Plasma sources and processes for nanomaterial synthesis and reactive species production

其他思想家以前也写过这样的话：“废物是材料放在错误的地方”，“废物是一种资源”。根据最近的全球统计数据，我们从一次能源中提取的能源中，超过50%被浪费在各种转化和储存步骤中，剩下的不到50%被使用。材料的情况更糟，超过70%的初级材料在第一次使用后就被浪费了。我们现在充分认识到，地球的初级资源是有限的，积累在土壤、海洋和大气中的人为废物具有负面、广泛和持久的影响。这些观察使我们认识到，我们没有有效地利用初级资源，不重视浪费。从元素的角度来看，“废物”是由与我们重视的材料(即我们日常使用和后院需要的材料)相同的化学元素组成的，但这恰好是在错误的分子排列或位置上。向可持续利用资源的过渡需要一种以使用可再生能源和材料为特征的系统思维，以及在所有规模上的高效和闭环系统处理。 等离子体状态提供了在任何其他形式的物质中没有遇到的能级、温度和反应速率。当用可再生电力供电时，等离子体作为一种多功能和高效的载体，将电能转化为化学能，并将废物转化为有用的材料。在这些能力的支持下，并亲自推动贡献知识和工具，以实现未来真正可持续的经济，我研究计划的长期目标是在能源和环境工程中开发基于等离子体的技术。具体地说，我对先进纳米材料和纳米结构的合成感兴趣，这些材料和结构用于催化、能源收集、运输和储存，以及用于资源回收和升级循环的等离子体处理。在接下来的五年里，我的研究组将：1)开发和研究用于甲烷转化和NH3合成的新型高压脉冲纳秒等离子体源；2)将我们的纳米催化剂合成能力和认识扩展到双金属纳米颗粒(合金和核壳结构)；以及3)开发和研究用于飞行中纳米颗粒功能化的大容量常压非热等离子体源。我将明智地利用探索基金允许的研究自由来探索新想法和贡献知识，同时培训几名新的研究工程师。我还希望为行业做出专利申请和技术转让的贡献。来自加拿大和海外的六到八名博士生、类似数量的孟候选人和几名实习生将在一个最先进的等离子体处理实验室接受培训，他们的共同愿景是为可持续的未来贡献技术和知识。

Other thinkers have written before that “waste is material at the wrong place” and that “waste is a resource”. According to recent global statistics, more than 50% of the energy we extract from primary sources is wasted in the various transformation and storage steps, leaving less than 50% in use. The situation is even worst for materials, with more that 70% of the primary materials being wasted after a first use. We now fully realize that the planet's primary resources are finite and that the anthropogenic waste that accumulates in the soil, oceans and atmosphere has negative, widepsread and lasting impacts. These observations make us realize that we do not use primary resources efficiently and do not value waste. From the elemental standpoint, “waste” is made up of the same chemical elements as the materials we value (i.e. materials we use daily and want in our backyard) but that happens to be in the wrong molecular arrangement or place. The transition to a sustainable use of resources requires a system's thinking that features the use of renewable energy and materials, as well as efficient and closed-loop processing at all scales. The plasma state gives access to energy levels, temperatures, and reaction rates not encountered in any other forms of matter. When powered with renewable electricity, the plasma acts as a versatile and efficient vector for electrical-to-chemical energy and waste material-to-useful material conversion. Supported by these capabilities and personally driven to contribute knowledge and tools to achieve a truly sustainable economy in the future, the long term goal of my research program is to develop plasma-based technologies in energy and environmental engineering. Specifically, I am interested in the synthesis of advanced nanomaterials and nanostructures for catalysis, energy harvesting, transport and storage, and plasma processing for resource recovery and upcycling. In the next five years, my research group will: 1) develop and study a novel high-pressure pulsed nanosecond plasma source for CH4 conversion and NH3 synthesis; 2) extend our nanocatalyst synthesis capabilities and understanding to bimetallic nanoparticles (alloys and core-shell structures); and 3) develop and study a large-volume atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma source for in-flight functionalization of nanoparticles. I will make a judicious use of the research freedom permitted by the Discovery grant to explore new ideas and contribute to knowledge, while training several new research engineers. I also expect to contribute patent applications and technology transfers to industry. Six to eight PhD candidates, a similar number of MEng candidates, and several interns from Canada and abroad will be trained in a state-of-the-art plasma processing laboratory, with a common vision to contribute technologies and knowledge for a sustainable future.