This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Seeing a bachelor's thesis published in a scientific journal is relatively uncommon. For three theses linked to the same research group to result in scientific publications within just three months is downright rare.
Yet that is exactly what has happened in Elsebeth Schröder's research group at the Division of Quantum Device Physics. To celebrate the milestone, Schröder invited all three student teams to a cake party at the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience. "It feels fantastic, of course.
I certainly wasn't expecting this," says Alva Limbäck, whose article "A density functional theory study of amino acids on pristine Mg(0001) and with sparse alloying elements" was published in Applied Surface Science in August, together with fellow students Olof Hildeberg, John Bolin and Amanda Goold. All three theses explore how magnesium implants interact with the biological environment of the human body. Unlike implants made from titanium or steel, magnesium is biodegradable, meaning it can gradually dissolve and be absorbed by the body once it has fulfilled its purpose.
Such implants are already being used clinically, although still on a limited scale, primarily as screws for stabilizing fractured bones. "This means patients do not need a second operation to remove the implant once the bone has healed, which is often necessary with more conventional materials," explains Hildeberg. The material has also attracted interest for stents used to keep blood vessels open after procedures such as the treatment of arterial narrowing.
"Unlike traditional stents, which are typically made from metals that remain permanently in the body, magnesium gradually corrodes in bodily fluids and is converted into substances that the body can process naturally," says Schröder, professor of Quantum Device Physics, who supervised all three bachelor's projects. A key challenge in developing magnesium-based implants is getting the timing right. The material must degrade slowly enough to support the healing process, but not remain in the body longer than necessary.
One well-known problem is that magnesium implants can degrade too quickly, before healing is complete. Improving such implants therefore requires a deeper understanding of how magnesium behaves in the human body. Together with Bolin and Goold, Limbäck and Hildeberg investigated what happens when magnesium begins to corrode inside the body.
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