Research Report 2010-2011 - College of Engineering - University of ...

Overview
THEME 5 – MATERIALS SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS
Research in the area of Materials Science and Applications of the College of
Engineering is interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, intensive and extensive. It involves
more than 15 faculty and researchers, 44 graduate students, 7 post-doctoral fellows and
13 research associates and engineers from all the departments of the College. A strong
collaboration exists between materials researchers in the College and the Canadian
Light Source (CLS), the Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre (SSSC), several
colleges and departments within the University (e.g., Medicine, Veterinary Medicine,
Chemistry and Biochemistry) and other educational institutions, research centres, and
industrial organizations within and outside Canada. Materials researchers in the
College are recognized nationally and internationally as experts in their research areas
and have attracted several million dollars in research funding from NSERC, CFI and
industries. In the 2010-2011 year, more than $3.3 million was received.
The focus of materials research in the College is on synthesis, modeling,
characterization, performance evaluation and application of materials. This
encompasses both fundamental and applied research on a variety of material systems
including: structural and multifunctional, advanced, plasma-derived, electronic and
photonic, functional organic and hybrid, catalytic, bio-derived, and bio-inspired
materials. The research activities are aimed at addressing national needs in terms of
providing technological solutions to industries and governments, and training highly
skilled graduates. The main areas of materials research within the College can be
grouped as follows:
Plasma Physics Research
Plasma physics deals with the collective behaviour of charged particles in
electromagnetic fields. The application of basic plasma physics to manufacturing and
processing of materials is a new frontier that is of great technological importance to
Canada. Industrial applications of plasma processing include the production of
computer chips and planar optical waveguides, microwave devices, high-efficiency
lamps, particle accelerators, processing of thin films, modification of materials, and
large-scale electricity generation through nuclear fusion. Fusion energy produces no
harmful waste, uses a virtually inexhaustible source of fuel (the hydrogen comes from
water), and is incredibly efficient in the conversion of matter to energy.
The application of plasma physics in material synthesis and modification is the cardinal
focus of plasma research in the College. Carbon nanostructures (diamond films, carbon
nanotubes (CNT), carbon nanocones) have been successfully synthesized with a
unique plasma-assisted technology which allows diamond synthesis at unusually low
Theme 5 – Materials Science – Research Report 2010-11 Page 26