Dr. Christian Matthias Schlepütz

Beamline Scientist
Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI
Switzerland
Biography
My entire scientific career has been revolving around synchrotron-based structural investigations. Both my diploma in experimental physics and my doctoral thesis were carried out at the Materials Science beamline of the Swiss light source, investigating the atomic structure of thin films and crystal surfaces using Surface X-ray Diffraction, for which I obtained my PhD in experimental physics from the University of Zürich (Switzerland) in 2009. This lead to a postdoctoral research position at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, USA), continuing studies using X-ray diffraction and becoming a regular user of the diffraction beamlines at the Advanced Photon Source (APS). In 2011, I became a beamline scientist in the Surface Scattering and Microdiffraction group, Sector 33, of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory (Chicago, USA), being involved in the user-operation of two beamlines and developing advanced methods for reciprocal space imaging using area detectors. In 2015, the focus of my research shifted from reciprocal space back to real space, when I returned to Switzerland to rejoin the Swiss Light Source as a new member of the TOMCAT group, devoting my time to exploring the wonders of the 3-dimensional microscopic world in motion.
Research
Resolving dynamic phenomena at the microscale in space and time - that is, in a nutshell, what my current research is all about. The world around us is in constant motion, and most of the macroscopic phenomena we experience are goverened by dynamic processes happening at the microscale. To reveal and understand those complex mechanisms, I develop and use the unique tools and capabilities of the TOMCAT beamline that allow us to collect X-ray tomographic microscopy datasets at unprecendented temporal resolutions to create 4-dimensional microscopic movies. Applications range from geoscience via food-processing, materials testing and complex multiphase flows all the way to biomechanical investigations. The latest speed record at TOMCAT was set at 208 tomographic scans per second (Garcia-Moreno, 2019), while sub-second time-resolutions of up to 20 tomographies per second are routinely available to our user community. Currently, I focus on expanding the range of available sample environments to make these capabilities accessible for an even larger range of applications. In parallel, we are working on implementing real-time reconstruction algorithms to establish a true feedback loop of experiments that are controlled and driven by the observed microscopic response of the sample.
Publications
For an extensive overview of all PSI-related publications, we kindly refer you to our online publication repository DORA.
Complete publication list
An up-to-date and complete list of all of my publications can be found on my ResearcherID profile (http://www.researcherid.com/rid/C-4696-2008) or in my ORCID record (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0485-2708).
List of PSI-related publications (last five years)
-
Blažek M, Žalud M, Kočí P, York A, Schlepütz CM, Stampanoni M, et al.
Washcoating of catalytic particulate filters studied by time-resolved X–ray tomography
Chemical Engineering Journal. 2021; 409: 128057 (14 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.128057
DORA PSI -
Borisova E, Lovric G, Miettinen A, Fardin L, Bayat S, Larsson A, et al.
Micrometer-resolution X-ray tomographic full-volume reconstruction of an intact post-mortem juvenile rat lung
Histochemistry and Cell Biology. 2021; 155: 215-226. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-020-01868-8
DORA PSI -
Börner S, Dittrich D, Mohlau P, Leyens C, García-Moreno F, Kamm PH, et al.
In situ observation with x-ray for tentative exploration of laser beam welding processes for aluminum-based alloys
Journal of Laser Applications. 2021; 33(1): 012026 (7 pp.). https://doi.org/10.2351/7.0000315
DORA PSI -
Hill-Casey F, Hotchkiss T, Hardstone KA, Hitchcock I, Novak V, Schlepütz CM, et al.
Hyperpolarised xenon MRI and time-resolved X-ray computed tomography studies of structure-transport relationships in hierarchical porous media
Chemical Engineering Journal. 2021; 405: 126750 (57 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2020.126750
DORA PSI -
Marti S, Fusseis F, Butler IB, Schlepütz C, Marone F, Gilgannon J, et al.
Time-resolved grain-scale 3D imaging of hydrofracturing in halite layers induced by gypsum dehydration and pore fluid pressure buildup
Earth and Planetary Sciences Letters. 2021; 554: 116679 (12 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116679
DORA PSI -
Saikia E, Läubli NF, Burri JT, Rüggeberg M, Schlepütz CM, Vogler H, et al.
Kinematics governing mechanotransduction in the sensory hair of the Venus flytrap
International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(1): 280 (21 pp.). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22010280
DORA PSI -
Spurin C, Bultreys T, Rücker M, Garfi G, Schlepütz CM, Novak V, et al.
The development of intermittent multiphase fluid flow pathways through a porous rock
Advances in Water Resources. 2021; 150: 103868 (7 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2021.103868
DORA PSI -
Brodrick EA, Roberts NW, Sumner-Rooney L, Schlepütz CM, How MJ
Light adaptation mechanisms in the eye of the fiddler crab Afruca tangeri
Journal of Comparative Neurology. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.24973
DORA PSI -
Colombier M, Wadsworth FB, Scheu B, Vasseur J, Dobson KJ, Cáceres F, et al.
In situ observation of the percolation threshold in multiphase magma analogues
Bulletin of Volcanology. 2020; 82: 32 (15 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-020-1370-1
DORA PSI -
Cörek E, Rodgers G, Siegrist S, Einfalt T, Detampel P, Schlepütz CM, et al.
Shedding light on metal-based nanoparticles in zebrafish by computed tomography with micrometer resolution
Small. 2020; 16(31): 2000746 (10 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202000746
DORA PSI -
Dobson KJ, Allabar A, Bretagne E, Coumans J, Cassidy M, Cimarelli C, et al.
Quantifying microstructural evolution in moving magma
Frontiers in Earth Science. 2020; 8: 287 (22 pp.). https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00287
DORA PSI -
García-Moreno F, Radtke LA, Neu TR, Kamm PH, Klaus M, Schlepütz CM, et al.
The influence of alloy composition and liquid phase on foaming of Al-Si-Mg alloys
Metals. 2020; 10(2): 189 (18 pp.). https://doi.org/10.3390/met10020189
DORA PSI -
Guo H, Özparpucu M, Windeisen-Holzhauser E, Schlepütz CM, Quadranti E, Gaan S, et al.
Struvite mineralized wood as sustainable building material: mechanical and combustion behavior
ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering. 2020; 8(28): 10402-10412. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c01769
DORA PSI -
Marone F, Schlepütz CM, Marti S, Fusseis F, Velásquez-Parra A, Griffa M, et al.
Time resolved in situ X-ray tomographic microscopy unraveling dynamic processes in geologic systems
Frontiers in Earth Science. 2020; 7: 346 (20 pp.). https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00346
DORA PSI -
Spurin C, Bultreys T, Rücker M, Garfi G, Schlepütz CM, Novak V, et al.
Real-time imaging reveals distinct pore-scale dynamics during transient and equilibrium subsurface multiphase flow
Water Resources Research. 2020; 56(12): e2020WR028287 (10 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR028287
DORA PSI -
Wagner-Hattler L, Québatte G, Keiser J, Schoelkopf J, Schlepütz CM, Huwyler J, et al.
Study of drug particle distributions within mini-tablets using synchrotron X-ray microtomography and superpixel image clustering
International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2020; 573: 118827 (8 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.118827
DORA PSI -
van Meer NMME, Cerkvenik U, Schlepütz CM, van Leeuwen JL, Gussekloo SWS
The ovipositor actuation mechanism of a parasitic wasp and its functional implications
Journal of Anatomy. 2020; 237(4): 689-703. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.13216
DORA PSI -
Buurlage J-W, Marone F, Pelt DM, Palenstijn WJ, Stampanoni M, Batenburg KJ, et al.
Real-time reconstruction and visualisation towards dynamic feedback control during time-resolved tomography experiments at TOMCAT
Scientific Reports. 2019; 9(1): 18379 (11 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-54647-4
DORA PSI -
Chavez Panduro EA, Torsæter M, Gawel K, Bjørge R, Gibaud A, Bonnin A, et al.
Computed X-ray tomography study of carbonate precipitation in large Portland cement pores
Crystal Growth and Design. 2019; 19(10): 5850-5857. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.9b00864
DORA PSI -
García-Moreno F, Kamm PH, Neu TR, Bülk F, Mokso R, Schlepütz CM, et al.
Using X-ray tomoscopy to explore the dynamics of foaming metal
Nature Communications. 2019; 10: 3762 (9 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11521-1
DORA PSI -
Guo H, Luković M, Mendoza M, Schlepütz CM, Griffa M, Xu B, et al.
Bioinspired struvite mineralization for fire-resistant wood
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. 2019; 11(5): 5427-5434. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.8b19967
DORA PSI -
Hussein AE, Senabulya N, Ma Y, Streeter MJV, Kettle B, Dann SJD, et al.
Laser-wakefield accelerators for high-resolution X-ray imaging of complex microstructures
Scientific Reports. 2019; 9(1): 3249 (13 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-39845-4
DORA PSI -
Ito Parada MY, Schlepütz CM, Rossi RM, Derome D, Carmeliet J
Two-stage wicking of yarns at the fiber scale investigated by synchrotron X-ray phase-contrast fast tomography
Textile Research Journal. 2019; 89(23-24): 4967-4979. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040517519843461
DORA PSI -
Lacondemine T, Réthoré J, Maire É, Célarié F, Houizot P, Roux-Langlois C, et al.
Direct observation of the displacement field and microcracking in a glass by means of X-ray tomography during in situ Vickers indentation experiment
Acta Materialia. 2019; 179: 424-433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2019.07.053
DORA PSI -
Yokoyama R, Kimura G, Schlepütz CM, Huwyler J, Puchkov M
Modeling of disintegration and dissolution behavior of mefenamic acid formulation using numeric solution of Noyes-Whitney equation with cellular automata on microtomographic and algorithmically generated surfaces
Pharmaceutics. 2018; 10(4): 259 (17 pp.). https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics10040259
DORA PSI -
Zhao Y, Du W, Koe B, Connolley T, Irvine S, Allan PK, et al.
3D characterisation of the Fe-rich intermetallic phases in recycled Al alloys by synchrotron X-ray microtomography and skeletonisation
Scripta Materialia. 2018; 146: 321-326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scriptamat.2017.12.010
DORA PSI -
Davranoglou L-R, Baňař P, Schlepütz CM, Mortimer B, Taylor GK
The pregenital abdomen of Enicocephalomorpha and morphological evidence for different modes of communication at the dawn of heteropteran evolution
Arthropod Structure and Development. 2017; 46(6): 843-868. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2017.08.006
DORA PSI -
Mokso R, Schlepütz CM, Theidel G, Billich H, Schmid E, Celcer T, et al.
GigaFRoST: the gigabit fast readout system for tomography
Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. 2017; 24(6): 1250-1259. https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600577517013522
DORA PSI