Composite nanomaterials: small-scale control and mapping, large impact on science and society

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These funds support the students in my research group, in our continued development of new nanomaterials and new methodologies to analyze complex materials. Our approach to scientific research brings together both fundamental investigation, creating innovative new materials, and the applied work of incorporating these materials into functional devices, which increases the value of our output and leads to technology transfer to end users (i.e. the general public). Building on our prior success with optoelectronic devices for environmental sensors, in this next grant cycle we will design and create two new classes of optoelectronic materials: magnetically enhanced plasmonics and tunable ultrathin organic film. These multifunctional materials will become the core of next--generation solid--state sensors and form integral components of molecular electronics. The impact will be felt in both the high--tech sector and in the everyday lives of Canadians who need more accessible testing for drinking water quality in remote areas. Expanding on our significant achievements in probing the nanomechanics of biological tissue, we will extend our work to link multiscale mechanical response to biological impact, in both eye tissue and in artificial tissue scaffolds. We anticipate two major impacts from this work over the next five years. First, mechano-chemical indicators of retinopathies will inform new approaches to treatment and prevention of blindness from diseases which impact so many Canadians. Second, a multiscale understanding of artificial tissue scaffolds will provide better in vitro models for cancer research. In addition to this direct benefit to the health of Canadians and the associated business opportunities, the new techniques and analyses which we develop will also advance Canadian and international efforts in soft materials and biomedical research.