news 2023

Waterloo research team partners with BMO to turn pollution into renewable energy  By Nicola Kelly Faculty of Engineering An interdisciplinary research team from the University of Waterloo aims to tackle CO2 emissions in the value chain by transforming CO2 into valuable chemicals needed by industry. Supported by BMO, the research focuses on the use of green hydrogen to capture CO2 from power plants as well as the iron, steel, and cement industries, and convert it into useful gases via reverse water gas shift reaction.

New technique developed by researchers at McGill and UQAM offers unprecedented view inside lithium-ion batteries, potentially leading to dramatically faster charging times for EVs, computers, and phones What if you could charge your electric vehicle in the same amount of time it takes to fill a tank of gas?

UdeM chemists have developed a new tool for detecting interactions between sugars and lectins, a discovery that could help in the fight against diseases like cancer. Scientists at Université de Montréal's Department of Chemistry have developed a new fluorogenic probe that can be used to detect and study interactions between two families of biomolecules essential to life: sugars and proteins.

University of Waterloo scientists capture carbon and turn it into sustainable, clean fuel Scientists at the University of Waterloo have achieved a historic breakthrough in transforming the carbon dioxide emissions driving climate change into clean fuels. The process, which has been refined over a two-year period, could play a significant role to help decarbonize industrial emissions and boost both the environment and national economies.

Fibers produced from the slime exhibit a strength akin to nylon, yet they can dissolve in water and be reconstituted into new fibers from the solution In the tropical, temperate forests it calls home, the velvet worm uses a projectile "slime" to capture its prey. When it's ejected from the worm, the slime transforms into a gel before solidifying into stiff fibers upon exposure to air.

Plant-based materials give life to tiny soft robots that can potentially conduct medical procedures A team of University of Waterloo researchers has created smart, advanced materials that will be the building blocks for a future generation of soft medical microrobots. These tiny robots have the potential to conduct medical procedures, such as biopsy, and cell and tissue transport, in a minimally invasive fashion.

Université de Montréal scientists recreate and compare molecular languages at the origin of life - opening new doors for the development of novel nanotechnologies. Two molecular languages at the origin of life have been successfully recreated and mathematically validated, thanks to pioneering work by Canadian scientists at Université de Montréal.

Professor David Simakov is developing innovative technologies to solve complex environmental challenges By Nicola Kelly Faculty of Engineering David Simakov, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, is actively engaged in two bold interdisciplinary collaborations with Canadian and international partners to advance UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Through the Gemini-North Telescope in Hawai'i, the chemical composition of WASP-76 b is revealed in unprecedented detail, giving new insights also into the composition of giant planets. An international team led by Stefan Pelletier , a Ph.D. candidate at Université de Montréal's Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets announced today having made a detailed study of the extremely hot giant exoplanet WASP-76 b. Using the MAROON-X instrument on the Gemini-North Telescope, the team was able to identify and measure the abundance of 11 chemical elements in the atmosphere of the planet.

Waterloo professor is part of an emerging field that calls for establishing a governance framework for ocean-based climate interventions Faculty of Environment From its current capacity as a carbon sink to its potential as a site for generating renewable energy, and managing solar radiation, the ocean is increasingly at the forefront of discussions around climate mitigation strategies. However, efforts to develop ocean-based climate interventions expose the ocean to various threats that harm biodiversity, pollute, and change its very chemistry.

A new discovery about the structure of melanin has brought scientists one step closer to developing a new, potentially ultra-protective sunscreen derived from a biological substance found in nearly all organisms. Researchers from McGill's Department of Chemistry, in collaboration with The Ohio State University and the University of Girona, have announced a major advance in understanding the fundamental structure of melanin and one of its components that turns light into heat, protecting the body from sun damage.

An international team of collaborators - including researchers from the University of Toronto and Huazhong University of Science and Technology - has created a catalyst that efficiently transforms carbon monoxide derived from captured carbon into acetic acid. By unlocking a new path to manufacture this key industrial chemical, which has a global market size of more than US$10 billion per year, the innovation could spur new investments into carbon capture and storage.

Chlorinated paraffins, a class of toxic chemicals commonly used to soften plastic toys or make computer wires pliable, have been prohibited in Canada since 2013 due to their known health harm - but a new University of Toronto study found they remain prevalent in many everyday household objects.

A team of researchers from the University of Toronto has created a triple-junction perovskite solar cell with record efficiency by overcoming a key limitation of previous designs. The prototype represents a significant advance in the development of low-cost alternatives to silicon-based solar cells, which are the current industry standard.

From makeup to clothing and furniture, so-called "forever chemicals" are everywhere - including the paper bowls and containers used to package Canadian fast-food meals.

An international team of researchers has developed a new technique to enhance the durability of inverted perovskite solar cells - an important step toward commercialization of an emerging photovoltaic technology that could significantly reduce the cost of solar energy. Unlike traditional solar cells, which are made from wafers of extremely high-purity silicon, perovskite solar cells are built from nano-sized crystals.

Some "broken" nanomachines better sense their environment while others gain the ability to control their activity over time, researchers at Université de Montréal find. CONTENU - "Every act of creation," Picasso famously noted, "is first an act of destruction." Taking this concept literally, researchers in Canada have now discovered that "breaking" molecular nanomachines basic to life can create new ones that work even better.

Unexpected resonance frequencies observed in reactions between two molecules A new study published today in Nature is changing our understanding of chemical reactions and overturning previous theoretical models by finding an unexpected resonance frequency during the reaction of two molecules. Resonance is when one object vibrating at the same natural frequency as a second object forces that second object into vibrational motion.

A new catalyst design created by researchers at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering could significantly improve the practicality of an electrochemical process that converts captured carbon dioxide into multi-carbon molecules - some of the key building blocks of the chemical industry.

"Suppose you knew everything there was to know about a water molecule - the chemical formula, the bond angle, etc.," says experimental physicist  Joseph Thywissen . "You might know everything about the molecule, but still not know there are waves on the ocean - much less how to surf them," he says.