Cobalt thin-films have found widespread applications in microelectronics devices; such as liners in copper interconnects, wetting layers, and caps, in addition to applications for magnetic devices and CoSi2 contacts. CVD and ALD techniques are typically used to achieve cobalt films between 2-5 nm thick with excellent conformalities and negligible resistance increase. Leading precursors for cobalt thin-film deposition include cyclopentadienylcobalt dicarbonyl and dicobalt(hexacarbonyl)tert-butylacetylene.

Fluids used in hydraulic fracturing are designed to open fractures and transport proppant along the fracture to ensure conservation of the fracture. Scientists in the industry use commercially available polymers that are produced at low-cost in high volumes for other industries (e.g. water treatment) without really understanding the reasons why these polymers have the desired performance for fracking. The fluids we are focused on developing are used to reduce the cost of pumping/fracking to make drilling operations economically viable.

This MITACS proposal focuses on the chemical processes occurring that may enhance or inhibit microbial growth, identify and detect key microbial chemical precursors to MIC, and development of models to predict/mitigate MIC. It is part of a much larger Genome Canada project where the information and models developed in the proposal will be used in a genomic analyses and this information will in turn be used by this group to optimize models and detection systems.

There is a strong push toward producing fuel cells on a commercial scale. This means a greater focus on production speed and yields with a need to understand the unintended features that arise from larger-scale manufacturing processes. This project requires the set up of state-of-the-art, camera-vision, defect detection equipment to find and collect observed membrane features. These features will then be catalogued and tested to determine their impact on membrane durability and whether they affect later processing steps.

In the wake of the Paris meeting on global climate change in December of 2015 (COP21), commitments to drive down greenhouse gas emissions have escalated around the world. Man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are accepted as the largest contributor to climate change. Promising next-generation technologies for decreasing CO2 emissions are being investigated at the lab scale. Unfortunately, the technology developers often lack next-step projects and connections with industrial end-users to allow the technology to advance and become commercialized.

Nearly 70% of all drug candidates are not pursued for pharmaceutical development because they cannot be dissolved into solutions appropriate for human use. Cuprous Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CPI) recently discovered that some of these drugs could be dissolved in the presence of certain metal ions. Furthermore, a number of metal-drug complexes are more therapeutically active than their metalfree counterpart.

Canadian northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) market pulps set standards worldwide for fibre strength, length, fineness and uniformity. These characteristics add unmatched strength and durability to finished goods, and this drives a high international demand for NBSK pulp. However, competition has increased the price-performance pressure on Canadian suppliers.

Currently, no Canadian-based companies are involved in the manufacturing of state-of-the-art research tools for atomic layer deposition (ALD). Angstrom Engineering is a leading manufacturer of similar technologies – physical vapour deposition and chemical vapour deposition – and have identified an opportunity to produce the first ALD research tool manufactured entirely in Canada. ALD is a vapour phase technique that offers sequential, self-limiting surface reactions to deposit thin films with exceptional control over thickness and composition, as well as conformality and uniformity.

My work will provide an important insight of the newly developed S1229. Cyclodextrins (S1229) are cyclic molecule composed of 7-sugars, with a unique structure. S1229 forms a hydrophobic core, which interacts with cholesterol and phospholipid by-products and removing them from the membrane. SolAeroMed has shown that S1229 was able to repair lung surfactant function. Lung surfactant is protein-lipid mixture covering the air-water interphase in the lung. Surfactant is an essential component of healthy lung function and without it, breathing would be near impossible.

Within a hydrogen fuel cell, the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) is generally considered a limiting component in overall performance due to sluggish oxygen reduction reaction kinetics. The proposed internship is comprised of two projects, each characterizing the materials used in the CCL.