Replace an obsolete Zetasizer for nanoparticle, colloid and protein size & charge measurements

以无机、有机和生物纳米材料为基础的研究和开发是在原子和分子水平上控制物质以获得新的和更好的材料和产品的不断发展的努力。组件的小型化对于实现更快、更高性能的设备和功能以及降低能源消耗是必要的。无机、有机和生物纳米材料在影响我们日常生活的广泛领域发挥着关键作用，包括能源、电子、医疗、环保、生物工程产业和生命科学。它们在科学和技术发展中发挥着关键作用，可以促进一个国家的经济。部署这些技术将需要应用各种领域的知识、概念和工具，包括上述领域。这取决于我们对目标应用的生物、有机和无机材料的结构、形态、活性和稳定性的了解。该提案的目的是购买新一代Zetasizer Advance Series-Ultra(Red Label)，作为一种高度通用的仪器，允许使用动态光散射(DLS)、静态光散射(SLS)、多角度动态光散射(MADLS)和Zeta电位测量技术测量分散粒子和分子的尺寸、相对分子质量、浓度和Zeta电位。Zetasizer Advance Series-Ultra方法的简单性和准确性使其成为测量分散颗粒和分子的尺寸、相对分子质量、浓度和Zeta电位的重要分析工具。所要求的新一代Zetasizer Advance Series-Ultra设备将在灵敏度和精确测量方面提供一套前所未有的能力，而不受分析时间的限制，从而能够精确地进行测量。这些设备将由至少47名HQP直接使用，为他们的培训增加一个重要组成部分，增加他们的就业能力。迫切需要更换位于UQAM和Concordia大学的两台不起作用的第一代过时机器(25年前获得)，这对所有共同申请者的研究至关重要，并将提高他们建立和加强与学术界和工业界合作的能力。它是对加拿大具有高度社会经济重要性的领域的研究项目所必需的，例如纳米材料、生物材料合成、能量转换和存储、传感器和疫苗。考虑到这些领域的全球重要性，收购这台设备将使我们的研究人员能够开发精确的生物、无机和有机功能纳米材料，并阐明这些纳米材料的物理、化学和生物活性之间的关系，涉及颗粒分布、浓度和分子量，有助于推动加拿大的几个前沿领域的研究。

Inorganic, organic and bio-nanomaterials based research and development is a continuously evolving effort to control substances at the atomic and molecular level to achieve new and better materials and products. The miniaturization of components is necessary to achieve faster, higher-performance devices and functions and to reduce energy consumption. Inorganic, organic and  bio-nanomaterials have come to play a key role in a wide range of fields affecting our daily lives, including energy, electronics, medical, environmental protection, bioengineering industries, and the life sciences. They play a critical role in science and technological developments and can enhance a nation's economy. Deploying these technologies will require the application of knowledge, concepts, and tools from a variety of fields including those mentioned above. This relies on our understanding of the structure, morphology, activity and stability of bio, organic and inorganic materials for the targeted applications.    The aim of this proposal is to purchase a new generation Zetasizer Advance Series-Ultra (Red Label) as a highly versatile instrument allowing the measurement of size, molecular weight, concentration, and zeta potential of dispersed particles and molecules using Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Static Light-Scatering (SLS), Multi-angle Dynamic Light Scattering (MADLS) and Zeta potential measurement techniques. The simplicity and the accuracy of the Zetasizer Advance Series-Ultra method have made it a crucial analysis tool for measurement of size, molecular weight, concentration, and zeta potential of dispersed particles and molecules. The requested new generation Zetasizer Advance Series-Ultra equipment will offer a set of unprecedented capabilities in terms of sensitivity and accurate measurements regardless of analysis time, allowing measurements to be performed with precision.    The equipment will be directly used by at least 47 HQP, adding an important component to their training and increase their employability. It is needed urgently to replace two inoperative first-generation, obsolete machines located at UQAM and Concordia University (acquired over 25 years ago), which is critical to the research of all co-applicants and will raise their ability to build and strengthen their collaborations with academia and industry. It is required for research programs in areas of high socioeconomic importance to Canada, e.g., nanomaterials, bionanomaterials synthesis, energy conversion and storage, sensors, and vaccines. Considering the global importance of these areas, the acquisition of this equipment will enable our researchers to develop accurate bio, inorganic and organic functional nanomaterials and shed light on the relationship between the physical, chemical, and biological activities of these nanomaterials regarding particle size distribution, concentration, and molecular weight, helping propel Canadian research several cutting edge fields.