Development of characterization methods for multicomponent mixed phase materials for application in energy and environmental technologies

环境、能源和农业科学都在与土壤、石油和木炭等自然发生的混合相材料的结构复杂性作斗争；此外，这些材料在制造中也会遇到，比如在聚合物、替代能源和生物燃料领域。如果不采用某种程度的分离，多组分混相材料通常难以表征。研究这些系统是必要的，因为组件之间的相互作用最终是基本的和实际的兴趣。由于对体和界面现象都感兴趣，表征方法需要对相非均质性具有鲁棒性，同时保持高灵敏度，定量准确性，并且理想情况下允许观察动态现象。通常需要在这种背景下开发化学探针来实现这些目标。对材料性质起源的深刻理解将最终导致设计原则，使材料具有所需的性质。我们社会所面临的气候变化、能源短缺和粮食不安全等新出现的危机，给材料科学提出了一些重要的任务，在这些任务中，这种理解将是至关重要的。耐用材料需要以最低的能源成本和尽可能小的环境影响大规模生产。此外，还需要解决方案来调解迄今为止遗留环境破坏的影响。使聚合物工业适应可持续的、生物衍生的原料，用生物炭恢复土壤肥力，减少温室气体排放和石油工业的能源强度，这些都是重要的因素。我的NSERC DG项目的主要目标是开发定量的核磁共振协议，适合于表征多组分混合相材料的结构和动力学。这些方法对于开发新材料和加工技术至关重要，这些新材料和加工技术力求：1)减少化石燃料工业对环境的影响；2)尽量减少与传统塑料有关的污染；iii)利用生物炭实现最大规模的碳固存，并具有恢复土壤肥力的附加效益。我在以下方面建立了合作关系：(a)石油服务部门（斯伦贝谢和巴西国家石油公司），旨在提高沥青的稳定性和运输性能；(b)塑胶业（Flexahopper plastics）发展可加工的可生物降解聚合物，成立绿色聚合物及科技中心；(c)农业研究人员采用生物炭土壤改良策略增加土壤碳和养分保留。我在这些努力中的作用是开发核磁共振表征方法来研究这些材料。

The environmental, energy and agricultural sciences all struggle with the structural complexity of naturally occurring mixed-phase materials such as soil, oil and charcoal; furthermore, such materials are encountered in manufacturing as in the polymer, alternative energy and biofuel sectors. Multicomponent mixed-phase materials are typically difficult to characterize without resorting to some degree of separation. It is essential to study these systems as they are, as the interaction between the components is ultimately of fundamental and practical interest. As both bulk and interfacial phenomena are of interest, characterization methods need to be robust to phase heterogeneity while maintaining high sensitivity, quantitative accuracy and ideally permits observation of dynamic phenomena. Frequently chemical probes need to be developed within this context to achieve these goals. A deep understanding into the origin of material properties will ultimately lead to design principles to make materials of with desired properties. The emerging crises of climate change, energy scarcity and food insecurity faced by our society has laid before the material sciences some important tasks, where such understanding will be paramount. Durable materials will need to be produced on a large scale, with the lowest energy cost and the smallest possible environmental impact. Also, solutions will be required to mediate the impact of the legacy environmental damage done to date. Adapting the polymer industry to sustainable, biologically derived, feedstocks, restoring soil fertility with biochar, and reducing GHG and energy intensity of the oil industry would factor highly into such an equation. The main goal of my NSERC DG program is to develop NMR protocols that are quantitative and suited to characterize structure and dynamics in multicomponent mixed-phase materials. Such methods will be essential in the development of new materials and processing technologies that seek: i) to reduce the environmental impact of the fossil fuel industry, ii) to minimize pollution associated with conventional plastics; and iii) to achieve maximal scale carbon sequestration with biochar with the added benefit of restoring soil fertility. I have established collaborations in: (a) the oil services sector (Schlumberger and Petrobras) aiming to improve bitumen stability and transport properties; (b) the plastics sector (Flexahopper Plastics) to develop processable biodegradable polymers establishing the Green Polymer and Technology Centre; and (c) agricultural researchers biochar soil amendment strategies to increase soil carbon and nutrient retention. My role in these endeavours is to develop the NMR characterization methodologies to study these materials.