Dyes which are either sourced directly or derived from naturally-occurring products are of growing interest in the cosmetics industry. Sourcing chemical dyes or their close precursors from natural products can significantly reduce the environmental impact of manufacture by reducing the number of derivatization and purification steps. The industrial partner, Inkbox Ink, currently uses genipin, a […]

Plants produce a blend of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) quickly in response to various growing conditions and plant stressors. These compounds are released well before there are any obvious signs of stress, such as wilting or loss of chlorophyll. Blueberry and other crops with thicker leaves, are slow to show obvious signs of stress and […]

The Freshwater Oil Spill Remediation Study (FOReST) project will use small contained oil spills in enclosed environments within a lake to study examine the effectiveness of shoreline cleanup procedures and potential ecological impacts of oil spills. The resilience of freshwater aquatic ecosystems to recover from a spill will also be examined. We will examine the […]

A crosslink is a chemical bond that links one polymer chain to another. Adding crosslinks can enhance the strength of polymers, and can improve performance at high temperatures. In this collaboration between Epic Ventures Inc and the Wulff Research Group at the University of Victoria, we are inventing a new family of chemical crosslinkers that […]

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia which worsens over time. Current therapeutic against Alzheimer’s disease provides only symptomatic treatment. This limited effectiveness provides us with an opportunity to direct our research efforts towards developing new agents to prevent or retard the disease. Studies have shown that very small amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a […]

The 21st century has witnessed an increased prevalence of men and women removing unwanted body hair for cosmetic, social, cultural, or medical reasons. When not done properly, the removal of unwanted hair can lead to injuries to the skin and can cause ingrown hairs, also known as razor bumps. The prevention of ingrown hairs is […]

This project involves the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of new low-molecular weight gelators for cleaning up oil spills. First responders to oil spills can add these gelators to the oil / water mixture to prevent spreading of the oil before additional resources are available to clean up the spill. This project will involve collaboration with […]

Buckwheat contains an active ingredient that lowers blood glucose in diabetic rats. The active ingredient is not a known compound such as chiro-inositol or rutin. The goal of this project is to fractionate buckwheat by a technique known as countercurrent chromatography (CCC) and determine the presence of a biological activity. This is important for setting […]

Developed advanced carbonaceous materials from processed biomass is of interest for integration into a variety of high performance applications including, plastics, rubbers, adsorbents, and chemicals. Origin Materials has a patented process that converts waste biomass into 5-chloromethlyfurfural (CMF), furfural and hydrothermal carbon (HTC) as a by-product. This research project will examine the high-quality HTC by-product […]

Micro-scale particles composed of high-voltage spinel LNMO (LiNi1-xMnxO4) will be characterized using electron microscopy techniques. These particles are stabilized through the inclusion of coating materials. The methods to prepare these particle coatings consisted of either an in-situ or post-synthetic method. The interface between the particle and the coating will be characterized at the atomic-scale by […]

Small surgical instruments can be used multiple times if cleaned properly after each surgery. At the end of the cleaning process, a visual inspection of each instrument is performed in order to detect any traces of soil such as blood, tissue or any other biological materials. However, the human eye is not a flawless sensor […]

A major contributor to smog formation is the release of volatile chemicals into the atmosphere which are emitted from many sources including automobile exhaust and consumer products such as paints. To combat the adverse effects smog has on air quality in North America, agencies such as Environment and Climate Change (Canada) and the Environmental Protection […]