Publications

2026

• Boron-doping improving the long-term stability of methylated amorphous silicon electrodes for lithium-ion batteries
  
  • Phung N T
  • Feng Y
  • Charrier Anne
  • Henry de Villeneuve C
  • Rosso M
  • Ozanam F
  Electrochimica Acta, Elsevier, 2026, 570, pp.148893. <div><p>A C T Thin-film electrodes offer a well-controlled geometry in order to comprehensively assess the behavior of active materials for Li-ion batteries. This approach has been used for studying silicon-based amorphous materials, which are of interest for being used as negative electrodes. Methylated amorphous silicon electrodes exhibit enhanced performance over pure amorphous silicon upon extended electrochemical cycling, but at the expense of a significant increase in the material resistivity. Boron doping increases the material conductivity by orders of magnitude, which alleviates limitations in terms of ohmic drop across the material during the first cycles, and allows for the practical use of methyl content higher than 10 % in the electrode material. This way, boron-doped methylated amorphous silicon electrodes exhibit enhanced rate performance and thin (100 nm) boron-doped 20 % methylated amorphous silicon electrodes exhibit high capacity retention over thousands of lithiation/delithiation cycles. Boron doping also allows for using thicker electrodes (up to a thickness of 1 µm), albeit at the expense of a decreased rate performance. Raman spectroscopy indicates that methylation increases the disorder in the material at intermediate range, and that boron doping increases disorder both at short and intermediate range. These structural changes are in line with a lowering of the material rigidity induced by methylation and boron doping, as measured by indentation tests, which at least in part might account for the enhanced long-term stability of boron-doped methylated amorphous silicon.</p></div> (10.1016/j.electacta.2026.148893)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.electacta.2026.148893
• Ultrafast versus Continuous-Wave Plasmonics: How Heat and Hot Electrons Drive Polymerization
  
  • Trotsiuk Liudmila
  • Movsesyan Artur
  • Cheng Pascal
  • Broussier Aurelie
  • Gérard Davy
  • Marguet Sylvie
  • Baudrion Anne-Laure
  • Luo Yun
  • Mangeney Claire
  • Felidj Nordin
  • Adam Pierre-Michel
  • Govorov Alexander O
  • Bachelot Renaud
  ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Washington, D.C. : American Chemical Society, 2026, 18, pp.31972 - 31984. <div><p>Hot carrier and heat generation in plasmonic nanoparticles are critically important in plasmon-assisted chemistry and catalysis, sensing, and optoelectronic applications. The selective control of these effects plays a key role in determining the efficiency of chemical processes and the performance of associated devices. A major challenge lies in distinguishing and precisely controlling these effects under experimental conditions, particularly since most applications rely on continuous-wave (CW) irradiation, where both phenomena occur simultaneously. In this work, we investigate the polymerization of diazonium salts on gold nanocubes under CW and femtosecond (fs) irradiation as a probe for evaluating the efficiency of hot-electron generation and heat production. Our findings reveal that continuous excitation of the quadrupole plasmonic mode promotes a hot-electron-driven process, owing to the absorptive character of the quadrupole resonance. Conversely, excitation of the dipole mode under CW irradiation results in chaotic polymer growth, driven by lattice heat generation. However, fs excitation of the dipole mode induces polarization-dependent polymerization precisely at plasmonic hot spots. We attribute this phenomenon to the synergistic effect of vibrational heating of adsorbate molecules occurring on the picosecond scale due to energy transfer from hot electrons, which leads to the formation of the first polymer layers on the nanocube corners, followed by a lattice-heating-driven reaction that proceeds more rapidly at the created anchoring sites. These results offer insights into the ultrafast processes occurring in gold nanoparticles upon irradiation and pave the way for designing energetically efficient chemical reactions and optoelectronic devices.</p></div> (10.1021/acsami.5c25755)
  DOI : 10.1021/acsami.5c25755
• Beyond Geometrical Symmetry: Revealing Near-Field Optical Chirality on Achiral Gold Nanoparticles under Linear Polarization Excitation
  
  • Chen Minyu
  • Aoudjit Thinhinane
  • Deng Baozhong
  • Zhao Yuqing
  • Issa Ali
  • Marguet Sylvie
  • Gérard Davy
  • Besteiro Lucas V
  • Giráldez-Martínez Jesús
  • Jradi Safi
  • Wei Bin
  • Govorov Alexander
  • Xu Tao
  • Bachelot Renaud
  ACS Nano, American Chemical Society, 2026, 20, pp.12372 - 12385. Chirality plays a crucial role in the interactions between light and matter. While the majority of research has focused on the interaction of chiral structures with chiral light, recent studies have demonstrated that achiral plasmonic nanostructures can already exhibit chiral near fields under linearly polarized excitation. Building on this insight, we demonstrate that linearly polarized light alone can generate and control near-field chirality on geometrically achiral, C 3v -symmetric gold nanotriangles. We employ plasmon-assisted two-photon polymerization as a tip-free near-field recorder that converts transient near fields into permanent 3D polymer topographies. This approach directly imprints the optical near field into polymer structures, enabling direct readout of its evolution with incident polarization angle and wavelength. Planar (2D) symmetry breaking is quantified through the in-plane chirality factor V min , defined from the loss of mirror symmetry of the polymer with respect to the three mirror planes of the nanotriangle and evaluated from both SEM images and FDTD simulations. Near-field dissymmetry maps derived from simulations and AFM topographies further resolve the redistribution of chiral hot spots. By jointly tuning polarization and wavelength, we reveal a controllable transition between achiral and chiral polymer configurations correlated with the modal composition of the plasmonic response (dipolar versus edge-dominated higherorder modes). These results establish a practical route to engineer and permanently record polarization-tunable planar dissymmetry in achiral nanoantennas, with implications for chiral sensing, enantioselective photochemistry, and nanophotonic devices. (10.1021/acsnano.5c22237)
  DOI : 10.1021/acsnano.5c22237
• Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy of lignocellulosic biomass: principles, applications, and related techniques
  
  • Remy Noah
  • Déjardin Annabelle
  • Terryn Christine
  • Paës Gabriel
  Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/technology, Springer Verlag, 2026, 25 (2), pp.24. Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable carbon source that could help replacing fossil carbon feedstocks which cause many ecological concerns. However, to improve its bioconversion, the complex microstructure and chemistry of biomass needs thorough characterization. Emerging techniques like Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy are particularly promising and this review aims to cover all aspects related to the use of lifetime microscopy for lignocellulosic biomass analysis. First, the mechanisms involved in fluorescence emission and atomistic properties influencing fluorescence lifetime are detailed. Then the three main instrumentations of lifetime microscopy are compared and the decay fitting function of fluorescence lifetime is presented. Numerous examples exposing the relevance of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy for biomass analysis are provided. Lifetime microscopy allows for cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignins differential localization and syringyl / guaiacyl lignin ratio mapping. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy can also provide insights on the effects of pretreatment and hydrolysis on the microstructure and chemistry of lignocellulosic biomass. Additionally, lifetime microscopy can inform on growth conditions like geographical origin or reaction wood formation as a response to gravitropic perturbations. Also, Förster Resonance Energy Transfer, being able to explore lignocellulosic biomass’s interactions with molecular probes, can be based on fluorescence imaging as well. Finally, other fluorescence-lifetime-related techniques having the potential to be implemented on lignocellulosic biomass are discussed. (10.1007/s11157-026-09774-6)
  DOI : 10.1007/s11157-026-09774-6
• Optimizing fertilizer use for sustainable crops with Agrivoltaics in Mediterranean climates
  
  • Rapella Lia
  • Viovy Nicolas
  • Faranda Davide
  • Drobinski Philippe
  npj Sustainable Agriculture, Springer Nature, 2026, 4, pp.3. Agrivoltaics (AV), a fast-growing technology integrating photovoltaic panels with agriculture, can offer the dual benefit of clean energy and crop yield gains, especially in the Mediterranean basin. However, its interaction with fertilizers -key for crops productivity but major contributors to environmental degradation- remains unexplored. This study applies a regional AV model over the Iberian Peninsula (1991–2020) using the ORCHIDEE land surface model to assess AV under varying synthetic fertilizers scenarios. We examine its effects on crop productivity, nitrogen and water use efficiency, and fertilizer-induced greenhouse gas emissions. Results show that AV can enhance productivity and reduce environmental costs, particularly in water-scarce conditions. However, trade-offs arise at critical fertilizer levels varying by crop type and climate. A region-specific strategy that considers climate, crop responses, and environmental impacts is essential to optimize AV sustainability potential. (10.1038/s44264-025-00112-x)
  DOI : 10.1038/s44264-025-00112-x
• Ni-NbO_x Bifunctional Catalysts for Selective Hydrodeoxygenation of m-Cresol to Toluene
  
  • Abreu Teles Camila
  • Ciotonea Carmen
  • Palacio Ruben
  • Lopez Diana
  • Royer Sébastien
  • Richard Frédéric
  Molecular Catalysis, Elsevier [2017, vol. 427-....], 2026, 588, pp.115516. The catalytic performances of a series of Ni supported on mesoporous silica (SBA-15) and niobia, as well as Ni-NbO_x dispersed on SBA-15 were evaluated for the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of m-cresol at 300 °C under atmospheric pressure. Under the reaction conditions, hydrogenation and C-C hydrogenolysis pathways yielding only oxygenated products dominated over the monometallic Ni catalyst. In contrast, the Direct DeOxygenation pathway (DDO) leading to toluene was significantly promoted when Ni was in contact with oxophilic NbO_x surface. Tuning the Ni-Nb ratio on silica revealed a remarkable enhancement of the DDO rate constant. Indeed, the kinetic rate constant determined over 5Ni5Nb/SBA was about 11 times higher than that measured on the catalyst containing only the Ni phase. This enhanced performance can be attributed to the formation of well-dispersed Ni-NbO_x interfacial sites, where the hydrogenation capability of Ni associate with the oxophilic character of Nb⁵⁺/Nb⁴⁺ species allowing to a more efficient activation of the C-O bonding and promoting the DDO reaction pathway. These results offer valuable insights for the rational design of selective catalysts for the transformation of lignin-derived bio-oils into aromatic hydrocarbons. (10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115516)
  DOI : 10.1016/j.mcat.2025.115516