Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Polymer nanoscience has witnessed explosive growth in the past 25 years. It is now time to leverage these advancements for fabricating functional nanomaterials for applications that benefit society and Canada. Liu's research focuses on applications of polymeric nanomaterials.  Firstly, Liu's group will advance NP-GLIDE coatings that bear nano-pools of a grafted lubricating ingredient for dewetting enablement so that the future generations of these coatings will be anti-fouling, anti-icing, or more wear-resistant. NP-GLIDE coatings are transparent and readily bind to various substrates.  On their slippery surfaces common liquids such as wine, coffee, muddy water, and cooking oils have no problem to cleanly glide. Moreover, graffiti paints and fingerprint liquids contract on these surfaces. While the existing NP-GLIDE coatings are sufficient for many applications and are being commercialised by a Canadian company, they need to be improved to fulfil more challenging applications. For example, the current anti-fingerprint coating does not last more than several months on the touchscreen of a cellphone or tablet. An effective coating that survives the lifetime of the device will require more wear resistance. For anti-icing applications, the ice adhesion force needs to be decreased by 2 to 3 folds despite the already low values on our existing NP-GLIDE coatings. The challenge for using an NP-GLIDE coating for anti-fouling applications on the hulls of ships requires that the coating maintains its slippery properties even after extended immersion in water. Liu's group are addressing these issues to achieve the full potentials of the NP-GLIDE coatings.  Secondly, they will advance their nano-engineered high-flux filters that separate oil from emulsions. Covering the mouths of large barrels, these filters can, for example, be used to scoop up oil from the surface of a lake or an ocean after an oil spill. Liu is now examining whether these filters can be used to separate glycerol from a renewable fuel, biodiesel, reducing environmental impact of biodiesel production.  Liu's group is also developing filters that can separate ethanol from water and eliminate ethanol distillation and reduce energy consumption during the liquor production process. Thirdly, they are developing nano-designed batteries that have the potential to be charged at a much faster rate than the existing ones. Such batteries have the potential to promote the acceptance of future electric vehicles. They are also developing devices that can generate electricity from tidal waves or even from water or sweat evaporation, leading to cleaner alternative energies. In summary, Liu's research is aimed at the use of fundamental knowledge for the creation of new nanotechnologies and products to benefit society and Canada. Through his research, he will train highly qualified research personnel for Canadian universities and industry.