Grant: Canada Research Chairs

This ambitious research program entails the design of new polymeric materials: polymer blends (PB) and nanocomposites (PNC) to enhance the efficiency and reduce the energy consumption of current production techniques, leading to reducing the global carbon footprint (axis1). It also aims at developing PB and PNC for biomedical applications (axis 2). These materials are being developed using rheology and materials science to optimize their functionality and production. Axis 1 includes the development of PB and PNC s using conventional polymer processing techniques. It involves rheological studies to build the fundamentals for the applications of this chair program, the development of PB and PNC for transport, packaging, as well as electromagnetic interference shielding. It also include the development of PB and PNC to enhance the reclamation of recycled post-industrial and post-consumer polymers, using novel additives and novel extrusion processing techniques to result in materials with enhanced properties. Axis 2 includes the processing of PB and PNC using emerging polymer processing techniques, including variations of electrospinning and additive manufacturing. These techniques enable meeting the needs of miniaturization and customization in the health technology sector. It involves fundamental studies of both electrospinning and additive manufacturing processing techniques. It includes the development of scaffolds containing piezoelectric-responsive polymers destined to be used in medical applications such as pressure sensors in stent implants as well as artificial skin, and scaffolds based on pullulan, a natural polymer obtained via biotechnological process, for drug-delivery applications. Climate change and its consequences on the life of people on earth are an existential problem for the human race. There are many ways to deal with climate change. In this research, Prof. Demarquette along with all the other researchers and students gathered in this research program (8-10 HQP yearly) aim to tackle it developing new materials which will fulfill human needs, but produced with the least amount of spent energy and damage to the environment. Climate change, in addition to it affecting the environment, unfortunately ends up affecting human health and therefore another objective of the present work is to come up with materials and techniques to enhance the health system. The program also involves several national and international collaborations.