Nanocarbon-based materials and devices: Chemistry and applications

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Carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotube (CNT) and graphene, present lots of new opportunities and challenges in a wide range of research and technology fields due to their extraordinary physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Further, chemical modification and assembly of nanocarbon with biopolymers and minerals can lead to hybrid materials that are biocompatible and impart specific bio-funtionalities. This NSERC discovery research program aims to create advanced materials and devices based on nanocarbon and nanocarbon-bio hybrids for a range of chemical and biomedical applications. A combination of material synthesis, surface chemical modification, physical chemistry characterization, micro/nanofabrication, and 3D printing approaches will be utilized. The program is divided into three application-oriented themes: a. Nanoporous membranes and nanofluidic devices Membranes and devices with sub-10 nm pores that restrict the flow of ions or molecules in transport media can find applications in food processing, bioreactors and biotechnology, natural gas purification, fuel cell, and water purification. The aim is to design such membranes and devices using carbon nanotube, graphene, and graphene oxide to achieve enhanced hydrodynamic flow while maintaining high selectivity for water purification and solvent separation. b. Carbon nanotube biosensors Crucial to the prevention and control of disease outbreaks is to minimize the time that harmful pathogens (e.g. virus, bacteria) spend in circulation before they are detected. Our aim is to develop low-cost and portable devices based on carbon nanotube biosensors for rapid screening of food- and water- borne pathogens. Such devices will address the need in low-income countries for the prevention of infectious diseases, as well as industrial needs for routine surveillance in food manufacturing worldwide. c. Merging tissue and nanoelectronics Integrate nanoelectronics into tissues is fundamentally a new approach at the interface between nanoscience and biology. Our objective is to incorporate functional electronic devices into synthetic tissues by using reduced graphene oxide to form flexible electronic components, such as electrodes and sensors. Ultimately, our research could lead to disruptive technologies for the fabrication of tissues/organs capable of remote electrical stimulation and continuous monitoring of physiological processes, which can find important applications in drug screening, biorobotics, and implantables.