Development of a Raman probe for the on-line determination of pulp properties

Canadian northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) market pulps set standards worldwide for fibre strength, length, fineness and uniformity. These characteristics add unmatched strength and durability to finished goods, and this drives a high international demand for NBSK pulp. However, competition has increased the price-performance pressure on Canadian suppliers. The Canadian pulp industry must innovate to […]

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Validation and Development of Clinically Relevant Copper Complexes for the Treatment of Bacterial Infections

Nearly 70% of all drug candidates are not pursued for pharmaceutical development because they cannot be dissolved into solutions appropriate for human use. Cuprous Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CPI) recently discovered that some of these drugs could be dissolved in the presence of certain metal ions. Furthermore, a number of metal-drug complexes are more therapeutically active than […]

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Evaluation and Identification of Gaps and Technical Challenges in Candidate Carbon Capture/CO2 Conversion Technologies Part 2

In the wake of the Paris meeting on global climate change in December of 2015 (COP21), commitments to drive down greenhouse gas emissions have escalated around the world. Man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are accepted as the largest contributor to climate change. Promising next-generation technologies for decreasing CO2 emissions are being investigated at the lab […]

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Optical determination of membrane defects and correlation with fuel cell performance and durability – Year two

There is a strong push toward producing fuel cells on a commercial scale. This means a greater focus on production speed and yields with a need to understand the unintended features that arise from larger-scale manufacturing processes. This project requires the set up of state-of-the-art, camera-vision, defect detection equipment to find and collect observed membrane […]

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Design and Synthesis of Stimuli Responsive Viscosifying Agents for use in Fracturing Fluids

Fluids used in hydraulic fracturing are designed to open fractures and transport proppant along the fracture to ensure conservation of the fracture. Scientists in the industry use commercially available polymers that are produced at low-cost in high volumes for other industries (e.g. water treatment) without really understanding the reasons why these polymers have the desired […]

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Process Development of Volatile Cobalt ALD Precursors

Cobalt thin-films have found widespread applications in microelectronics devices; such as liners in copper interconnects, wetting layers, and caps, in addition to applications for magnetic devices and CoSi2 contacts. CVD and ALD techniques are typically used to achieve cobalt films between 2-5 nm thick with excellent conformalities and negligible resistance increase. Leading precursors for cobalt […]

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Synthesis of diamond and diamond-like films

This project is geared towards the development of a cost-effective method to fabricate thin films of carbon materials, such as diamond. The idea is to use solution-based methods coupled to electrochemistry to produce the films. Avenues for the deposition of the film on surfaces of arbitrary shapes will also be explored. Carbon based thin films, […]

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Real-time Quantitative Analysis of Cannabinoids in Cannabis

The medical marijuana industry has attracted significant attention recently due to its impending legalization in Canada in the coming year. Along with legalization comes the need for accurate and dependable characterization of the components in the product that is to be consumed by the end user. Keystone Labs is a certified cannabis analysis lab with […]

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Development and Commercialization of a Novel Catalyst System for Advanced Electrochemical Oxidation of Industrial Wastewater Pollutants

The aim of this project is to develop a novel catalyst system for treatment of organic and nitrogen containing pollutants in wastewater generated by various industrial sectors. Development of such system is necessary as the discharge regulations are becoming increasingly restricted. The research focuses on electrode design and fabrication that treat toxic wastewater, with an […]

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Portable diagnostic device for outpatient BNP detection – Year two

Heart Failure (HF) occurs when the heart becomes damaged or weakened. HF is an epidemic, with approximately 1 million Canadians affected. BNP is an effective diagnostic and prognostic marker for HF. There is a direct correlation between elevated concentrations of BNP in the blood and the severity of HF symptoms. The need for point-of-care monitoring […]

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