Biological materials are astounding, they combine multiple materials with different properties to create tissues boasting properties neither material would have alone. Over the years spanning his PhD project, Thorbjørn Erik Køppen Christensen has researched such materials. In particular he has studied the structure of the stomatopod dactyl club, bone nanostructure, and the effect of Sr coated implants on bone structure. These studies have required the development of new tools, to enable the use of larger datasets, revealing intricate details on the structure of each material.

Throughout his research, he has explored the twisting layers of crystallites on the surface of the dactyl club. Large calcite crystallites which only appear in the side of the dactyl club every now and again. He has seen how the unit cell and crystallite size of crystallites in human bone depend on their orientation within small sub-volumes. And he has gained an understanding of the effect a Sr coating on Ti implants exerts on those crystallite parameters.
This has been done through the advanced X-ray characterization methods of diffraction and fluorescence mapping. These experiments have made it possible to measure grand volumes of data. To fully process such vast datasets Thorbjørn has developed new methods.

The PhD study was completed at Interdisciplinary Nanosscience Center (iNANO), Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Tuesday 9 May 2023 at 13:15
Place: Building 1531, room 113, Lecture Theatre Aud. D1, Department of Mathematics, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, 8000 Aarhus.
Title of PhD thesis: Imaging Insights on Club Crystallites and Osteoorientations

Contact information: Thorbjørn Erik Køppen Christensen, e-mail: thorbjorn_erik.koppen_christensen@maxiv.lu.se, tel.: +45 41814455

Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Himadri Gupta, School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom

Professor Aleksandar Matic, Department of Physics, Chalmeers University of Technology, Sweden

Professor  Jan Skov Pedersen (chair), Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center - INANO-Kemi, Aarhus University, Denmark

Main supervisor:
Professor Henrik Birkedal, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Denmark

Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS, Jens Baggesens Vej 53, building 5221, 8200 Aarhus N.