Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

X-ray diffraction analysis is a powerful structural characterization technique that can lead to the determination of atomic coordinates of molecules and macromolecules, to the understanding of solid-state organization, and also, to the crystalline arrangement of new functional nanomaterials. The requested NSERC-RTI funding will activate the capacity for X-ray diffraction sample evaluation, optimization, data collection by support the commissioning of the first X-ray diffractometer at Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier). Support for this system will introduce an essential piece of infrastructure that will enable five principal research groups and greater than 10 researcher groups total to characterize molecules and macromolecule structures. Specifically, we will be able to perform on-site diffraction analysis to characterize the structures of self-assembled metal-organic coordination complexes, colloidal nanoscale building blocks including nanoparticles, and novel polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are expected to exhibit columnar liquid crystal phase. Additionally, the diffractometer equipment will enable the structural characterization of proteins involved in carbohydrate-recognition and processing, in addition to factors responsible for biofilm formation. By introducing this instrumentation on-site at Laurier we will overcome this severe bottleneck in sample production and optimization, as well as a significant enhancement to student training and research productivity.