Controlling and harnessing the effects of nanoconfinement in colloidal polymers and polymer-colloid hybrids

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Our research program will harness the effects of confinement in nanocolloidal polymer systems to develop a new generation of functional materials. When polymers, colloids and small molecules are confined and contained within small nano- and micro-scale volumes, they start to behave in an irregular manner, more fickle and less predictable. Their structure and dynamics are altered, and they display unique physical, mechanical and chemical properties that are different from the same material in a bulk state. The origins of this confinement effect are poorly understood but primarily ascribed to the large interfacial area inherent to the formation of nano- or micro- scale confinements. At the interface, the structure and conformation of the entrapped species differ from the bulk. This can affect the molecular structure adopted, the intermolecular interaction formed, and the chemical reactivity observed within the confined geometries. Polymer chains can be confined within, on, or around nanocolloids, and the confinement effect generated by nanocolloidal systems can influence polymer materials at different stages, from their synthesis to their final behavior. The goals of the program are: (1) To use the confinement of polymer precursors to promote the synthesis of polymer materials derived from waste products generated by the Canadian industry (eg. oil and gas, pulp and paper, .). (2) To develop a deeper understanding of how the degree of confinement and the chemical composition affect the local behavior (dynamics, conformation) of the polymers and how this relates to the global material properties by studying a variety of polymer-functionalized (polymer) nanoparticle. (3) To develop or improve processing methods to use the confinement as a design element and convert those nanocolloidal systems into materials that can benefit end-users. By exploiting how the interactions, conformations, and reactivities within confined polymer systems can be tuned and controlled, this research program will lead to the development of colloidal systems with improved properties and new design rules to fabricate functional polymer/nanocolloid hybrid materials. It will be used to produce new materials like sensors, drug delivery systems, water purification membranes, or anticorrosion coatings, while developing valorization routes for industrial by-products. This program represents an excellent opportunity to train HQPs in the broader area of material sciences, which is of great social and economic importance for the manufacturing sector and provides them with a multidisciplinary formation preparing them for the job market.