Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Nanomaterials are becoming increasingly common on the consumer and industrial market, providing smaller, lighter and more durable products with unique properties. Nanoscale materials are impacting all aspects of everyday life: from the emulsions in makeup and pharmaceutical delivery to the dyes and pigments in our consumer products. In addition to these current uses, Advanced Materials research is creating new applications: self-healing materials for uncrackable cell phone screens, biocompatible assemblies for smart drug delivery, and even packaging materials capable of sensing and/or eliminating chemical and microbial contaminants. Without exception, nanomaterials research requires the determination of both particle size and particle size distribution. Both of these measurements are very important, especially for nanomaterials, because properties, like magnetism, mechanical strength, film gloss, biological targeting and tissue-specific uptake, surface area and packing density are so finely balanced; they can change significantly over a size range of just a few nm. The particle sizing and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) instrumentation requested will have state-of-the-art capabilities for the measurement of size, size distribution, and zeta potential on particles and aggregates ranging from 1 nm to 10 m; our current traditional microscope techniques can be used above this range. This equipment will allow us to work with any type of nanomaterial as the two instruments complement each other. Particle sizing will fill a very important void at the University of Windsor. UWindsor is establishing itself as a leading centre for advanced materials research, especially in the development of innovative nanomaterials. With the founding of a cross-disciplinary research institute, the dedication of one-half of a new building to materials chemistry research, and the recent hires in chemistry being focused on soft materials research, ( Trant , Marquardt , and Rondeau-Gagn ) the University and Faculty have made a clear commitment to establishing focus and excellence in this field. Advanced Materials is a strategic priority research area for the UWindsor, and the Faculty of Science has committed $49,500 to support this RTI. This instrumentation will support current NSERC, Canada Research Chair and industrial collaboration projects by the proposals PIs and frequent users. Furthermore, the requested instrumentation will provide new opportunities for collaborative, international research that will train numerous HQP. Research areas this system will support are varied and include (i) fundamental research regarding cellular membranes; (ii) development of novel liposomal and other biomaterial formulations for delivery of pharmaceutical agents and as platforms for MRI or PET contrast agents; (iii) semiconducting polymer nanoparticles; and (iv) amphiphilic organic dyes.