CA – Page 2 – TechConnect Briefs

Canada’s Approach for Assessment of Nanomaterials in Commerce : Prioritization and Tools for Assessing Consumer Exposure

Zhang Y., L. Lemieux C., Zein Aghaij M., Vladisavljevic D., Hill M., Health Canada, CA

Given the ever increasing use of manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) worldwide, Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada have undertaken an initiative to prioritize and assess nanomaterials in commerce in Canada for risk to human [...]

Graphene – Epoxy Composites for Anti-Corrosion Coatings

Bosnick K., Benhalima A., Chapleau N., Tefashe U.M., Bergren A.J., Yang Q., Champagne M.F., National Research Council Canada, CA

It is important to protect steel infrastructure, such as pipelines, from environmental corrosion. The primary method for this protection is by utilizing coatings, especially epoxy (EP) coatings. In recent years graphene has shown a great [...]

Modification of Cellulose Nanocrystals for Compostable Food-Packaging

Bosnick K., Benhalima A., Chapleau N., Champagne M., National Research Council Canada, CA

To support the sustainability of the food packaging industry, a move from petroleum-derived packaging products to renewable-derived ones is needed. In addition, a complete compostability of the packing is desirable for reducing waste at the [...]

Distributed Monitoring of Soil and Groundwater during In-Situ Thermal Remediation Using Fiber Optic Sensors

Alemohammad H., Azhari A., Liang R., AOMS Technologies Inc., CA

This paper is focused on the development and field deployment of a multi-parameter and distributed fiber optic sensor for monitoring of soil and groundwater during in-situ thermal remediation of contaminated brownfields. In-situ thermal remediation (ISTR) [...]

Fabrication of Polymeric Membranes with Micro and Nano Apertures over Large Areas

Li K., Hernández-Castro J.A., Veres T., National Research Council of Canada, CA

Micro- and nano-porous membranes have a wide range of applications including plasmonics, data storage, and energy devices, as well as biomedical devices. Most of them use Si, SiN, or highly periodic anodic alumina membranes. They [...]

Effect of CNT Morphology and Alignment on the Interfacial and the Elastic Properties of Nanocomposites

Alian A.R., Meguid S.A., University of Toronto, CA

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are typically curved, agglomerated and aggregated as a result of van der Waal interactions and electrostatic forces. It has been proven experimentally that CNT morphology and alignment affect the mechanical, electrical, and [...]

Development and Characterization of Commercial Boron Nitride Nanotube Product Forms

Jakubinek M.B., Martinez-Rubi Y., Kim K.S., Jakubek Z.J., Homenick C.M., Zou S., Klug D., Ashrafi B., Guan J., Walker S., Daroszewska M., Kingston C.T., Simard B., National Research Council Canada, CA

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are structurally analogous to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and possess equally impressive mechanical properties along with a different set of multifunctional properties including higher thermal stability than CNTs, wide band gap, electrical [...]

Advanced Characterization of Nanoporous Gold

El-Zoka A.A., Newman R.C., Langelier B., University of Toronto, CA

The interest in nanoporous metals, formed by controlled dealloying of noble metal alloys, has been increasing due to the promising capabilities of such materials. The functionality of NPG is heavily affected by attributes such as [...]

In situ TEM/STEM of the Coarsening of Nanoporous Gold

El-Zoka A.A., Howe J., Newman R.C., Perovic D., University of Toronto, CA

Nanoporous gold (NPG) is usually fabricated by the selective electrolytic dissolution (dealloying) of Ag from a binary Ag-Au alloy, or sometimes from a ternary alloy such as Ag- Au-Pt. The resulting ligament-pore structure is bicontinuous [...]

A plasma electrochemistry reactor enabling the rapid and continuous-flow synthesis of gold and platinum group metal (PGM) nanoparticles

Fortin M.-A., Bouchard M., Turgeon A., Université Laval, CA

Abstract: Platinum group metals (PGM: Pd, Pt, Ir, Rh, etc) are commonly used in catalysis. Conventional catalysts typically consist of PGM nanoparticles dispersed on high surface area oxide supports.[1] However, high PGM loadings must be [...]