The PhD defence and trial lecture will be streamed. The chair of the defence will moderate the disputation.
Ex auditorio questions: the chair of the defence will invite the audience physically present in the auditorium to ask ex auditorio questions.
→ Request for thesis copy (available until the disputation starts)
Trial lecture
Time and place: April 17, 2024; 10:15 AM, - Lille Fysiske auditorium (V232) - Fysikkbygningen
Title: “Microscopical approaches to characterize microbial 3D-ultrastructure"
Main research findings
Microorganisms such as bacteria can produce a wide range of metallic nanoparticles, including the highly versatile palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs). Current industrial methods for NP production often require large amounts of energy, use toxic chemicals, and generate waste. Microbial processes offer a green alternative for NP production, and the possibility to engineer these processes using genetic tools. Pd NPs are invaluable tools across numerous exciting applications in medicine, engineering, electronics, and chemistry. Understanding and controlling the synthesis of Pd NPs is crucial as their magnetic and catalytic properties are strongly dependent on their size, shape, and on the presence of other metals such as iron (Fe) that could enhance their performance even further. Surprisingly, little is known about the production of Pd-Fe nanoparticles by bacteria, despite their promising uses. In this thesis, we employed various advanced techniques to characterize Pd and Pd-Fe NPs produced by Escherichia coli bacteria, uncovering valuable insights into their composition, size, localization, and catalytic activity. These results will enable the use of bacterial Pd-Fe NPs as efficient and sustainable catalysts for applications like wastewater treatment and fine chemical synthesis in the future. Additionally, our novel methodology for studying the magnetism of Pd-based NPs directly within bacterial cells opens doors for exciting future research.
Adjudication Committee
- Professor Reinhard Rachel, University of Regensburg
- Dr. Helga Ertesvåg, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
- Professor Joakim Bergli, University of Oslo
Supervisors
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Professor Pavlo Mikheenko, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Norway
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Professor Dirk Linke, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Norway
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Dr. Anja Røyne, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Norway
Candidate contact information
LinkedIn: Ana Lucía Campaña Perilla
Chair of defence
Professor Andreas Görgen, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Norway
Contact information to Department: Line Trosterud Resvold