Dr Frederik Claeyssens

Licentiate, PhD
Lecturer in Biomaterials

Address:
The Kroto Research Institute
North Campus
University of Sheffield
Broad Lane
Sheffield
S3 7HQ

Telephone: +44 (0) 114 222 5513
Fax: +44 (0) 114 222 5943

Email: f.claeyssens@sheffield.ac.uk

Frederik Claeyssens is a Lecturer in Biomaterials at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He joined the department in 2008 from the Chemistry Department at the University of Bristol where he was a Research Fellow at the Life Sciences Interface. He obtained his first degree in Chemistry at Ghent University (Belgium) and his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Bristol and he was a PDRA at the University of Birmingham and the University of Bristol. His research group is based in the Kroto Research Institute (www.shef.ac.uk/northcampus).

Research interests

Frederik´s research expertise focuses mainly on laser processing of biomaterials, and its applications. This research portfolio can be divided into three projects:

1. Coatings for biology: Biocompatible coatings of semiconductors to be integrated into cell-silicon interfaces for biosensors. These coatings are currently investigated for in vivo/in vitro recording devices of electroactive cells (heart/brain cells).
2. Bioprinting: Laser based techniques for printing biomolecules/cells for producing biomolecule arrays and biosensors. I have further developed this technique as a parallel direct-write technique, able to print 1000 pixels in one single laser shot. This technique is able to print viscous fluids containing DNA, proteins and even living cell.
3. Biomaterials manufacture via microstereolithography: Using top down approaches to controllable (via CAD/CAM) produce 3D biocompatible/degradable polymer structures with micrometer resolution. Combination of this technique with bottom-up approaches to achieve hybrid biomaterials as 3D scaffolds for implants, tissue engineering and pharmaceutical testing.

Additionally, Frederik has also a keen research interest in computational solid state and biological chemistry. His previous work in this area includes predicting the stabilisation mechanism for the growth of polar wurtzite surfaces based on the existence of a low energy graphite-like structure (or h-BN) for ultra-thin wurtzite films. This model has recently been confirmed experimentally and forms the basis for understanding growth of polar surfaces in a large number of key technological materials (e.g. ZnO, GaN, CdSe and SiC). Additionally, Frederik has studied enzyme reactions on an unprecedented high level of theory, providing powerful new tools for modelling enzyme reactions, and enabling for the first time the study of enzyme reactions computationally with chemical accuracy.

A highlight of our recent work in nerve regeneration is given here.

Key projects

• Laser based bioprinting (EPSRC funded).
• 3D microstructure fabrication of biomaterials for tissue engineering.

Professional activities and recognition

• Member of the Materials Research Society
• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
• Member of the scientific editorial board for ‘The Open Materials Science Journal’ (Bentham Science)

Key publications

• A.A. Gill and F. Claeyssens, ‘3D structuring of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers via stereolithography’, chapter in Molecular Methods in Biology, Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 695, pp. 309-321 (2011).
• Claeyssens, F., Ranaghan, K.E., Lawan, N., MacRae, S.J., Manby, F.R., Harvey, J.N., Mulholland, A.J., ‘Analysis of chorismate mutase catalysis by QM/MM modelling of enzyme-catalysed and uncatalysed reactions’, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry 9 (5), pp. 1578-1590 (2011).
• laeyssens, F., Allan, N.L., Norman, N.C., Russell, C.A., ‘Design of three-dimensional solid-state boron oxide networks: Ab initio calculations using density functional theory’, Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 82 (9), art. no. 094119 (2010).
• Hart, J.N., Allan, N.L., Claeyssens, F., ‘Predicting crystal structures ab initio: Group 14 nitrides and phosphides’, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 12 (30), pp. 8620-8631 (2010).
• E.M. Regan, F. Claeyssens, J.B. Uney, A.D. Dick, J.P. McGeehan, and S. Kelly, ‘Differential patterning of neuronal, glial and neuronal progenitor cells on phosphorus doped and UV irradiated diamond like carbon’, Biomaterials 31 (2), pp. 207-215 (2010).
• Hart, J.N., Claeyssens, F., Allan, N.L., May, P.W., ‘Carbon nitride: Ab initio investigation of carbon-rich phases’, Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 80 (17), art. no. 174111 (2009).
• Claeyssens, F., Hart, J.N., Allan, N.L., Oliva, J.M., ‘Solid phases of phosphorus carbide: An ab initio study’, Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics 79 (13), art. no. 134115 (2009).
• F. Claeyssens, E.A. Hasan, A. Gaidukeviciute, D. Achilles, A. Ranella, C. Reinhardt, A. Ovsianikov, C. Fotakis, B.N. Chichkov, M. Farsari, ‘Production of biodegradable tissue engineering scaffold materials via 2-photon polymerisation’, Langmuir, 25, 3219 (2009).
• S. Kelly, E.M. Regan, J.B. Uney, A.D. Dick, J.P. McGeehan, E.M. Mayer and F. Claeyssens, ‘Growth of neuronal cells on modified diamond-like carbon substrates’, Biomaterials, 29, 2573-2580 (2008).
• W.H. Howie, F. Claeyssens, H. Miura and L.M. Peter, ‘The influence of organic dyes on the open circuit voltage of dye sensitized solar cells’, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 130, 1367-1375 (2008).
• A. Klini, A. Mourka, V. Dinca, C. Fotakis and F. Claeyssens, ‘ZnO nanorod micropatterning via Laser Induced Forward Transfer’, Applied Physics A, 87, 17-22 (2007).
• F. Claeyssens, J.N. Harvey, F.R. Manby, R.A. Mata, A.J. Mulholland, K.E. Ranaghan, M. Schütz, S. Thiel, W. Thiel and H.-J. Werner, ‘High Accuracy Computation of Reaction Barriers in Enzymes’, Angewandte Chemie, International Edition in English, 45, 6856 -6859 (2006).
• C.L. Freeman, F. Claeyssens, N.L. Allan, and J.H. Harding, ‘Graphitic nanofilms as precursors to wurtzite films – theory’, Physical Review Letters, 96, 066102 (2006).
• F. Claeyssens, C.L. Freeman, N.L. Allan, Y. Sun, M.N.R Ashfold and J.H. Harding, ‘Growth of ZnO thin films – experiment and theory’, Journal of Materials Chemistry, 15, 139-148 (2005).
• M.N.R. Ashfold, F. Claeyssens, G.M. Fuge and S.J.Henley, ‘Pulsed laser ablation and deposition of thin films’, Chemical Society Review, 33, 23-31 (2004).
• F. Claeyssens, A. Cheesman, S.J. Henley and M.N.R. Ashfold, ‘Studies of the plume accompanying pulsed ultraviolet laser ablation of zinc oxide’, Journal of Applied Physics, 92 (11), 6886-6894 (2002).

Research group

PhD Students
Andrew Gill
Andrew Hopper
Richard Plenderleith

Research themes/centres

Centre for Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering

Teaching

MAT2410: Biomaterials II
MAT3430: Materials for Biological Applications

Administration

2nd year course director of the Materials Science and Engineering degree