Electron microscopy analysis of (nano)materials with environmental, biological and industrial importance

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Our research team is at the forefront of important research projects related to improving the lives of Canadians. In material science, we aim to better understand the fundamentals of materials, such as polymer assemblies at the nanoscale necessary for a series of applications in additive fabrication and for the design of new metallic catalysts, semi-conductors and electrode materials to address the need for greener synthesis and energy storage. In environmental and biological sciences, we investigate particulate matter causing air and soil pollution in the Canadian Arctic, we study plant biology mechanisms to increase crop yields and our team investigates archeological sites to unravel the mysteries of these sites in Canada. In life science, we design nanosensors to investigate neurological diseases and cancer, and we significantly contribute to the efforts to create new diagnostic technologies in the current pandemic. The Université de Montréal inaugurated a new campus called MIL in Fall 2019 that is dedicated to natural sciences (chemistry, physics, biological sciences and geography). This campus is located off-site from the Université de Montréal main campus. Materials are at the heart of research conducted at Campus MIL and electron microscopy (EM) is routinely needed to provide a high level of detail on the structure and composition of the (nano)materials developed, analyzed and investigated in our research programs. As no electron microscope is available on this campus, we direly need on-campus access to a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to accelerate our research. We therefore request funds to purchase a benchtop electron microscope that will be hosted in the Laboratoire de caractérisation des matériaux, an open access facility on Campus MIL, to train our students and researchers on this essential materials characterization tool and to support our research programs. Central to our research philosophy, we want to democratize access to EM, which is currently restricted to only selected researchers as the use of higher-end instruments is limited due to the extensive training required for the use of EM, the cost associated with their use, and the remote location of this central facility on the main campus of Université de Montréal, which restricts the type of samples that can be analyzed due to transportation issues between campuses. As such, we anticipate significantly increasing the number of researchers trained on EM and therefore contributing to the research of over 200 HQPs in chemistry, biology, physics, and geography in the course of 5 years. We also estimate that the facility will generate high-quality EM images and EDS for approximately 200 research papers in the next 5 years.