Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

My research is primarily concerned with developing solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SSNMR) methods to study the structure of, and molecular motion in, materials that contain fluorine. The ultimate objective is to establish the University of Lethbridge as a center for characterization of a wide range of fluorine containing materials. The repertoire of structural and dynamic experiments, as well as simulations tools, will be continually expanded to meet new challenges posed by emerging fluorine technologies. Materials of interest include organic and inorganic fluoropolymers, highly reactive inorganic fluorides, inclusion compounds, biological macromolecules, and pharmaceuticals, where most sample materials will be sourced through a network of local and international collaborators. Collaborations will be continually sought with industrial and academic researchers to provide them with valuable characterization capabilities and expertise thereby aiding innovation in the development of new technologies. Fluoropolymers of particular commercial interest are used in membranes of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC), which are essential in the development of Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells. Ethanol is proposed as an alternative energy vector to hydrogen, suggesting an 'Ethanol Economy'. Ethanol is much easier to obtain from biological sources, however posses a challenge from a catalysis perspective. Success would bring considerable benefit from ease of integration into the currently globally-expanding bio-ethanol production, raising the prospect of a sustainable, non-fossil fuel energy economy. The development of a methodology to assess which polymer properties, at the molecular level, are crucial to the efficient operation as PEMFC membrane is the ultimate objective. Insights will also be sought into the role of the fuel in affecting changes, over the long term, in the polymer's physical characteristics, and hence efficiency. This program involves collaborations with a synthetic polymer chemist in Montpellier, France, and two material scientists at University of St. Andrews, Scotland.