Wednesday 04 February 2026
Sina Marie Fischer
Time & place
06 February 13:00 - 15:00, DTU Lyngby Campus, Building 303A, Aud. 44
Principal supervisor
Professor Thomas Willum Hansen, DTU
Co-supervisor
Senior researcher Alice Bastos da Silva Fanta
Professor Stephan Sylvest Keller
Senior scientist Babak Rezaei, Hempel A/S
Examiners
Associate Professor Timothy John Booth. Chair, DTU
Professor Ana Belen Hungria Hernandez, Universidad de Cadiz
Lecturer Trevor Almeida, University of Glascow
Chairperson at defence
Associate Professor Andrea Crovetto, DTU
Abstract
Carbon is one of the most versatile elements in nature, and its properties depend strongly on how its atoms are arranged. Pyrolytic carbon (PyrC) is a special form of carbon made of small graphitic regions embedded in an amorphous matrix. This structure gives PyrC unique electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties, making it useful for technologies such as microelectronics, sensors, and energy storage devices. Traditionally, PyrC is produced by heating a polymer in an inert atmosphere, but recent research suggests that adding metal nanoparticles can speed up the process and make it more sustainable.
In this PhD project, a new method was developed to study how PyrC forms at the nanoscale in real time. Using advanced 3D printing (two-photon polymerization) to create microscale polymer structures directly on heating chips, combined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), it was possible to witness carbon atoms rearrange during heating. The work also introduced improved techniques for analysing carbon bonding using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), enabling accurate quantification of graphitic content at the nanoscale.
The experiments revealed that electron beams used in TEM can strongly influence carbon structure: at high energy, they accelerate graphitization, while at lower energy, the natural thermal process is preserved. Studies with iron-based catalysts revealed that multiple mechanisms coexist, including merging, splitting, dissolution, encapsulation, and particle movement, resulting in highly complex and varied nanostructures. These insights provide a foundation for designing carbon materials with tailored properties and for developing more efficient manufacturing routes for advanced carbon-based devices.
