Environmental Test Chamber Urgently Required to Develop and Calibrate Microfluidic and Thin-film Sensing and Energy Conversion and Storage Technologies

我们要求一流的环境试验室，能够产生各种受控的温度和湿度条件，以支持气体、可穿戴式和冰霜传感器以及能量转换和存储技术的研究项目。试验室的设计和功能符合我们的所有环境测试要求，包括在标准和受控条件下进行的模拟环境测试，如极热、极冷或极湿。这些测试将帮助我们评估和预测传感器、太阳能电池和电池在各种环境压力下的性能，以便它们能够适应现实生活条件下的应用。拟建的试验室温度可以低至零下70摄氏度，以模拟北极或严酷的冬季条件，用于测试气体传感器、冰/霜传感器和锂离子电池。它可以产生高达+185摄氏度的温度，对可穿戴电子产品和太阳能电池进行热冲击，以了解它们的退化机制，并找到延长其寿命的解决方案。该系统还允许湿度控制在10%到98%之间，以测试湿热条件对太阳能电池和传感器运行性能的影响。该试验室包含一个大的内部工作空间，以便于使用定制的测试夹具，该夹具可以自动收集一系列光学和电学测量数据。所有申请者都将能够充分利用会议厅，因为其内置的智能系统允许通过计算机或移动设备全天候远程访问和控制设备。将收集和分析来自长期实验的大数据集，以提高内部构建技术的性能和耐用性。环境舱将在开发高灵敏度传感器、坚固的可穿戴电子设备、高效太阳能电池和耐用电池方面发挥作用。此外，进入商会将为我们的学员提供高级规划和实验设计、编程、耐久性评估、产品生命周期测试和大数据分析方面的适销对路的技术和分析技能。由于商会将设在一个新的制造园区，受训人员将成为一个多样化和多学科用户群体的一部分，并得到采矿、航空、汽车、公用事业、机器人、自动化、材料制造和可再生能源行业合作伙伴的支持。基于我们强大的商业化记录，我们相信，从长远来看，这些行业合作将导致传感和能量存储/转换技术、消费产品和剥离公司的创新。因此，高性能、大容量环境室的提供不仅有利于学术研究，还将在加拿大技术部门创造就业机会和创新，促进强大和耐用的下一代传感以及能量存储和转换技术。

We request a top-of-the-line Environmental Test Chamber that is capable of producing a variety of controlled temperature and humidity conditions to support research projects in gas, wearable and ice/frost sensors, and energy conversion and storage technologies. The design and functionality of the chamber have been selected to meet all of our environmental testing requirements including simulated environmental tests under standardized and controlled conditions such as extremely hot, cold, or humid. These tests will help us evaluate and predict the performance of sensors, solar cells, and batteries under various environmental stresses so that they can be adapted for applications in real-life conditions. The proposed chamber can reach temperatures as low as -70C to simulate Arctic or harsh winter conditions for the test of gas sensors, ice/frost sensors, and lithium-ion batteries. It can generate temperatures as high as +185C to thermally shock wearable electronics and solar cells to understand their degradation mechanisms and find solutions to extend their lifetime. The system further allows for humidity control from 10% to 98% to test the effect of damp-heat conditions on the operational performance of solar cells and sensors. The chamber contains a large internal workspace to facilitate the use of custom test fixtures that can be automated to collect a range of optical and electrical measurements. All applicants will be able to make full use of the chamber due to its built-in smart system that permits 24/7 remote access and control over the equipment via a computer or mobile device. Large datasets from long-term experiments will be collected and analyzed to improve the performance and durability of in-house built technologies. The environmental chamber will be instrumental in developing highly sensitive sensors, robust wearable electronics, highly efficient solar cells, and durable batteries. In addition, access to the chamber will provide our trainees with marketable technical and analytical skills in advanced planning and experimental design, programming, durability assessment, product life cycle testing, and big data analysis. Since the chamber will be located in a new manufacturing precinct, trainees will be part of a diverse and multidisciplinary user-group, supported by industry partners in mining, aviation, automotive, utilities, robotics, automation, materials manufacturing, and renewable energy. Based on our strong track record of commercialization, we are convinced that these industrial collaborations will lead to innovations in sensing and energy storage/conversion technologies, consumer products, and spin-off companies in the long term. The availability of a high-performance, large-capacity environmental chamber will, therefore, not only benefit academic research but also create jobs and innovations in the Canadian technology sector, promoting robust and durable next-generation sensing and energy storage and conversion technologies.