Materials Discovery and Molecular Design

Yanwen Zhang

kvd1 — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 14:52:19 +0000

Pushing the boundaries of materials science

Crystallization Pattern of a Common Salt Mixture

kvd1 — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 19:17:10 +0000

Rachel Korchinsky

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are rechargeable energy carriers that power electronic devices such as phones, cars, and hybrid/electric vehicles. The demand for lithium used to manufacture LIBs is expected to grow 30-fold by 2040. Industry primarily extracts lithium from rock ore and brine; however, the methods used are time-intensive and costly. Therefore, we are investigating alternative extraction methods that would reduce the energy consumption, waste production, and time intensity. The image, obtained by microscopy, is of salts that crystallized after evaporation of a lithium-containing brine.

Location of photograph:

Electron Microscopy Facility, Queen's University

Submission Year:

2023

The SNO+ Detector

kvd1 — Tue, 31 May 2022 14:16:20 +0000

Alex Wright for the SNO+ Collaboration

The SNO+ experiment studies the fundamental properties of neutrinos. The detector consists of an active volume of 780 tonnes of liquid scintillator housed within a 12-metre diameter acrylic vessel that is held in place by ropes and viewed by an array of about 10,000 photomultiplier light detectors. In this image, taken by a camera embedded in the photomultiplier array, the detector is illuminated only by light from the clean room at the top of the vessel neck, producing a beam effect. The SNO+ experiment is currently collecting data, carrying on the work of the Nobel-prize winning Sudbury Neutrino Observatory.

Location of photograph:

SNOLAB, Sudbury, Ontario

Submission Year:

2022

Pioneering Queen’s chemistry research gets $24M boost

kvd1 — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 15:17:43 +0000

Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund supporting novel research that could extend the lifespan of metals and potentially save billions across the infrastructure, microchip, and health care industries.

#QueensuResearch | Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund supporting novel research that could extend the lifespan of metals and potentially save billions across the infrastructure, microchip, and health care industries.

Extending the lifespan of metals

kvd1 — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 15:07:44 +0000

��˴�Ƭ researcher and Canada Research Chair in Metal Organic Coatings Dr. Cathleen Crudden has received $24 million from the Government of Canada to develop coatings that could preserve metals against deterioration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S5LTavJGGQ

Conversations Confronting COVID-19: Innovation Pivots

kvd1 — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 13:57:15 +0000

Since the global pandemic hit in winter 2020, Canadians and global citizens have been confronted with a myriad of questions – from how to understand and treat the virus, to how to cope with life in quarantine, and what life will look like when we surface from this international crisis.

Learn more about how ��˴�Ƭ researchers, students, and alumni have mobilized to apply their expertise and skills to help address all aspects of COVID-19 in our discussion on Innovation Pivots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdHs8bF5jDE

Capturing the Art of Research: Celebrating the 2020 prize recipients

MLR7 — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 13:52:42 +0000

The Queen’s Art of Research photo contest celebrates its fifth year, with the selection of ten stunning winning images.

Explore photos from ��˴�Ƭ researchers with the Art of Research as they take you behind-the-scenes of their #QueensuResearch

Watch the Discussion: Conversations Confronting COVID-19: Innovation Pivots

kvd1 — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 18:15:02 +0000

Launched on Wednesday, June 24, the first installment of the monthly series will focus on the theme of Innovation Pivots and feature members of the Queen’s community who have effectively pivoted their research and programs to come up with creative and innovative solutions to the pandemic.

Confronting COVID-19

Tags:

COVID-19

Coronavirus

Nobel Prize

Nobel Laureate

Provincial Government

Ontario

Africa

MasterCard Foundation

Researchers at Offroad Robotics

kvd1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 20:30:45 +0000

Heshan Fernando

A group of multidisciplinary engineering researchers with expertise in mining and construction applications, mechanical and mechatronics systems, as well as electrical and computer engineering collaborate to develop the next generation of field and mobile robots.

Location of photograph:

Jackson Hall, Queen’s University

Prize name:

Community Collaborations

Submission Year:

2019-20

The Wiring of the Brain

kvd1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 18:03:52 +0000

Donald Brien

An example of Diffusion Spectrum Imaging (DSI) from Queen’s new Prisma Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Some of the most beautiful images generated by MRI are created by imaging the diffusion (movement) of water throughout the brain. From this diffusion, we can generate maps of the neuron connections that are responsible for carrying messages from one area of the brain to another. Seen here, they are coded by direction, such that blue tracts move from foot to head, red tracts move from left to right in the head, and green tracts move from the front to the back of the head. There are 30,000 tracts displayed in this image. By adulthood, the average person has ~160,000 km total length of these tracts.

Location of photograph:

Centre for Neuroscience Studies, MRI Facility, Queen’s University

Prize name:

Art in Action

Submission Year:

2019-20

Porous Plastic Particle

kvd1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 17:34:57 +0000

Ross Jansen-van Vuuren

The photograph is of a water-swollen hydrogel particle created in our chemistry laboratory, taken with an instrument called a Scanning Electron Microscope, which allows us to zone in and see important details on the surface of the hydrogel. A hydrogel is essentially a plastic material that is able to absorb very large volumes of water (up to 800 times its weight!) – much like a baby diaper, swelling as it does so. From the image, the surface of the hydrogel is seen to possess large, distinctive pores, which help us understand how and why hydrogels absorb so much liquid.

Location of photograph:

Bruce Hall, SEM Lab, Queen’s University

Prize name:

Invisible Discoveries

Submission Year:

2019-20

E-tattoos and Healthcare: Nano Materials for Superior Wearable Tech

kvd1 — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 21:21:30 +0000

Dr. Shideh Kabiri Ameri is an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Queen’s University. Her research focuses on 2D material-based electronic devices and their applications in wearables, bioelectronics, human machine interface, electronic tattoos, internet of things, and mobile healthcare. She leads the Ameri Nano Research Group interested in looking for innovative and novel solutions for technological challenges by applying nano-sciences to Engineering. In 2017, Dr.

Lecturer lands spot in international final

moonr — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 16:01:01 +0000

��˴�Ƭ University PhD candidate Morgan Lehtinen (Chemistry)

Under the supervision of Guojun Liu (Chemistry), Lehtinen’s research focuses on the development of smart filters and their use in oil and water separation. These new tools could provide a greener option to the current separation methods – especially in regards to oil spills.

Student Research

Powerful pollen

moonr — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 16:01:01 +0000

P. Andrew Evans has discovered wrapping antibiotics in pollen could protect them from light.

Antibiotics are powerful medication that are used to fight infections, but the ongoing and well publicized issues with resistance has made the search for new medicines critical to human health.

New Discoveries

Solving crime through chemistry

moonr — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 15:45:14 +0000

Dr. Diane Beauchemin demonstrates how she analyzes human hair.

Queen’s University researcher Diane Beauchemin has spent years working on techniques to help law enforcement solve crime and to more pragmatically assess food safety.

Research Award