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Author Quintanilla, M.; Zhang, Y.; Liz-Marzan, L.M.
  Title Subtissue plasmonic heating monitored with CaF2:Nd3+,Y3+ nanothermometers in the second biological window Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 30 Issue 8 Pages 2819-2828
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Measuring temperature in biological environments is an ambitious goal toward supporting medical treatment and diagnosis. Minimally invasive techniques based on optical probes require very specific properties that are difficult to combine within a single material. These include high chemical stability in aqueous environments, optical signal stability, low toxicity, high emission intensity, and, essential, working at wavelengths within the biological transparency windows so as to minimize invasiveness while maximizing penetration depth. We propose CaF2:Nd3+,Y3+ as a candidate for thermometry based on an intraband ratiometric approach, fully working within the biological windows (excitation at 808 nm; emission around 1050 nm). We optimized the thermal probes through the addition of Y3+ as a dopant to improve both emission intensity and thermal sensitivity. To define the conditions under which the proposed technique can be applied, gold nanorods were used to optically generate subtissue hot areas, while the resulting temperature variation was monitored with the new nanothermometers.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher American Chemical Society Place of Publication Washington, D.C Editor
  Language Wos 000431088400038 Publication Date 2018-03-27
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.466 Times cited 28 Open Access Not_Open_Access
  Notes ; The authors would like to thank Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez Rubio for the kind support with the synthesis of gold nanorods. M.Q and L.M.L.-M. acknowledge financial support from the European Commission under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie program (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014_659021 – PHELLINI). Y.Z. acknowledges financial support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 665501 through a FWO [PEGASUS]^2 Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship (12U4917N). ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:151576 Serial 5042
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Author Tessier, M.D.; Baquero, E.A.; Dupont, D.; Grigel, V.; Bladt, E.; Bals, S.; Coppel, Y.; Hens, Z.; Nayral, C.; Delpech, F.
  Title Interfacial oxidation and photoluminescence of InP-Based core/shell quantum dots Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 30 Issue 30 Pages 6877-6883
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Indium phosphide colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are emerging as an efficient cadmium-free alternative for optoelectronic applications. Recently, syntheses based on easy-to-implement aminophosphine precursors have been developed. We show by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy that this new approach allows oxide-free indium phosphide core or core/shell quantum dots to be made. Importantly, the oxide-free core/shell interface does not help in achieving higher luminescence efficiencies. We demonstrate that in the case of InP/ZnS and InP/ZnSe QDs, a more pronounced oxidation concurs with a higher photoluminescence efficiency. This study suggests that a II-VI shell on a III-V core generates an interface prone to defects. The most efficient InP/ZnS or InP/ZnSe QDs are therefore made with an oxide buffer layer between the core and the shell: it passivates these interface defects but also results in a somewhat broader emission line width.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher American Chemical Society Place of Publication Washington, D.C Editor
  Language Wos 000447237800031 Publication Date 2018-09-12
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.466 Times cited 74 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes ; The authors thank L. Biadala and C. Delerue for fruitful discussion. Z.H. acknowledges support by the European Commission via the Marie-Sklodowska Curie action Phonsi (H2020-MSCA-ITN-642656), by Research Foundation Flanders (Project 17006602), and by Ghent University (GOA No. 01G01513). Z.H., M.D.T., and D.D. acknowledge the Strategisch Initiatief Materialen in Vlaanderen of Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen (SIM VLAIO), vzw (SBO-QDOCCO, ICON-QUALIDI). This work was supported by the Universite Paul Sabatier, the Region Midi-Pyrenees, the CNRS, the Institut National des Sciences Appliquees of Toulouse, and the Agence Nationale pour la Recherche (Project ANR-13-IS10-0004-01). E.A.B. is grateful to Marie Curie Actions and Campus France for a PRESTIGE postdoc fellowship (FP7 /2007-2013) under REA Grant Agreement PCOFUND-GA-2013-609102. E.B. acknowledges financial support from Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:154732UA @ admin @ c:irua:154732 Serial 5109
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Author De Sloovere, D.; Safari, M.; Elen, K.; D'Haen, J.; Drozhzhin, O.A.; Abakumov, A.M.; Simenas, M.; Banys, J.; Bekaert, J.; Partoens, B.; Van Bael, M.K.; Hardy, A.
  Title Reduced Na2+xTi4O9 composite : a durable anode for sodium-ion batteries Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 30 Issue 23 Pages 8521-8527
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
  Abstract Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are potential cost-effective solutions for stationary energy storage applications. Unavailability of suitable anode materials, however, is one of the important barriers to the maturity of SIBs. Here, we report a Na2+xTi4O9/C composite as a promising anode candidate for SIBs with high capacity and cycling stability. This anode is characterized by a capacity of 124 mAh g(-1) (plus 11 mAh g(-1) contributed by carbon black), an average discharge potential of 0.9 V vs Na/Na+, a good rate capability and a high stability (89% capacity retention after 250 cycles at a rate of 1 degrees C). The mechanisms of sodium insertion/deinsertion and of the formation of Na2+xTi4O9/C are investigated with the aid of various ex/in situ characterization techniques. The in situ formed carbon is necessary for the formation of the reduced sodium titanate. This synthesis method may enable the convenient synthesis of other composites of crystalline phases with amorphous carbon.
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  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000453489300014 Publication Date 2018-11-29
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.466 Times cited 7 Open Access
  Notes ; This work was supported by the FWO (Research Foundation Flanders, project G040116). O.A.D. and A.M.A. are grateful to the Russian Science Foundation for financial support (Grant 17-73-30006). The authors acknowledge Pieter Samyn for Raman spectroscopy, Fulya Ulu Okudur for preliminary TEM, Bart Ruttens for XRD, Hilde Pellaers for SEM, Tom Haeldermans for elemental analysis, and Karen Leyssen and Vera Meynen for physisorption measurements. ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:156235 Serial 5227
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Author Tan, X.; Stephens, P.W.; Hendrickx, M.; Hadermann, J.; Segre, C.U.; Croft, M.; Kang, C.-J.; Deng, Z.; Lapidus, S.H.; Kim, S.W.; Jin, C.; Kotliar, G.; Greenblatt, M.
  Title Tetragonal Cs1.17In0.81Cl3 : a charge-ordered indium halide perovskite derivative Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 31 Issue 6 Pages 1981-1989
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Polycrystalline samples of Cs1.17In0.81Cl3 were prepared by annealing a mixture of CsCl, InCl, and InCl3, stoichiometric for the targeted CsInCl3. Synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction refinement and chemical analysis by energy dispersive X-ray indicated that Cs1.17In0.81Cl3, a tetragonal distorted perovskite derivative (I4/m), is the thermodynamically stable product. The refined unit cell parameters and space group were confirmed by electron diffraction. In the tetragonal structure, In+ and In3+ are located in four different crystallographic sites, consistent with their corresponding bond lengths. In1, In2, and In3 are octahedrally coordinated, whereas In4 is at the center of a pentagonal bipyramid of Cl because of the noncooperative octahedral tilting of In4Cl6. The charged-ordered In+ and In3+ were also confirmed by X-ray absorption and Raman spectroscopy. Cs1.17In0.81Cl3 is the first example of an inorganic halide double perovskite derivative with charged-ordered In+ and In3+. Band structure and optical conductivity calculations were carried out with both generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) approach; the GGA calculations estimated the band gap and optical band gap to be 2.27 eV and 2.4 eV, respectively. The large and indirect band gap suggests that Cs1.17In0.81Cl3 is not a good candidate for photovoltaic application.
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  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000462950400017 Publication Date 2019-02-19
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.466 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes ; M.G. and X.T. were supported by the Center for Computational Design of Functional Strongly Correlated Materials and Theoretical Spectroscopy under DOE Grant No. DE-FOA-0001276. M.G. also acknowledges support of NSF-DMR-1507252 grant. G.K. and C.-J.K. were supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. MRCAT operations are supported by the Department of Energy and the MRCAT member institutions. The use of the Advanced Photon Source at the Argonne National Laboratory was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. The works at IOPCAS were supported by NSF & MOST of China through research projects. ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:159413 Serial 5262
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Author Choudhary, K.; Bercx, M.; Jiang, J.; Pachter, R.; Lamoen, D.; Tavazza, F.
  Title Accelerated Discovery of Efficient Solar Cell Materials Using Quantum and Machine-Learning Methods Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 31 Issue 15 Pages 5900-5908
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Solar energy plays an important role in solving serious environmental

problems and meeting the high energy demand. However, the lack of suitable

materials hinders further progress of this technology. Here, we present the largest

inorganic solar cell material search till date using density functional theory (DFT) and

machine-learning approaches. We calculated the spectroscopic limited maximum

efficiency (SLME) using the Tran−Blaha-modified Becke−Johnson potential for 5097

nonmetallic materials and identified 1997 candidates with an SLME higher than 10%,

including 934 candidates with a suitable convex-hull stability and an effective carrier

mass. Screening for two-dimensional-layered cases, we found 58 potential materials

and performed G0W0 calculations on a subset to estimate the prediction uncertainty. As the above DFT methods are still computationally expensive, we developed a high accuracy machine-learning model to prescreen efficient materials and applied it to over a million materials. Our results provide a general framework and universal strategy for the design of high-efficiency solar

cell materials. The data and tools are publicly distributed at: https://www.ctcms.nist.gov/~knc6/JVASP.html, https://www.

ctcms.nist.gov/jarvisml/, https://jarvis.nist.gov/, and https://github.com/usnistgov/jarvis.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000480826900060 Publication Date 2019-08-13
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.466 Times cited 6 Open Access
  Notes ; ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:161814 Serial 5291
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Author Ramachandran, R.K.; Filez, M.; Solano, E.; Poelman, H.; Minjauw, M.M.; Van Daele, M.; Feng, J.-Y.; La Porta, A.; Altantzis, T.; Fonda, E.; Coati, A.; Garreau, Y.; Bals, S.; Marin, G.B.; Detavernier, C.; Dendooven, J.
  Title Chemical and Structural Configuration of Pt Doped Metal Oxide Thin Films Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 31 Issue 31 Pages 9673-9683
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT); Applied Electrochemistry & Catalysis (ELCAT)
  Abstract Pt doped semiconducting metal oxides and Pt metal clusters embedded in an oxide matrix are of interest for applications such as catalysis and gas sensing, energy storage and memory devices. Accurate tuning of the dopant level is crucial for adjusting the properties of these materials. Here, a novel atomic layer deposition (ALD) based method for doping Pt into In2O3 in specific, and metals in metal oxides in general, is demonstrated. This approach combines alternating exposures of Pt and In2O3 ALD processes in a single ‘supercycle’, followed by supercycle repetition leading to multilayered nanocomposites. The atomic level control of ALD and its conformal nature make the method suitable for accurate dopant control even on high surface area supports. Oxidation state, local structural environment and crystalline phase of the embedded Pt dopants were obtained by means of X-ray characterization methods and high angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). In addition, this approach allows characterization of the nucleation stages of metal ALD processes, by stacking those states multiple times in an oxide matrix. Regardless of experimental conditions, a few Pt ALD cycles leads to the formation of oxidized Pt species due to their highly dispersed nature, as proven by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and highresolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (HR-STEM/EDXS) show that Pt is evenly distributed in the In2O3 metal oxide matrix without the formation of clusters. For a larger number of Pt ALD

cycles, typ. > 10, the oxidation state gradually evolves towards fully metallic, and metallic Pt clusters are obtained within the In2O3 metal oxide matrix. This work reveals how tuning of the ALD supercycle approach for Pt doping allows controlled engineering of the Pt compositional and structural configuration within a metal oxide matrix.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000502418000010 Publication Date 2019-11-11
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.466 Times cited 6 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes This research was supported by the Flemish Research Foundation (FWO-Vlaanderen), the Flemish Government (Long term structural funding – Methusalem funding and Medium scale research infrastructure funding-Hercules funding), the Special Research Fund BOF of Ghent University (GOA 01G01513) and the CALIPSO Trans National Access Program funded by the European Commission in supplying financing of travel costs. We are grateful to the SIXS and SAMBA-SOLEIL staff for smoothly running the beamline facilities. J.D. and R.K.R. are postdoctoral fellows of the FWO. Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:164056 Serial 5380
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Author Minjauw, M.M.; Solano, E.; Sree, S.P.; Asapu, R.; Van Daele, M.; Ramachandran, R.K.; Heremans, G.; Verbruggen, S.W.; Lenaerts, S.; Martens, J.A.; Detavernier, C.; Dendooven, J.
  Title Plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of silver using Ag(fod)(PEt3) and NH3-plasma Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication Chemistry of materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 29 Issue 17 Pages 7114-7121
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
  Abstract A plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) process using the Ag(fod)(PEt3) precursor [(triethylphosphine)(6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptafluoro-2,2-dimethy1-3,5-octanedionate)silver(I)] in combination with NH3-plasma is reported. The steady growth rate of the reported process (0.24 +/- 0.03 nm/cycle) was found to be 6 times larger than that of the previously reported Ag ALD process based on the same precursor in combination with H-2-plasma (0.04 +/- 0.02 nm/cycle). The ALD characteristics of the H-2-plasma and NH3-plasma processes were verified. The deposited Ag films were polycrystalline face-centered cubic Ag for both processes. The film morphology was investigated by ex situ scanning electron microscopy and grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering, and it was found that films grown with the NH3-plasma process exhibit a much higher particle areal density and smaller particle sizes on oxide substrates compared to those deposited using the H-2-plasma process. This control over morphology of the deposited Ag is important for applications in catalysis and plasmonics. While films grown with the H-2-plasma process had oxygen impurities (similar to 9 atom %) in the bulk, the main impurity for the NH3-plasma process was nitrogen (similar to 7 atom %). In situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy experiments suggest that these nitrogen impurities are derived from NH surface groups generated during the NH3-plasma, which interact with the precursor molecules during the precursor pulse. We propose that the reaction of these surface groups with the precursor leads to additional deposition of Ag atoms during the precursor pulse compared to the H-2-plasma process, which explains the enhanced growth rate of the NH3-plasma process.
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  Language Wos 000410868600012 Publication Date 2017-08-09
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0897-4756 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.466 Times cited 9 Open Access
  Notes ; M.M.M. and J.D. acknowledge the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Vlaanderen (FWO Vlaanderen) for financial support through a personal research grant. We also acknowledge FWO Vlaanderen for providing project funding for this work. We are grateful to the ESRF staff for smoothly running the synchrotron and beamline facilities. We also thank Olivier Janssens for performing the SEM measurements and Stefaan Broekaert for mechanical assistance. J.A.M. acknowledges the Flemish Government for long-term structural funding (Methusalem). ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:146757 Serial 5983
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Author Feng, H.L.; Kang, C.-J.; Manuel, P.; Orlandi, F.; Su, Y.; Chen, J.; Tsujimoto, Y.; Hadermann, J.; Kotliar, G.; Yamaura, K.; McCabe, E.E.; Greenblatt, M.
  Title Antiferromagnetic order breaks inversion symmetry in a metallic double perovskite, Pb₂NiOsO₆ Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Chemistry Of Materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 33 Issue 11 Pages 4188-4195
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract A polycrystalline sample of Pb2NiOsO6 was synthesized under high-pressure (6 GPa) and high-temperature (1575 K) conditions. Pb2NiOsO6 crystallizes in a monoclinic double perovskite structure with a centrosymmetric space group P2(1)/n at room temperature. Pb2NiOsO6 is metallic down to 2 K and shows a single antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at T-N = 58 K. Pb2NiOsO6 is a new example of a metallic and AFM oxide with three-dimensional connectivity. Neutron powder diffraction and first-principles calculation studies indicate that both Ni and Os moments are ordered below T-N and the AFM magnetic order breaks inversion symmetry. This loss of inversion symmetry driven by AFM order is unusual in metallic systems, and the 3d-Sd double-perovskite oxides represent a new class of noncentrosymmetric AFM metallic oxides.
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  Language Wos 000661521800032 Publication Date 2021-05-26
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0897-4756; 1520-5002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.466 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:179679 Serial 6854
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Author Li, W.; Tong, W.; Yadav, A.; Bladt, E.; Bals, S.; Funston, A.M.; Etheridge, J.
  Title Shape control beyond the seeds in gold nanoparticles Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2021 Publication Chemistry Of Materials Abbreviated Journal Chem Mater
  Volume 33 Issue 23 Pages 9152-9164
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract In typical seed-mediated syntheses of metal nanocrystals, the shape of the nanocrystal is determined largely by the seed nucleation environment and subsequent growth environment (where “environment” refers to the chemical environment, including the surfactant and additives). In this approach, crystallinity is typically determined by the seeds, and surfaces are controlled by the environment(s). However, surface energies, and crystallinity, are both influenced by the choice of environment(s). This limits the permutations of crystallinity and surface facets that can be mixed and matched to generate new nanocrystal morphologies. Here, we control post-seed growth to deliberately incorporate twin planes during the growth stage to deliver new final morphologies, including twinned cubes and bipyramids from single-crystal seeds. The nature and number of twin planes, together with surfactant control of facet growth, define the final nanoparticle morphology. Moreover, by breaking symmetry, the twin planes introduce new facet orientations. This additional mechanism opens new routes for the synthesis of different morphologies and facet orientations.
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  Language Wos 000753956100012 Publication Date 0000-00-00
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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  ISSN 0897-4756; 1520-5002 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.466 Times cited 3 Open Access Not_Open_Access
  Notes This work was supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Grants DP160104679 and CE170100026 and used microscopes at the Monash Centre for Electron Microscopy funded by ARC Grants LE0454166, LE110100223, and LE140100104. W.L. thanks the support of the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship. W.T. thanks the Australian Department of Education and Monash University for the IPRS and APA scholarships. E.B. acknowledges financial support and a post-doctoral grant from the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO, Belgium). The authors thank Dr. Matthew Weyland and Dr. Tim Peterson for helpful discussions. A.Y. thanks the support from Post Graduation Publication Award (PPA) scholarship from Monash University. Approved Most recent IF: 9.466
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:187229 Serial 7065
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Author Ben Dkhil, S.; Perkhun, P.; Luo, C.; Mueller, D.; Alkarsifi, R.; Barulina, E.; Quiroz, Y.A.A.; Margeat, O.; Dubas, S.T.; Koganezawa, T.; Kuzuhara, D.; Yoshimoto, N.; Caddeo, C.; Mattoni, A.; Zimmermann, B.; Wuerfel, U.; Pfannmöller, M.; Bals, S.; Ackermann, J.; Videlot-Ackermann, C.
  Title Direct correlation of nanoscale morphology and device performance to study photocurrent generation in donor-enriched phases of polymer solar cells Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Acs Applied Materials & Interfaces Abbreviated Journal Acs Appl Mater Inter
  Volume 12 Issue 25 Pages 28404-28415
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract The nanoscale morphology of polymer blends is a key parameter to reach high efficiency in bulk heterojunction solar cells. Thereby, research typically focusing on optimal blend morphologies while studying nonoptimized blends may give insight into blend designs that can prove more robust against morphology defects. Here, we focus on the direct correlation of morphology and device performance of thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-alt-benzodithiophene (PTB7):[6,6]phenyl C-71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) bulk heterojunction (BHJ) blends processed without additives in different donor/acceptor weight ratios. We show that while blends of a 1:1.5 ratio are composed of large donor-enriched and fullerene domains beyond the exciton diffusion length, reducing the ratio below 1:0.5 leads to blends composed purely of polymer-enriched domains. Importantly, the photocurrent density in such blends can reach values between 45 and 60% of those reached for fully optimized blends using additives. We provide here direct visual evidence that fullerenes in the donor-enriched domains are not distributed homogeneously but fluctuate locally. To this end, we performed compositional nanoscale morphology analysis of the blend using spectroscopic imaging of low-energy-loss electrons using a transmission electron microscope. Charge transport measurement in combination with molecular dynamics simulations shows that the fullerene substructures inside the polymer phase generate efficient electron transport in the polymer-enriched phase. Furthermore, we show that the formation of densely packed regions of fullerene inside the polymer phase is driven by the PTB7:PC71BM enthalpy of mixing. The occurrence of such a nanoscale network of fullerene clusters leads to a reduction of electron trap states and thus efficient extraction of photocurrent inside the polymer domain. Suitable tuning of the polymer-acceptor interaction can thus introduce acceptor subnetworks in polymer-enriched phases, improving the tolerance for high-efficiency BHJ toward morphological defects such as donor-enriched domains exceeding the exciton diffusion length.
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  Language Wos 000543780900058 Publication Date 2020-06-01
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.5 Times cited 7 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes ; J.A., O.M., and C.V.-A. acknowledge financial support by the French Fond Unique Interministeriel (FUI) under the project “SFUMATO” (Grant Number: F1110019V/ 201308815) as well as by the European Commission under the Project “SUNFLOWER” (FP7-ICT-2011-7, Grant Number: 287594). J.A., C.V.-A., and E.B. acknowledge the Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie (ANRT) and the Ministere de l'Enseignement Superieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation, awarded through the company Dracula Technologies (Valence, France), for framework of a CIFRE Ph.D. grant 2017/0529. J.A. and P.P. received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant agreement no. 713750. They further acknowledge support of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, A*MIDEX (no. ANR-11-IDEX-0001-02), and the Investissements d'Avenir project funded by the French Government, managed by the French National Research Agency (ANR). J.A. and Y.A.A.Q. acknowledge the French Research Agency for funding through the project NFA-15 (ANR-17-CE05-0020-01). N.Y. acknowledges that the synchrotron radiation experiments were performed at BL19B2 in SPring-8 with the approval of Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) (proposal nos. 2017B1629 and 2018B1791). S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Consolidator Grant 815128-REALNANO) and from FWO (G.0381.16N). M.P. gratefully acknowledges funding by the Ministerium fur Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Wurttemberg through the HEiKA materials research centre FunTECH-3D (MWK, 33-753-30-20/3/3) and the Large-Scale-Data-Facility (LSDF) sds@hd through grant INST 35/1314-1 FUGG. A.M. acknowledges Italian MIUR for funding through the project PON04a2 00490 M2M Netergit, PRACE, for awarding access to Marconi KNL at CINECA, Italy, through projects DECONVOLVES (2018184466) and PROVING-IL (2019204911). C.C. acknowledges the CINECA award under the ISCRA initiative for the availability of high-performance computing resources and support (project MITOMASC). ; sygma Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2020 IF: 7.504
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:170703 Serial 6484
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Author Gogoi, A.; Neyts, E.C.; Milošević, M.V.; Peeters, F.M.
  Title Arresting aqueous swelling of layered graphene-oxide membranes with H3O+ and OH- ions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal Acs Appl Mater Inter
  Volume 14 Issue 30 Pages 34946-34954
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT); Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
  Abstract Over the past decade, graphene oxide (GO) has emerged as a promising membrane material with superior separation performance and intriguing mechanical/chemical stability. However, its practical implementation remains very challenging primarily because of its undesirable swelling in an aqueous environment. Here, we demonstrated that dissociation of water molecules into H3O+ and OH- ions inside the interlayer gallery of a layered GO membrane can strongly affect its stability and performance. We reveal that H3O+ and OH- ions form clusters inside the GO laminates that impede the permeance of water and salt ions through the membrane. Dynamics of those clusters is sensitive to an external ac electric field, which can be used to tailor the membrane performance. The presence of H3O+ and OH- ions also leads to increased stability of the hydrogen bond (H-bond) network among the water molecules and the GO layers, which further reduces water permeance through the membrane, while crucially imparting stability to the layered GO membrane against undesirable swelling. KEYWORDS: layered graphene-oxide membrane, aqueous stability, H3O+ and OH- ions, external electric field, molecular dynamics
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000835946500001 Publication Date 2022-07-25
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.5 Times cited 9 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.5
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:189467 Serial 7127
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Author Cunha, D.M.; Gauquelin, N.; Xia, R.; Verbeeck, J.; Huijben, M.
  Title Self-assembled epitaxial cathode-electrolyte nanocomposites for 3D microbatteries Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal Acs Appl Mater Inter
  Volume 14 Issue 37 Pages 42208-42214
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract The downscaling of electronic devices requires rechargeable microbatteries with enhanced energy and power densities. Here, we evaluate self-assembled vertically aligned nano-composite (VAN) thin films as a platform to create high-performance three-dimensional (3D) microelectrodes. This study focuses on controlling the VAN formation to enable interface engineering between the LiMn2O4 cathode and the (Li,La)TiO3 solid electrolyte. Electrochemical analysis in a half cell against lithium metal showed the absence of sharp redox peaks due to the confinement in the electrode pillars at the nanoscale. The (100)-oriented VAN thin films showed better rate capability and stability during extensive cycling due to the better alignment to the Li-diffusion channels. However, an enhanced pseudocapacitive contribution was observed for the increased total surface area within the (110)-oriented VAN thin films. These results demonstrate for the first time the electrochemical behavior of cathode-electrolyte VANs for lithium-ion 3D microbatteries while pointing out the importance of control over the vertical interfaces.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000852647100001 Publication Date 2022-09-06
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.5 Times cited 4 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes This research was carried out with the support from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) under VIDI grant no. 13456. Approved Most recent IF: 9.5
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:190619 Serial 7206
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Author Bhatia, H.; Martin, C.; Keshavarz, M.; Dovgaliuk, I.; Schrenker, N.J.; Ottesen, M.; Qiu, W.; Fron, E.; Bremholm, M.; Van de Vondel, J.; Bals, S.; Roeffaers, M.B.J.; Hofkens, J.; Debroye, E.
  Title Deciphering the role of water in promoting the optoelectronic performance of surface-engineered lead halide perovskite nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 15 Issue 5 Pages 7294-7307
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Lead halide perovskites are promising candidates for applicability is limited by their structural instability toward moisture. Although a deliberate addition of water to the precursor solution has recently been shown to improve the crystallinity and optical properties of perovskites, the corresponding thin films still do not exhibit a near-unity quantum yield. Herein, we report that the direct addition of a minute amount of water to post-treated substantially enhances the stability while achieving a 95% photoluminescence quantum yield in a NC thin film. We unveil the mechanism of how moisture assists in the formation of an additional NH4Br component. Alongside, we demonstrate the crucial role of moisture in assisting localized etching of the perovskite crystal, facilitating the partial incorporation of NH4+, which is key for improved performance under ambient conditions. Finally, as a proof-of-concept, the application of post-treated and watertreated perovskites is tested in LEDs, with the latter exhibiting a superior performance, offering opportunities toward commercial application in moisture-stable optoelectronics.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000931729400001 Publication Date 2023-01-27
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.5 Times cited 3 Open Access Not_Open_Access
  Notes H.B. would like to express her sincere gratitude to Dr. Peter Erk (formerly BASF SE, Germany) for very insightful discussions. The authors acknowledge financial support from the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO grant numbers S002019N, 1514220N, G.0B39.15, G.0B49.15, G098319N, and ZW15_09-GOH6316) , the KU Leuven Research Fund (C14/19/079, iBOF-21-085 PERSIST, and STG/21/010) , the Flemish government through long-term structural funding Methusalem (CASAS2, Meth/15/04) , the Hercules Founda-tion (HER/11/14) , and the ERC through the Marie Curie ITN iSwitch Ph.D. fellowship to H.B. (grant number 642196) . C.M. acknowledges the financial support from grants PID2021-128761OA-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 by the ?European Union? and SBPLY/21/180501/000127 funded by JCCM and by the EU through Fondo Europeo de Desarollo Regional? (FEDER) . Martin Bremholm and Martin Ottesen acknowledge funding from the Danish Council for Independent Research, Natural Sciences, under the Sapere Aude program (grant no. 7027-00077B) and VILLUM FONDEN through the Centre of Excellence for Dirac Materials (grant no. 11744) . Affiliation with the Center for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT) at Aarhus University is gratefully acknowledged.-N.J.S. acknowledges financial support from the research foundation Flanders (FWO) through a postdoctoral fellowship (FWO grant no. 1238622N) . S.B. acknowledges financial support from the European Commission by the ERC Consolidator grant REALNANO (no. 815128) . Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2023 IF: 7.504
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:195375 Serial 7293
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Author Mulder, J.T.; Meijer, M.S.; van Blaaderen, J.J.; du Fosse, I.; Jenkinson, K.; Bals, S.; Manna, L.; Houtepen, A.J.
  Title Understanding and preventing photoluminescence quenching to achieve unity photoluminescence quantum yield in Yb:YLF nanocrystals Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 3274-3286
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Ytterbium-doped LiYF4 (Yb:YLF) is a commonly used material for laser applications, as a photon upconversion medium, and for optical refrigeration. As nanocrystals (NCs), the material is also of interest for biological and physical applications. Unfortunately, as with most phosphors, with the reduction in size comes a large reduction of the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), which is typically associated with an increase in surface-related PL quenching. Here, we report the synthesis of bipyramidal Yb:YLF NCs with a short axis of similar to 60 nm. We systematically study and remove all sources of PL quenching in these NCs. By chemically removing all traces of water from the reaction mixture, we obtain NCs that exhibit a near-unity PLQY for an Yb3+ concentration below 20%. At higher Yb3+ concentrations, efficient concentration quenching occurs. The surface PL quenching is mitigated by growing an undoped YLF shell around the NC core, resulting in near-unity PLQY values even for fully Yb3+-based LiYbF4 cores. This unambiguously shows that the only remaining quenching sites in core-only Yb:YLF NCs reside on the surface and that concentration quenching is due to energy transfer to the surface. Monte Carlo simulations can reproduce the concentration dependence of the PLQY. Surprisingly, Fo''rster resonance energy transfer does not give satisfactory agreement with the experimental data, whereas nearest-neighbor energy transfer does. This work demonstrates that Yb3+-based nanophosphors can be synthesized with a quality close to that of bulk single crystals. The high Yb3+ concentration in the LiYbF4/LiYF4 core/shell nanocrystals increases the weak Yb3+ absorption, making these materials highly promising for fundamental studies and increasing their effectiveness in bioapplications and optical refrigeration.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000912997300001 Publication Date 2023-01-06
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.5 Times cited 3 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 766900 (Testing the Large-Scale Limit of Quantum Mechanics). A.J.H. and I.d.F. further acknowledge the European Research Council Horizon 2020 ERC Grant Agreement No. 678004 (Doping on Demand) for financial support. The authors thank Freddy Rabouw and Andries Meijerink (Utrecht University) for very fruitful discussions and extremely useful advice. The author s thank Jos Thieme for his help with the laser setups used . The authors furthermore thank Niranjan Saikumar for proofreading the manuscript. Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2023 IF: 7.504
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:194317 Serial 7348
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Author Guerrero, R.M.; Lemir, I.D.; Carrasco, S.; Fernández-Ruiz, C.; Kavak, S.; Pizarro, P.; Serrano, D.P.; Bals, S.; Horcajada, P.; Pérez, Y.
  Title Scaling-Up Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Highly Defective Pd@UiO-66-NH2Catalysts for Selective Olefin Hydrogenation under Ambient Conditions Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2024 Publication ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Abbreviated Journal ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces
  Volume Issue Pages
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT) ;
  Abstract The need to develop green and cost-effective industrial catalytic processes has led to growing interest in preparing more robust, efficient, and selective heterogeneous catalysts at a large scale. In this regard, microwave-assisted synthesis is a fast method for fabricating heterogeneous catalysts (including metal oxides, zeolites, metal–organic frameworks, and supported metal nanoparticles) with enhanced catalytic properties, enabling synthesis scale-up. Herein, the synthesis of nanosized UiO-66-NH2 was optimized via a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method to obtain defective matrices essential for the stabilization of metal nanoparticles, promoting catalytically active sites for hydrogenation reactions (760 kg·m–3·day–1 space time yield, STY). Then, this protocol was scaled up in a multimodal microwave reactor, reaching 86% yield (ca. 1 g, 1450 kg·m–3·day–1 STY) in only 30 min. Afterward, Pd nanoparticles were formed in situ decorating the nanoMOF by an effective and fast microwave-assisted hydrothermal method, resulting in the formation of Pd@UiO-66-NH2 composites. Both the localization and oxidation states of Pd nanoparticles (NPs) in the MOF were achieved using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The optimal composite, loaded with 1.7 wt % Pd, exhibited an extraordinary catalytic activity (>95% yield, 100% selectivity) under mild conditions (1 bar H2, 25 °C, 1 h reaction time), not only in the selective hydrogenation of a variety of single alkenes (1-hexene, 1-octene, 1-tridecene, cyclohexene, and tetraphenyl ethylene) but also in the conversion of a complex mixture of alkenes (i.e., 1-hexene, 1-tridecene, and anethole). The results showed a powerful interaction and synergy between the active phase (Pd NPs) and the catalytic porous scaffold (UiO-66-NH2), which are essential for the selectivity and recyclability.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos Publication Date 2024-04-26
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links
  Impact Factor (up) 9.5 Times cited Open Access
  Notes The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from “Comunidad de Madrid” and European Regional Development Fund-FEDER through the project HUB MADRID+CIRCULAR; the State Research Agency (MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033) through the grant with reference number CEX2019-000931-M received in the 2019 call for “Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence” and “María de Maeztu Units of Excellence” of the State Programme for Knowledge Generation and Scientific and Technological Strengthening of the R&D&I System; and MICIU through the project “NAPOLION” (PID2022-139956OB-I00). S.K. acknowledges the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research (FWO Vlaanderen) through a PhD research grant (1181124N). Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2024 IF: 7.504
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @ Serial 9126
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Author Tiwari, S.; Van de Put, M.; Sorée, B.; Hinkle, C.; Vandenberghe, W.G.
  Title Reduction of magnetic interaction due to clustering in doped transition-metal dichalcogenides : a case study of Mn-, V-, and Fe-doped WSe₂ Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2024 Publication ACS applied materials and interfaces Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 16 Issue 4 Pages 4991-4998
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
  Abstract Using Hubbard-U-corrected density functional theory calculations, lattice Monte Carlo simulations, and spin Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate the impact of dopant clustering on the magnetic properties of WSe2 doped with period four transition metals. We use manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) as candidate n-type dopants and vanadium (V) as the candidate p-type dopant, substituting the tungsten (W) atom in WSe2. Specifically, we determine the strength of the exchange interaction in Fe-, Mn-, and V-doped WSe2 in the presence of clustering. We show that the clusters of dopants are energetically more stable than discretely doped systems. Further, we show that in the presence of dopant clustering, the magnetic exchange interaction significantly reduces because the magnetic order in clustered WSe2 becomes more itinerant. Finally, we show that the clustering of the dopant atoms has a detrimental effect on the magnetic interaction, and to obtain an optimal Curie temperature, it is important to control the distribution of the dopant atoms.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 001155511900001 Publication Date 2024-01-18
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1944-8244 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
  Impact Factor (up) 9.5 Times cited Open Access
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.5; 2024 IF: 7.504
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:203830 Serial 9169
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Author Wang, Y.-L.; Glatz, A.; Kimmel, G.J.; Aranson, I.S.; Thoutam, L.R.; Xiao, Z.-L.; Berdiyorov, G.R.; Peeters, F.M.; Crabtree, G.W.; Kwok, W.-K.
  Title Parallel magnetic field suppresses dissipation in superconducting nanostrips Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2017 Publication America Abbreviated Journal P Natl Acad Sci Usa
  Volume 114 Issue 48 Pages E10274-E10280
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT)
  Abstract <script type='text/javascript'>document.write(unpmarked('The motion of Abrikosov vortices in type-II superconductors results in a finite resistance in the presence of an applied electric current. Elimination or reduction of the resistance via immobilization of vortices is the \u0022holy grail\u0022 of superconductivity research. Common wisdom dictates that an increase in the magnetic field escalates the loss of energy since the number of vortices increases. Here we show that this is no longer true if the magnetic field and the current are applied parallel to each other. Our experimental studies on the resistive behavior of a superconducting Mo0.79Ge0.21 nanostrip reveal the emergence of a dissipative state with increasing magnetic field, followed by a pronounced resistance drop, signifying a reentrance to the superconducting state. Large-scale simulations of the 3D time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau model indicate that the intermediate resistive state is due to an unwinding of twisted vortices. When the magnetic field increases, this instability is suppressed due to a better accommodation of the vortex lattice to the pinning configuration. Our findings show that magnetic field and geometrical confinement can suppress the dissipation induced by vortex motion and thus radically improve the performance of superconducting materials.'));
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Washington, D.C. Editor
  Language Wos 000416891600007 Publication Date 2017-11-13
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0027-8424; 1091-6490 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.661 Times cited 18 Open Access
  Notes ; This work was supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. The simulation was supported by the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing program funded by US DOE, Office of Science, Advanced Scientific Computing Research and Basic Energy Science, Division of Materials Science and Engineering. L.R.T. and Z.-L.X. acknowledge support through National Science Foundation Grant DMR-1407175. Use of the Center for Nanoscale Materials, an Office of Science user facility, was supported by the DOE, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract DE-AC02-06CH11357. ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.661
  Call Number UA @ lucian @ c:irua:147697 Serial 4889
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Author Kumar, J.; Eraña, H.; López-Martínez, E.; Claes, N.; Martín, V.F.; Solís, D.M.; Bals, S.; Cortajarena, A.L.; Castilla, J.; Liz-Marzán, L.M.
  Title Detection of amyloid fibrils in Parkinson’s disease using plasmonic chirality Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Abbreviated Journal P Natl Acad Sci Usa
  Volume 115 Issue 115 Pages 3225-3230
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract Amyloid fibrils, which are closely associated with various neurodegenerative

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

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

wherein protein fibrils related to the disease were identified through chiral signals from Au nanorods in the visible and near IR, whereas healthy brain samples did not exhibit any meaningful optical activity. The technique was additionally extended to the specific detection of infectious amyloids formed by prion proteins, thereby confirming the wide potential of the technique. The intense chiral response driven by strong dipolar coupling in helical Au nanorod arrangements allowed us to detect amyloid fibrils down to nanomolar concentrations.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000428382400032 Publication Date 2018-03-12
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0027-8424 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 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 Liao, Z.; Gauquelin, N.; Green, R.J.; Müller-Caspary, K.; Lobato, I.; Li, L.; Van Aert, S.; Verbeeck, J.; Huijben, M.; Grisolia, M.N.; Rouco, V.; El Hage, R.; Villegas, J.E.; Mercy, A.; Bibes, M.; Ghosez, P.; Sawatzky, G.A.; Rijnders, G.; Koster, G.
  Title Metal–insulator-transition engineering by modulation tilt-control in perovskite nickelates for room temperature optical switching Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2018 Publication America Abbreviated Journal P Natl Acad Sci Usa
  Volume 115 Issue 38 Pages 9515-9520
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Electron microscopy for materials research (EMAT)
  Abstract In transition metal perovskites ABO3 the physical properties are largely driven by the rotations of the BO6 octahedra, which can be tuned in thin films through strain and dimensionality control. However, both approaches have fundamental and practical limitations due to discrete and indirect variations in bond angles, bond lengths and film symmetry by using commercially available substrates. Here, we introduce modulation tilt control as a new approach to tune the ground state of perovskite oxide thin films by acting explicitly on the oxygen octahedra rotation modes, i.e. directly on the bond angles. By intercalating the prototype SmNiO3 target material with a tilt-control layer, we cause the system to change the natural amplitude of a given rotation mode without affecting the interactions. In contrast to strain and dimensionality engineering, our method enables a continuous fine-tuning of the materials properties. This is achieved through two independent adjustable parameters: the nature of the tilt-control material (through its symmetry, elastic constants and oxygen rotation angles) and the relative thicknesses of the target and tilt-control materials. As a result, a magnetic and electronic phase diagram can be obtained, normally only accessible by A-site element substitution, within the single SmNiO3 compound. With this unique approach, we successfully adjusted the metal-insulator transition (MIT) to room temperature to fulfill the desired conditions for optical switching applications.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000447224900057 Publication Date 2018-09-05
  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 (up) 9.661 Times cited 50 Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes We would like to acknowledge Prof. Z. Zhong for stimulated discussion. M.H., G.K. and G.R. acknowledge funding from DESCO program of the Dutch Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) with financial support from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). This work was funded by the European Union Council under the 7th Framework Program (FP7) grant nr NMP3-LA-2010-246102 IFOX. J.V., S.V.A, N.G. and K.M.C. acknowledge funding from FWO projects G.0044.13N, G.0374.13N, G. 0368.15N, and G.0369.15N. The Qu-Ant-EM microscope was partly funded by the Hercules fund from the Flemish Government. N.G. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the 7th Framework Program (FP7), ERC Starting Grant 278510 VORTEX. N.G. and J.V. acknowledge financial support from the European Union under the Seventh Framework Program under a contract for an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative (Reference No. 312483- ESTEEM2). The Canadian work was supported by NSERC and the Max Planck-UBC Centre for Quantum Materials. Some experiments for this work were performed at the Canadian Light Source, which is funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, NSERC, the National Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Government of Saskatchewan, Western Economic Diversification Canada, and the University of Saskatchewan. MB acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the 7th Framework Program (FP7), ERC CoG grant MINT #615759. A.M. and Ph.G. were supported by the ARC project AIMED and F.R.S-FNRS PDR project HiT4FiT and acknowledge access to Céci computing facilities funded by F.R.S-FNRS (Grant No 2.5020.1), Tier-1 supercomputer of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles funded by the Walloon Region (Grant No 1117545) and HPC resources from the PRACE project Megapasta. Approved Most recent IF: 9.661
  Call Number EMAT @ emat @c:irua:154784UA @ admin @ c:irua:154784 Serial 5059
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Author Slaets, J.; Aghaei, M.; Ceulemans, S.; Van Alphen, S.; Bogaerts, A.
  Title CO2and CH4conversion in “real” gas mixtures in a gliding arc plasmatron: how do N2and O2affect the performance? Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Green Chemistry Abbreviated Journal Green Chem
  Volume 22 Issue 4 Pages 1366-1377
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
  Abstract In this paper we study dry reforming of methane (DRM) in a gliding arc plasmatron (GAP) in the presence of N<sub>2</sub>and O<sub>2</sub>. N<sub>2</sub>is added to create a stable plasma at equal fractions of CO<sub>2</sub>and CH<sub>4</sub>, and because emissions from industrial plants typically contain N<sub>2</sub>, while O<sub>2</sub>is added to enhance the process. We test different gas mixing ratios to evaluate the conversion and energy cost. We obtain conversions between 31 and 52% for CO<sub>2</sub>and between 55 and 99% for CH<sub>4</sub>, with total energy costs between 3.4 and 5.0 eV per molecule, depending on the gas mixture. This is very competitive when benchmarked with the literature. In addition, we present a chemical kinetics model to obtain deeper insight in the underlying plasma chemistry. This allows determination of the major reaction pathways to convert CO<sub>2</sub>and CH<sub>4</sub>, in the presence of O<sub>2</sub>and N<sub>2</sub>, into CO and H<sub>2</sub>. We show that N<sub>2</sub>assists in the CO<sub>2</sub>conversion, but part of the applied energy is also wasted in N<sub>2</sub>excitation. Adding O<sub>2</sub>enhances the CH<sub>4</sub>conversion, and lowers the energy cost, while the CO<sub>2</sub>conversion remains constant, and only slightly drops at the highest O<sub>2</sub>fractions studied, when CH<sub>4</sub>is fully oxidized into CO<sub>2</sub>.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000518034000032 Publication Date 2020-01-30
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1463-9262 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.8 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes H2020 European Research Council, 810182 ; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, GoF9618n 12M7118N ; We acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 810182 – SCOPE ERC Synergy project), the Excellence of Science FWO-FNRS project (FWO grant ID GoF9618n, EOS ID 30505023), and the FWO postdoctoral fellowship of M. A. (Grant number 12M7118N). This work was carried out in part using the Turing HPC infrastructure at the CalcUA core facility of the Universiteit Antwerpen, a division of the Flemish Supercomputer Center VSC, funded by the Hercules Foundation, the Flemish Government (department EWI) and the University of Antwerp. Approved Most recent IF: 9.8; 2020 IF: 9.125
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:167136 Serial 6339
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Author Biondo, O.; van Deursen, C.F.A.M.; Hughes, A.; van de Steeg, A.; Bongers, W.; van de Sanden, M.C.M.; van Rooij, G.; Bogaerts, A.
  Title Avoiding solid carbon deposition in plasma-based dry reforming of methane Type A1 Journal Article
  Year 2023 Publication Green Chemistry Abbreviated Journal Green Chem.
  Volume 25 Issue 24 Pages 10485-10497
  Keywords A1 Journal Article; Plasma, laser ablation and surface modeling Antwerp (PLASMANT) ;
  Abstract Solid carbon deposition is a persistent challenge in dry reforming of methane (DRM), affecting both classical and plasma-based processes. In this work, we use a microwave plasma in reverse vortex flow configuration to overcome this issue in CO<sub>2</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub>plasmas. Indeed, this configuration efficiently mitigates carbon deposition, enabling operation even with pure CH<sub>4</sub>feed gas, in contrast to other configurations. At the same time, high reactor performance is achieved, with CO<sub>2</sub>and CH<sub>4</sub>conversions reaching 33% and 44% respectively, at an energy cost of 14 kJ L<sup>−1</sup>for a CO<sub>2</sub> : CH<sub>4</sub>ratio of 1 : 1. Laser scattering and optical emission imaging demonstrate that the shorter residence time in reverse vortex flow lowers the gas temperature in the discharge, facilitating a shift from full to partial CH<sub>4</sub>pyrolysis. This underscores the pivotal role of flow configuration in directing process selectivity, a crucial factor in complex chemistries like CO<sub>2</sub>/CH<sub>4</sub>mixtures and very important for industrial applications.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 001110100100001 Publication Date 2023-11-24
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1463-9262 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record
  Impact Factor (up) 9.8 Times cited Open Access
  Notes Universiteit Antwerpen; Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek; HORIZON EUROPE Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, 813393 ; Approved Most recent IF: 9.8; 2023 IF: 9.125
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:202138 Serial 8978
Permanent link to this record
 

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

 
Author Xie, Y.; Spiller, M.; Vlaeminck, S.E.
  Title A bioreactor and nutrient balancing approach for the conversion of solid organic fertilizers to liquid nitrate-rich fertilizers : mineralization and nitrification performance complemented with economic aspects Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication The science of the total environment Abbreviated Journal Sci Total Environ
  Volume 806 Issue Pages 150415
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
  Abstract Due to the high water- and nutrient-use efficiency, hydroponic cultivation is increasingly vital in progressing to environment-friendly food production. To further alleviate the environmental impacts of synthetic fertilizer production, the use of recovered nutrients should be encouraged in horticulture and agriculture at large. Solid organic fertilizers can largely contribute to this, yet their physical and chemical nature impedes application in hydroponics. This study proposes a bioreactor for mineralization and nitrification followed by a supplementation step for limiting macronutrients to produce nitrate-based solutions from solid fertilizers, here based on a novel microbial fertilizer. Batch tests showed that aerobic conversions at 35 °C could realize a nitrate (NO₃−-N) production efficiency above 90% and a maximum rate of 59 mg N L−1 d−1. In the subsequent bioreactor test, nitrate production efficiencies were lower (44–51%), yet rates were higher (175–212 mg N L−1 d−1). Calcium and magnesium hydroxide were compared to control the bioreactor pH at 6.0 ± 0.2, while also providing macronutrients for plant production. A mass balance estimation to mimic the Hoagland nutrient solution showed that 92.7% of the NO₃−-N in the Ca(OH)₂ scenario could be organically sourced, while this was only 37.4% in the Mg(OH)₂ scenario. Besides, carbon dioxide (CO₂) generated in the bioreactor can be used for greenhouse carbon fertilization to save operational expenditure (OPEX). An estimation of the total OPEX showed that the production of a nutrient solution from solid organic fertilizers can be cost competitive compared to using commercially available liquid inorganic fertilizer solutions.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000707640400021 Publication Date 2021-09-20
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0048-9697 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.8 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.8
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:181787 Serial 7132
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Pattyn, C.; Maira, N.; Buddhadasa, M.; Vervloessem, E.; Iseni, S.; Roy, N.C.; Remy, A.; Delplancke, M.-P.; De Geyter, N.; Reniers, F.
  Title Disproportionation of nitrogen induced by DC plasma-driven electrolysis in a nitrogen atmosphere Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication Green Chemistry Abbreviated Journal Green Chem
  Volume 24 Issue 18 Pages 7100-7112
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
  Abstract Nitrogen disproportionation i.e. its simultaneous conversion to compounds of higher (NOx) and lower (NH3) oxidation states in a N-2 DC plasma-driven electrolysis process with a plasma cathode is investigated. This type of plasma-liquid interaction exhibits a growing interest for many applications, in particular nitrogen fixation where it represents a green alternative to the Haber-Bosch process. Optical emission spectroscopy, FTIR and electrochemical sensing systems are used to characterize the gas phase physico-chemistry while the liquid phase is analyzed via ionic chromatography and colorimetric assays. Experiments suggest that lowering the discharge current enhances nitrogen reduction and facilitates the transfer of nitrogen compounds to the liquid phase. Large amounts of water vapor appear to impact the gas discharge physico-chemistry and to favor the vibrational excitation of N-2, a key parameter for an energy-efficient nitrogen fixation.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000847733600001 Publication Date 2022-08-30
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 1463-9262; 1463-9270 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.8 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.8
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:190655 Serial 7145
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Zhu, W.; Van Tendeloo, M.; Xie, Y.; Timmer, M.J.; Peng, L.; Vlaeminck, S.E.
  Title Storage without nitrite or nitrate enables the long-term preservation of full-scale partial nitritation/anammox sludge Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2022 Publication The science of the total environment Abbreviated Journal Sci Total Environ
  Volume 806 Issue 3 Pages 151330
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
  Abstract Bioaugmentation with summer harvested sludge during winter could compensate for bacterial activity loss but requires that sludge activity can be restored after storage. This study assesses the effect of temperature and redox adjustment during the storage over 180 days of partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) granular resp. floccular sludge from potato processing resp. sludge reject water treatment. Anoxic storage conditions (in the presence of nitrite or nitrate and the absence of oxygen) resulted in a loss of 80-100% of the anammox bacteria (AnAOB) activity capacity at 20 degrees C and 4 degrees C, while anaerobic conditions (without oxygen, nitrite, and nitrate) lost only 45-63%. Storage at 20 degrees C was more cost-effective compared to 4 degrees C, and this was confirmed in the sludge reactivation experiment (20 CC). Furthermore, AnAOB activity correlated negatively with the electrical conductivity level (R-2 > 0.85, p < 0.05), so strong salinity increases should be avoided. No significant differences were found in the activity capacity of aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AerAOB) under different storage conditions (p > 0.1). The relative abundance of dominant AnAOB (Candidatus Brocadia) and AerAOB genera (Nitrosomonas) remained constant in both sludges. In conclusion, preserving PN/A biomass without cooling and nitrite or nitrate addition proved to be a cost-effective strategy. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000740216300013 Publication Date 2021-10-28
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0048-9697 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.8 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.8
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:185447 Serial 7213
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Muys, M.; González Cámara, S.J.; Derese, S.; Spiller, M.; Verliefde, A.; Vlaeminck, S.E.
  Title Dissolution rate and growth performance reveal struvite as a sustainable nutrient source to produce a diverse set of microbial protein Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication The science of the total environment Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 866 Issue Pages 161172-161179
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
  Abstract To provide for the globally increasing demand for proteinaceous food, microbial protein (MP) has the potential to become an alternative food or feed source. Phosphorus (P), on the other hand, is a critical raw material whose global reserves are declining. Growing MP on recovered phosphorus, for instance, struvite obtained from wastewater treatment, is a promising MP production route that could supply protein-rich products while handling P scarcity. The aim of this study was to explore struvite dissolution kinetics in different MP media and characterize MP production with struvite as sole P-source. Different operational parameters, including pH, temperature, contact surface area, and ion concentrations were tested, and struvite dissolution rates were observed between 0.32 and 4.7 g P/L/d and a solubility between 0.23 and 2.22 g P-based struvite/L. Growth rates and protein production of the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Limnospira sp. (previously known as Arthrospira sp.), and the purple non‑sulfur bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris on struvite were equal to or higher than growth on conventional potassium phosphate. For aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, two slow-growing communities showed decreased growth on struvite, while the growth was increased for a third fast-growing one. Furthermore, MP protein content on struvite was always comparable to the one obtained when grown on standard media. Together with the low content in metals and micropollutants, these results demonstrate that struvite can be directly applied as an effective nutrient source to produce fast-growing MP, without any previous dissolution step. Combining a high purity recovered product with an efficient way of producing protein results in a strong environmental win-win.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000922040000001 Publication Date 2022-12-24
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0048-9697; 1879-1026 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.8 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.8; 2023 IF: 4.9
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:192943 Serial 7297
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Author Van Tendeloo, M.; Baptista, M.C.; Van Winckel, T.; Vlaeminck, S.E.
  Title Recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments with sulphide and free ammonia enabled mainstream partial nitritation/anammox Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2024 Publication The science of the total environment Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 912 Issue Pages 169449-12
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
  Abstract Selective suppression of nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB) over aerobic and anoxic ammonium-oxidising bacteria (AerAOB and AnAOB) remains a major challenge for mainstream partial nitritation/anammox implementation, a resource-efficient nitrogen removal pathway. A unique multi-stressor floc treatment was therefore designed and validated for the first time under lab-scale conditions while staying true to full-scale design principles. Two hybrid (suspended + biofilm growth) reactors were operated continuously at 20.2 ± 0.6 °C. Recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments were applied, consisting of a sulphide-spiked deoxygenated starvation followed by a free ammonia shock. A good microbial activity balance with high AnAOB (71 ± 21 mg N L−1 d−1) and low NOB (4 ± 17 % of AerAOB) activity was achieved by combining multiple operational strategies: recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments, hybrid sludge (flocs & biofilm), short floc age control, intermittent aeration, and residual ammonium control. The multi-stressor treatment was shown to be the most important control tool and should be continuously applied to maintain this balance. Excessive NOB growth on the biofilm was avoided despite only treating the flocs to safeguard the AnAOB activity on the biofilm. Additionally, no signs of NOB adaptation were observed over 142 days. Elevated effluent ammonium concentrations (25 ± 6 mg N L−1) limited the TN removal efficiency to 39 ± 9 %, complicating a future full-scale implementation. Operating at higher sludge concentrations or reducing the volumetric loading rate could overcome this issue. The obtained results ease the implementation of mainstream PN/A by providing and additional control tool to steer the microbial activity with the multi-stressor treatment, thus advancing the concept of energy neutrality in sewage treatment plants.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos Publication Date 2023-12-18
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0048-9697; 1879-1026 ISBN Additional Links UA library record
  Impact Factor (up) 9.8 Times cited Open Access Not_Open_Access
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.8; 2024 IF: 4.9
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:202286 Serial 9083
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Author Lindeboom, R.E.F.; De Paepe, J.; Vanoppen, M.; Alonso-Fariñas, B.; Coessens, W.; Alloul, A.; Christiaens, M.E.R.; Dotremont, C.; Beckers, H.; Lamaze, B.; Demey, D.; Clauwaert, P.; Verliefde, A.R.D.; Vlaeminck, S.E.
  Title A five-stage treatment train for water recovery from urine and shower water for long-term human Space missions Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2020 Publication Desalination Abbreviated Journal Desalination
  Volume 495 Issue Pages 114634
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)
  Abstract Long-term human Space missions will rely on regenerative life support as resupply of water, oxygen and food comes with constraints. The International Space Station (ISS) relies on an evaporation/condensation system to recover 74–85% of the water in urine, yet suffers from repetitive scaling and biofouling while employing hazardous chemicals. In this study, an alternative non-sanitary five-stage treatment train for one “astronaut” was integrated through a sophisticated monitoring and control system. This so-called Water Treatment Unit Breadboard (WTUB) successfully treated urine (1.2-L-d−1) with crystallisation, COD-removal, ammonification, nitrification and electrodialysis, before it was mixed with shower water (3.4-L-d−1). Subsequently, ceramic nanofiltration and single-pass flat-sheet RO were used. A four-months proof-of-concept period yielded: (i) chemical water quality meeting the hygienic standards of the European Space Agency, (ii) a 87-±-5% permeate recovery with an estimated theoretical primary energy requirement of 0.2-kWhp-L−1, (iii) reduced scaling potential without anti-scalant addition and (iv) and a significant biological reduction in biofouling potential resulted in stable but biofouling-limited RO permeability of 0.5 L-m−2-h−1-bar−1. Estimated mass breakeven dates and a comparison with the ISS Water Recovery System for a hypothetical Mars transit mission show that WTUB is a promising biological membrane-based alternative to heat-based systems for manned Space missions.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000582172900007 Publication Date 2020-09-15
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0011-9164 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 9.9 Times cited Open Access
  Notes Approved Most recent IF: 9.9; 2020 IF: 5.527
  Call Number UA @ admin @ c:irua:171514 Serial 6523
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Author Han, I.; Song, I.S.; Choi, S.A.; Lee, T.; Yusupov, M.; Shaw, P.; Bogaerts, A.; Choi, E.H.; Ryu, J.J.
  Title Bioactive Nonthermal Biocompatible Plasma Enhances Migration on Human Gingival Fibroblasts Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2023 Publication Advanced healthcare materials Abbreviated Journal
  Volume 12 Issue 4 Pages 2200527
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
  Abstract This study hypothesizes that the application of low-dose nonthermal biocompatible dielectric barrier discharge plasma (DBD-NBP) to human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) will inhibit colony formation but not cell death and induce matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression, extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and subsequent cell migration, which can result in enhanced wound healing. HGFs treated with plasma for 3 min migrate to each other across the gap faster than those in the control and 5-min treatment groups on days 1 and 3. The plasma-treated HGFs show significantly high expression levels of the cell cycle arrest-related p21 gene and enhanced MMP activity. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) mediated attenuation of wound healing or actin cytoskeleton rearrangement, and plasma-mediated reversal of this attenuation support the migratory effect of DBD-NBP. Further, this work performs computer simulations to investigate the effect of oxidation on the stability and conformation of the catalytic kinase domain (KD) of FAK. It is found that the oxidation of highly reactive amino acids (AAs) Cys427, Met442, Cys559, Met571, Met617, and Met643 changes the conformation and increases the structural flexibility of the FAK protein and thus modulates its function and activity. Low-dose DBD-NBP-induces host cell cycle arrest, ECM breakdown, and subsequent migration, thus contributing to the enhanced wound healing process.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000897762100001 Publication Date 2022-11-14
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 2192-2640 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 10 Times cited Open Access OpenAccess
  Notes National Research Foundation of Korea; Kementerian Pendidikan, 2020R1I1A1A01073071 2021R1A6A1A03038785 ; Approved Most recent IF: 10; 2023 IF: 5.11
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:192804 Serial 7242
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Vanmeert, M.; Razzokov, J.; Mirza, M.U.; Weeks, S.D.; Schepers, G.; Bogaerts, A.; Rozenski, J.; Froeyen, M.; Herdewijn, P.; Pinheiro, V.B.; Lescrinier, E.
  Title Rational design of an XNA ligase through docking of unbound nucleic acids to toroidal proteins Type A1 Journal article
  Year 2019 Publication Nucleic acids research Abbreviated Journal Nucleic Acids Res
  Volume 47 Issue 13 Pages 7130-7142
  Keywords A1 Journal article; Plasma Lab for Applications in Sustainability and Medicine – Antwerp (PLASMANT)
  Abstract Xenobiotic nucleic acids (XNA) are nucleic acid analogues not present in nature that can be used for the storage of genetic information. In vivo XNA applications could be developed into novel biocontainment strategies, but are currently limited by the challenge of developing XNA processing enzymes such as polymerases, ligases and nucleases. Here, we present a structure-guided modelling-based strategy for the rational design of those enzymes essential for the development of XNA molecular biology. Docking of protein domains to unbound double-stranded nucleic acids is used to generate a first approximation of the extensive interaction of nucleic acid processing enzymes with their substrate. Molecular dynamics is used to optimise that prediction allowing, for the first time, the accurate prediction of how proteins that form toroidal complexes with nucleic acids interact with their substrate. Using the Chlorella virus DNA ligase as a proof of principle, we recapitulate the ligase's substrate specificity and successfully predict how to convert it into an XNA-templated XNA ligase.
  Address
  Corporate Author Thesis
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor
  Language Wos 000490556600047 Publication Date 2019-07-26
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition
  ISSN 0305-1048 ISBN Additional Links UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles
  Impact Factor (up) 10.162 Times cited 1 Open Access
  Notes European Research Council, FP7/2007-2013 ERC-2012-ADG 20120216/320683 ; KU Leuven, OT/14/128 ; Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council, BB/N01023X/1 BB/N010221/1 ; Authors are grateful to Prof. Dr A.M.J.J. (Alexandre) Bonvin from the University of Utrecht and the WeNMR institute for his expert contribution. We have greatly benefited from discussions and help from numerous postdocs over the years (in particular, Dr E. Groaz, Dr E. Eremeeva, Dr J. Masschelein, Dr S. Xiaoping and Dr M. Renders) as well as graduate student D. Kestemont and undergraduate student M. Abdel Fattah Ismail. We express our gratitude to L. Margamuljana for helpful discussions and excellent technical assistance on in vitro experiments. Approved Most recent IF: 10.162
  Call Number PLASMANT @ plasmant @c:irua:162105 Serial 5359
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