Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The proposal is for a purchase of a state-of-the-art UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer with angle resolved reflection capabilities to study advanced plasmonic/ photonic nanomaterials. The equipment will be used by multiple users form the faculties of Science and Engineering in the development of new coatings for biomedical and other industrial applications with partners from the private and government sectors.The research program that will be supported by this instrument will allow the researchers and their students to develop new miniature optical probes to detect chemicals in small, hard to reach places, such as inside the human body or far under the earth and ocean surfaces. In particular, nanoparticle coatings that have only recently become available through advances in Chemistry have properties that are not yet fully understood but show promise for major advances in sensing and light manipulation. On a more fundamental level, the interaction of the light inside the fiber with the new coating materials will allow the researchers to improve the coating properties and bring them closer to commercial development by their industrial partners.Optical devices have become mainstream components in various fields of application in the biomedical, environmental, and natural resource development fields. These activities are of major importance for Canada, both as an end user and as a developer of exportable technologies.