Fundamentals and Novel Applications of Natural Carbonaceous Materials: Maximizing Economic Values and Improving Environmental Performances

毫无疑问，天然含碳材料对加拿大经济的重要性。然而，从生产到使用，它们对我们的环境造成的有害影响是不可避免的。虽然过去的研究极大地丰富了我们对分级天然含碳材料的行为和性质的了解，但由于缺乏适用的/可获得的工具，这些材料的协同和集体功能仍然是个谜。此外，同样重要但尚未引起足够重视的一点是，开发天然含碳材料及其燃烧以外的副产品的绿色应用。因此，这项研究计划的长期目标是：1)从根本上了解天然碳材料在不同物理、化学和热处理条件下的协同/集体行为和性质，并进一步为其工业加工提供实用指导；2)利用最先进的添加剂制造技术，刺激非合成重烃在电子产品中的应用并将其商业化；3)开发统一的理论来描述多组分体系的一般行为，并将其应用于水和废水管理。这一研究计划的成果将是：a)可为研究其他复杂系统量身定做的基础研究工具；b)天然含碳材料及其副产品的结构-过程-性质关系数据库；以及c)从传统的天然含碳材料燃烧向新型绿色电子应用的范式转变。

There is no doubt on the importance of natural carbonaceous materials to Canada's economy. Yet their deleterious impact on our environment is inevitable from production to utilization. While past studies have greatly enriched our knowledge of the behaviors and properties of fractionated natural carbonaceous materials, synergistic and collective functions of these materials remain mysterious due to lacking applicable/accessible tools. In addition, one equally important piece, which hasn't drawn enough attention, is to develop green applications of natural carbonaceous materials and their byproducts beyond combustion. Therefore, the long-term goals of this research program are to: 1) fundamentally understand the synergistic/collective behaviors and properties of natural carbonaceous materials under different physical, chemical, and thermal treatments, and further provide practical guidance for their industrial processing; 2) utilizing state-of-the-art additive manufacturing techniques, stimulate and commercialize the applications of non-synthetic heavy hydrocarbons in electronics; and 3) developing a unified theory to describe general behaviors of multicomponent systems, and extending its application to water and wastewater management. The outcome of this research program will be: a) fundamental research tools that can be tailored for investigating other complex systems; b) databases of structure-process-property relationship for natural carbonaceous materials and their byproducts; and c) a paradigm shift from traditional combustion of natural carbonaceous materials to novel, green applications in electronics.