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

Hundreds of polymers are made in Dr. Liu's laboratory each year.  Only polymers with the desired molecular weight, composition, and a narrow molecular weight distribution are used by his group to make polymer nano- and micro-structured materials.  Many of the materials made by his group are novel and are of tremendous scientific interest.  Some may be of immediate use to society and Canada with applications in medical diagnostics, cosmetics, chemical separation, and friction reduction etc.  To be requested here are a light scattering detector (LSD) and a refractive index detector that are to be installed onto his existing size exclusion chromatograph (SEC) to allow the Liu group to determine fast and accurately the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of polymers that they prepare.  Such an instrument will not only help them select the polymers for further use in nano- and micro-structure preparation but also help improve their polymer synthesis.  Most polymers are synthesized in the Liu group these days by a technique called atom transfer radical polymerization.  This technique is practiced by most of his group members and is excellent for student training.  It suffers from poorer molecular weight control.  This poorer molecular weight control problem can be overcome by this upgraded instrument because it allows the monitoring of polymer molecular weight increase with polymerization time and the termination of a polymerization when the desirable molecular weight is reached.  In addition, this upgrade will also greatly increase nanostructure characterization capabilities of the Liu group.  Further, the Liu group possesses the only SEC in the Department of Chemistry at Queen's University.  The upgrade will also help the polymer characterization efforts of the groups of Baird, Jessop, Nunzi, Buncel, and Brown.  Since SEC equipped with a LSD is standard in industrial and other labs, the granting of this upgrade is essential for providing quality training to students in the Department of Chemistry.