The electrochemical splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen gas is a technology of growing importance in the clean energy sector. Emerging technologies are employing membranes to provide physical separation of the cathode and anode compartments, thereby separating the product gases, while allowing ions to flow between the compartments to maintain the electrochemical reactions taking […]

Phosphorus is vital not only for food production but also for other agricultural commodities such as ethanol, biofuels, and any biorenewable chemicals. The annual worldwide production of elemental phosphorus reaches 850,000 tons, from which 18% is transformed by addition of chlorine gas into 700,000 tons/year of PCl3, the industrial precursor to most phosphorus derivatives. Significant […]

This project aims to prepare a self-assembling and disassembling material from silicon and gold nanoparticles. The lifetime of this material is determined by the network of chemical reactions that control the assembly and disassembly of its constituents. The relative rates of these reactions, in turn, depend on the concentration of a chemical fuel. Silicon nanoparticles, […]

The Suzuki-Miyaura (SM) coupling reaction is a widely studied reaction between organoboron compounds and organic halides. Over the last 30 years the reaction has been improved as new discoveries are made in relation to the reactant species. Its applications extend to pharmaceutical and natural product synthesis due to its versatility. Unfortunately, several of the mechanisms […]

My doctoral project targets new solutions to recycle waste heat by turning it into electrical power. In particular, clean electrical power can be generated in a semiconductor when a temperature difference does exist between the hot and the cold side of said material. Our group at INRS-EMT has started a unique research line in Canada […]

In this project we plan to study parametric fluorescence in a particular class of integrated photonic structures that can be used to enhance and control the generation of non-classical light based on photon pairs. The system we have in mind is composed of two resonators designed to be linearly uncoupled, but arranged in such a […]

My research project will involve completing vital preparation work for two upcoming high impact experiments at a world leading research facility. I will take a lead role in preparing analysis software and equipment for these upcoming experiments at Jefferson Lab which will run towards the end of my project. I will ensure these experiments run […]

La technologie laser permet aujourd’hui de générer des flashs de lumière (impulsions laser) ultra-brefs offrant une résolution temporelle attoseconde (1 attoseconde = 0.000 000 000 000 000 001 s). De telles impulsions offrent l’opportunité de suivre les mouvements ultra-rapides des noyaux atomique et des électrons dans les molécules, en temps réel. C’est ce que promet […]

The iodine atom normally forms one bond with another atom. However, it can be forced to form multiple bonds, making it hypervalent. This draws away electron from the iodine, making it partially positively charged. It will thus attract and interact with negatively charged molecules or parts of molecules. This concept is Lewis acidity and can […]

Lichens are a symbiosis of fungi and algae or cyanobacteria. Lichen substances have been reported to show a wide array of biological activities including antiviral, antioxidant, antitumor action. This project aims to establish a reliable way to prepare (?)-acaranoic acid, a lichen substance isolated in 1895, from commercially available chemicals. The proposed synthesis of this […]

L’objectif principal de ce projet est d’évaluer l’effet de la cryoconcentration pour la production d’un extrait riche en molécules antioxydantes à partir des petits fruits de la région du Lac-St-Jean. Ces études auront permis d’ouvrir la voie à des projets industriels en vue de valoriser les petits fruits produits de la région. Une analyse de […]

With the advent of fuel cell technology, people began to believe implementation of a zero-emission energy system through the construction of a hydrogen-based energy infrastructure. The conventional system for hydrogen production is water electrolysis; however, the production cost is far too expensive for widespread adoption due to the usage of noble metals required as electrocatalysts. […]