Water-soluble polymers for use in stimuli-responsive materials, water treatment and flocculation of oil sands tailings

旨在开发新技术以促进可持续性、加强环境保护、减少对环境的影响和改善人类健康的研究活动导致水溶性聚合物材料的使用越来越多。相比之下，今天制造的大多数商业聚合物是石油基的，并且仅可溶于有机溶剂。本提案中描述的研究活动涉及来自三个部门（化学工程，土木工程，化学）的五名研究人员组成的高度合作团队，他们正在调查水溶性聚合物在各种前沿应用中的使用，这些应用对加拿大社会和加拿大经济具有重大的潜在利益，包括：1.刺激响应材料，其使用比现有刺激响应材料更安全且更环保的触发物（二氧化碳）; 2.油砂尾矿的处理，这是石油工业和环境的主要问题; 3。使用基于二氧化碳响应性聚合物的正向渗透来净化水; 4.基于可再生的天然聚合物的新型复合材料，包括纤维素、壳聚糖和淀粉，以取代石油基产品; 4.一种新的“绿色”型油漆，不含VOC（挥发性有机成分）;以及5.用于生物医学的聚合物。所有这些有针对性的项目显然都属于女王战略研究计划（2012-2017年）的范围。 所有这些研究活动的共同点是需要表征正在使用的聚合物。要测量的最关键的性质之一是分子量分布，其是单个聚合物链长度的量度。分子量决定了任何聚合物的几个关键特性。具体而言，我们要求使用水性凝胶渗透色谱仪（GPC），也称为尺寸排阻色谱仪（SEC）。迫切需要获得用于共同申请人的研究活动的现代水性GPC。缺乏足够的设备导致研究工作的延误，完全无法进行某些研究，和/或降低研究的生产力和质量。这些设备是迫切需要的，将大量使用至少三个不同的部门在女王的，并将提供培训15-20高素质的人员每年。这些设备也将提供给其他研究人员，因为化学工程系已同意提供一名全职仪器经理，以支持设备的操作和维护，并培训外部用户。

Research activity targeting the development of new technologies to promote sustainability, increased protection for the environment, reduced environmental impact and improvements to human health is resulting in increasing use of polymeric materials that are water-soluble. In contrast, most commercial polymers manufactured today are petroleum-based and are soluble only in organic solvents. The research activities described in this proposal involve a highly collaborative team of five researchers from three departments (Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemistry) who are investigating the use of water-soluble polymers for a range of diverse leading-edge applications with significant potential benefit to Canadian society and the Canadian economy including: 1. Stimuli responsive materials that use a safer and more environmentally benign trigger (carbon dioxide) than existing stimuli responsive materials; 2. Treatment of oil sands tailings, a major concern for the petroleum industry and the environment; 3. Purification of water using forward osmosis based on carbon dioxide responsive polymers; 4. New composite materials based on renewable, naturally occurring polymers including cellulose, chitosan and starch to replace petroleum-based products; 4. A new, “green” type of paint that is VOC (Volatile Organic Component) free; and 5. Polymers for biomedicine. All of these targeted projects clearly fall within the Queen’s Strategic Research Plan (2012-2017). Common to all these research activities is the need to characterize the polymers that are being used. One of the most critical properties to be measured is the molecular weight distribution, which is a measure of the length of the individual polymer chains. Molecular weight determines several key properties of any polymer. Specifically we are requesting an aqueous gel permeation chromatograph (GPC), also known as size exclusion chromatograph (SEC). There is an urgent need to acquire a modern aqueous GPC for the co-applicants’ research activities. The lack of adequate equipment is resulting in delays in conducting research, an outright inability to conduct some research, and/or reduced research productivity and quality. The equipment is urgently needed and will be heavily used by at least three different departments at Queen’s and will provide training for 15-20 Highly Qualified Personnel per year. The equipment will also be available to other researchers as the Chemical Engineering department has agreed to provide a full time instrumentation manager to support the equipment operation and maintenance, and to train external users.