavements, whereas nano-TiO2 has the potential to promote photocatalytic and self-cleaning properties. Together, these materials provide multifunction effects and benefits when the pavement is submitted to high solar irradiation. This paper analyzes the physicochemical and rheological properties of a transparent binder modified with 0.5%, 3.0%, 6.0%, and 10.0% nano-TiO2 and compares it to the transparent base binder and conventional and polymer modified binders (PMB) without nano-TiO2. Their penetration, softening point, dynamic viscosity, master curve, black diagram, Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS), Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were obtained. The transparent binders (base and modified) seem to be workable considering their viscosity, and exhibited values between the conventional binder and PMB with respect to rutting resistance, penetration, and softening point. They showed similar behavior to the PMB, demonstrating signs of polymer modification. The addition of TiO2 seemed to reduce fatigue life, except for the 0.5% content. Nevertheless, its addition in high contents increased the rutting resistance. The TiO2 modification seems to have little effect on the chemical functional indices. The best percentage of TiO2 was 0.5%, with respect to fatigue, and 10.0% with respect to permanent deformation.

Abstract: We present a computational study for the conversion of CH4 and CO2 into value-added chemicals, i.e., the so-called dry reforming of methane, in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor. A zero-dimensional chemical kinetics model is applied to study the plasma chemistry in a 1:1 CH4/CO2 mixture. The calculations are first performed for one microdischarge pulse and its afterglow, to study in detail the chemical pathways of the conversion. Subsequently, long time-scale simulations are carried out, corresponding to real residence times in the plasma, assuming a large number of consecutive microdischarge pulses, to mimic the conditions of the filamentary discharge regime in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The conversion of CH4 and CO2 as well as the selectivity of the formed products and the energy cost and energy efficiency of the process are calculated and compared to experiments for a range of different powers and gas flows, and reasonable agreement is reached.

Abstract: Surface plasmon modes in metallic nanostructures largely determine their optoelectronic properties. Such plasmon modes can be manipulated by changing the morphology of the nanoparticles or by bringing plasmonic nanoparticle building blocks close to each other within organized assemblies. We report the EELS mapping of such plasmon modes in pure Ag nanocubes, Au@Ag coreshell nanocubes, and arrays of Au@Ag nanocubes. We show that these arrays enable the creation of interesting plasmonic structures starting from elementary building blocks. Special attention will be dedicated to the plasmon modes in a triangular array formed by three nanocubes. Because of hybridization, a combination of such nanotriangles is shown to provide an antenna effect, resulting in strong electrical field enhancement at the narrow gap between the nanotriangles.

Abstract: Gold-silver alloy nanoparticles display surface plasmon resonance (SPR) over a broad range of the UV-vis spectrum. We propose a model to predict the SPR wavelength of gold-silver alloy colloids based on the combined effect of alloy composition and particle size. The SPR wavelength is derived from extinction spectra simulated using available experimental dielectric constant data and accounts for particle size by applying Mie theory. Comparison of calculated values with experimental data evidences the accuracy of the model. The new SPR wavelength estimation tool will be of particular interest for developing dedicated bimetallic plasmonic nanostructures.

Abstract: Piezoelectricity is a unique material property that allows one to convert mechanical energy into electrical one or vice versa. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) and transition metal dioxides (TMDO) are expected to have great potential for piezoelectric device applications due to their noncentrosymmetric and two-dimensional crystal structure. A detailed theoretical investigation of the piezoelectric stress (e 11 ) and piezoelectric strain (d 11 ) coefficients of single layer TMDCs and TMDOs with chemical formula MX 2 (where M= Cr, Mo, W, Ti, Zr, Hf, Sn and X = O, S, Se, Te) is presented by using first-principles calculations based on density func- tional theory. We predict that not only the Mo- and W-based members of this family but also the other materials with M= Cr, Ti, Zr and Sn exhibit highly promising piezoelectric properties. CrTe 2 has the largest e 11 and d 11 coefficients among the group VI elements (i.e., Cr, Mo, and W). In addition, the relaxed-ion e 11 and d 11 coefficients of SnS 2 are almost the same as those of CrTe 2 . Furthermore, TiO 2 and ZrO 2 pose comparable or even larger e 11 coefficients as compared to Mo- and W-based TMDCs and TMDOs. Our calculations reveal that TMDC and TMDO structures are strong candidates for future atomically thin piezoelectric applications such as transducers, sensors, and energy harvesting devices due to their piezoelectric coefficients that are comparable (even larger) to currently used bulk piezoelectric materials.

Abstract: The effect of palladium- and ruthenium-based clusters on nanocrystalline tin dioxide interaction with oxygen was studied by temperature-programmed oxygen isotopic exchange with mass-spectrometry detection. The modification of aqueous sol-gel prepared SnO2 by palladium and, to a larger extent, by ruthenium, increases surface oxygen concentration on the materials. The revealed effects on oxygen exchange-lowering the threshold temperature, separation of surface oxygen contribution to the process, increase of heteroexchange rate and oxygen diffusion coefficient, decrease of activation energies of exchange and diffusion-were more intensive for Ru-modified SnO2 than in the case of SnO2/Pd. The superior promoting activity of ruthenium on tin dioxide interaction with oxygen was interpreted by favoring the dissociative O-2 adsorption and increasing the oxygen mobility, taking into account the structure and chemical composition of the modifier clusters.

Abstract: Device performance of Si|SiOx core-shell based nanowires critically depends on the exact control over the oxide thickness. Low-temperature plasma oxidation is a highly promising alternative to thermal oxidation allowing for improved control over the oxidation process, in particular for ultrasmall Si nanowires. We here elucidate the room temperature plasma oxidation mechanisms of ultrasmall Si nanowires using hybrid molecular dynamics / force-bias Monte Carlo simulations. We demonstrate how the oxidation and concurrent water formation mechanisms are a function of the oxidizing plasma species and we demonstrate how the resulting core-shell oxide thickness can be controlled through these species. A new mechanism of water formation is discussed in detail. The results provide a detailed atomic level explanation of the oxidation process of highly curved Si surfaces. These results point out a route toward plasma-based formation of ultrathin core-shell Si|SiOx nanowires at room temperature.

Abstract: This contribution presents the effects of a mild O2 plasma treatment on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of single-layer (SLG) and bilayer graphene (BLG). Unexpectedly, we observe only photoluminescence in the SLG parts of a graphene flake composed of regions of various thickness upon O2 plasma treatment, whereas the BLG and few-layer graphene (FLG) parts remain optically unchanged. Confirmed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) that O2 plasma induces epoxide and hydroxyl-like groups in graphene, density functional theory (DFT) calculations are carried out on representative epoxidized and hydroxylated SLG and BLG models to predict density of states (DOS) and band structures. Sufficiently oxidized SLG shows a bandgap and thus loss of semimetallic behavior, while oxidized BLG maintains its semimetallic behavior even at high oxygen density in agreement with the results of the photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) experiments. DFT calculations confirm that the Fermi velocity in epoxidized BLG is remarkably comparable with that of pristine SLG, pointing to a similarity of electronic band structure. The similarity is also experimentally demonstrated by the electrical characterization of a plasma-treated BLG-FET. As expected from the electronegative oxygen adatoms in the graphene, epoxidized BLG presents conductive features typical of hole doping. Moreover, the electrical characteristics suggest band structures closely related to that of epoxidized graphene while deviating from that of hydroxylated graphene. Finally, upon O2 plasma treatment of BLG, the four-component 2D peak around 2700 cm1 in the Raman spectrum evolves into a single Lorentzian line, very like the 2D peak of pristine SLG. Summarizing, the data in this contribution recommend that a controlled O2 plasma treatment, which is compatible with CMOS process flow in contrast to wet chemical oxidation methods, provides an efficient and valuable technique to exploit the transport properties of the bottom layer of BLG.

Abstract: Bimetallic nanoparticles play a crucial role in various applications. A better understanding of their properties would facilitate these applications and possibly even enable chirality-specific growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). We here examine the stabilities of NiFe, NiGa, and FeGa nanoparticles and the effect of carbon dissolved in NiFe nanoparticles through density functional theory (DFT) calculations and Born Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations. We establish that nanoparticles with more Fe in the core and more Ga on the surface are more stable and compare these results with well-known properties such as surface energy and atom size. Furthermore, we find that the nanoparticles become more stable with increasing carbon content, both at 0 K and at 700 K. These results provide a basis for further research into the chirality-specific growth of CNT's.

Abstract: This study reports the low temperature and low pressure conversion (up to 160 °C, p = 3.5 bar) of CO2 and H2 to CO using plasmonic Au/TiO2 nanocatalysts and mildly concentrated artificial sunlight as the sole energy source (up to 13.9 kW·m-2 = 13.9 suns). To distinguish between photothermal and non-thermal contributors, we investigated the impact of the Au nanoparticle size and light intensity on the activity and selectivity of the catalyst. A comparative study between P25 TiO2-supported Au nanocatalysts of a size of 6 nm and 16 nm displayed a 15 times higher activity for the smaller particles, which can only partially be attributed to the higher Au surface area. Other factors that may play a role are e.g., the electronic contact between Au and TiO2 and the ratio between plasmonic absorption and scattering. Both catalysts displayed ≥84% selectivity for CO (side product is CH4). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the catalytic activity of Au/TiO2 increases exponentially with increasing light intensity, which indicated the presence of a photothermal contributor. In dark, however, both Au/TiO2 catalysts solely produced CH4 at the same catalyst bed temperature (160 °C). We propose that the difference in selectivity is caused by the promotion of CO desorption through charge transfer of plasmon generated charges (as a non-thermal contributor).