ATR-FTIR microscope and fluid cell for tracking hierarchical assembly of molecules to materials

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Based on urgent needs within several NSERC-funded projects, we propose to purchase an FTIR microscope with ATR objective and polarizer for investigating biopolymeric and polymeric materials and a coupled ATR fluid flow cell for investigating biopolymer/polymer solutions. The special features provide a one-stop device capable of following an entire material fabrication process spectroscopically from precursor solution to hierarchically structured material. For example, an ATR objective will enable local spectral measurements on heterogenous biological tissues without damaging sample preparation, while polarization dependent spectra provide information about anisotropic molecular arrangement in hierarchically structured materials. In addition, an ATR fluid flow cell enables small volume measurements of dilute solutions under different buffering conditions/temperature or flowing solutions over the ATR crystal to observe structural changes in situ. Within the proposed research projects, this infrastructure will enable: 1) Characterization of biological material assembly processes and the use of extracted principles to produce sustainable bio-inspired materials and tissue scaffolds (Harrington). 2) Analysis of recombinant protein building blocks towards production of smart devices, including wearable electronics and sensors (Dorval Courchesne). 3) Investigation of diseased bone in an avian model system toward development and assessment of specific targeted treatments (Willie). This work has tangible benefits in two main areas health and sustainable materials. a) Efforts to elucidate the nature of diseased tissue and to generate hierarchically structured tissue scaffolds will have an important impact in the areas of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine with benefits for aging Canadians. b) Waste accumulation from plastics is a major environmental threat. Our efforts to understand the assembly principles of sustainably produced biological materials may inspire greener fabrication processes for advanced materials with tangible environmental impacts, establishing Canada as a world leader in the Green Materials revolution. In addition, the requested infrastructure will provide essential hands on training of HQP within the research groups. This is integral to the well-rounded cross-disciplinary training they receive, providing a skillset sought after in the academic, industrial and health sectors. The current lack of availability to a device with these necessary parameters has significantly impeded a number of HQP projects in the Harrington and Willie groups, while access to this infrastructure will fill a major gap in the research of Dorval-Courchesne. This infrastructure will benefit beyond the described research plans, as it will be associated with the McGill Institute of Advanced Materials (MIAM) of which Harrington is a co-director, thus reaching the Montreal materials community.