News

Researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering have developed a new 3D-printed electrode design for redox flow batteries, a promising technology for storing energy generated by wind and solar power. Their work shows how carefully designed internal structures can help battery liquids move more effectively through the system while reducing the energy needed to pump the liquid.

Led by Professor Maxime van der Heijden, the research team created porous electrodes using 3D printing. The goal was to improve what engineers call mass transport, the movement of molecules in the battery liquid to the places where energy-storing reactions occur.

Redox flow batteries work differently from the lithium-ion batteries found in phones and electric vehicles. Instead of storing energy in solid materials, they store energy in liquid electrolytes held in external tanks. Because the amount of stored energy can be increased by using larger tanks, these batteries are attractive for large-scale renewable energy storage and grid applications.

Electrodes are a critical part of the battery because they provide the surface where chemical reactions take place. Making electrodes porous increases the available surface area and creates more locations where these reactions can occur.

Three chemical engineering graduate students won in the Academy of Research Commercialization (ARC) inaugural pitch competition.

ARC is a new program launched jointly between the Faculty of Engineering and the Conrad School of Business in collaboration with Velocity and WatCo (Waterloo Commercialization Office).

ARC provides programming such as fund preparation, and workshops for PhD students aiming to transform deep-tech research into for-profit ventures. 

Three entrepreneurially minded chemical engineering graduate students were winners of the competition.

Drew Davidson’s start-up ArcticEdge Technologies Inc. was one of the winners. Davidson, who is co-supervised by Professors Milad Kamkar and Valerie Ward, was inspired by his mother, Kelley Willemze who was a firefighter in Cambridge for over 30 years.

A research group led by Professor Tizazu Mekonnen has designed a lightweight, flexible polymer-based material that blocks X-ray radiation, offering a potential alternative to heavy lead aprons currently used.

X-rays are a necessary tool in medical diagnostics, industrial inspection, security screening, military applications and more. Exposure to radiation is a concern, highlighting the need for lightweight, lead-free shielding materials that protect against harmful radiation.

In a previous study investigations focused on using safer alternative elements to lead, which comes with its own health risks. Researchers experimented with using bismuth, tungsten, gadolinium, barium, and other heavy metals, as well as their compounds that were incorporated into a polymer matrix.

In the current work, the research group used tungsten because it has high density at the atomic level, which is effective in blocking x-ray radiation. The focus is on the polymer’s design architecture. The group discovered that when they added more tungsten nanoparticles, the material blocked X-ray radiation better but became stiff.

A student lead research team designs an easy method to generate programmed shape-change and movement in soft robots.

The team worked with hydrogels—soft, tissue‑like materials that are biocompatible. These materials are promising for developing microrobots to perform non-invasive biomedical tasks within biological media, like gastrointestinal or reproductive tracts. Their approach could pave the way to create motion in soft robots and other smart devices, opening the door to a new generation of soft medical devices.

This research was driven by student curiosity. PhD student Negin Bouzari was inspired by a review paper.

Her supervisor Hamed Shahsavan, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, hired four undergraduate co-op students from across faculties to assist with her research.

A research team on point with Waterloo’s commitment to bringing undergrads into the heart of cutting-edge research and fueling interdisciplinary collaboration.

A research group led by Professor Michael Tam has developed a new water-based pesticide delivery formulation that dramatically improves how pesticides stick to plant leaves even in wind and rain.

Early field trials conducted with an industrial partner in Singapore demonstrated the potential of the technology. Cabbage plots were seeded with insect pests and the water-based formulation outperformed conventional pesticide systems, delivering better pest control using less active ingredients.

Current pesticide delivery systems rely on chemicals and solvents to help pesticide droplets stay on plant leaves and spread, which can be harmful to the environment.

 Standard practice is crops are protected by pesticides via liquid sprays using nozzles, mist sprays or from airplanes as a result, pesticides do not always reach their intended target, bouncing off plant leaves, drifting into the air or washing into soil and waterways leading to economic loss for farmers and environmental contamination.

The Department of Chemical Engineering is proud to announce that Professor Milad Kamkar is one of the recipients of the 2026 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineering Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineering (SME).

This award recognizes early career engineers who have made exceptional contributions and accomplishments in the manufacturing industry.

“This award is deeply meaningful to me because my research group is focussed on fabricating advanced materials via novel manufacturing techniques. Manufacturing is the area where I hope my research will make a tangible real-life impact. Receiving this recognition from the most relevant society in the field affirms we are on the right track,” says Kamkar. “I was also humbled to be nominated by both my former supervisors, Professors Orlando Rojas and Uttandaraman Sundararaj.”

Kamkar’s group has developed several novel manufacturing techniques over the last several years. His research group has created the following novel manufacturing techniques:  droplet templating,  chaotic direct ink writing , Janus liquids/aerogels, liquid in liquid printing, and liquid streaming. In addition, his group also develops novel functional links for 3D printing.  

Each year, the Capstone Design Symposium stands as a defining milestone for our graduating students, marking the moment when years of study, experimentation, and hands‑on learning culminate in original engineering solutions.

This year’s graduating class identified meaningful problems, developed innovative approaches, and created their projects under the guidance of instructors, mentors, and industry partners.

Students tackled challenges as diverse as designing environmentally friendly glitter for cosmetics that avoids the microplastics found in most commercial products to developing early fault detection systems for lithium‑ion batteries to improve safety and reliability.

This year there were eight winning teams. Group 1 won the Bhattacharyya Capstone Design Award, valued at up to $3,000. This award is made possible through the generosity of Dr. Dilip and Mrs. Manjusha Bhattacharyya.

Professors Luis Ricardez-Sandoval and Pascal Poupart received $480K from the Bank of Montreal (BMO) and MITACS to design reinforcement learning tools for rare earth element (REE) recycling. The four-year interdisciplinary project between the Department of Chemical Engineering and Cheriton School of Computer Science will use reinforcement learning (RL) to design more efficient, sustainable recycling systems for REEs.

RREs are essential to global economies and used in a wide range of high-tech applications. They are used in the electronics, clean energy, aerospace, automotive, and defence industries to create products like cell phones, computers, batteries, MRI machines, jet craft, lasers, LEDs and more.

Canada is invested in being a global leader in critical‑mineral recycling and leveraging its resources to strengthen national security and promote economic growth. As demand for batteries, semiconductors, and clean‑energy technologies accelerates, Canada is looking beyond traditional mining.

“Eventually we’re going to run out of those mining resources, and we will need to recycle rare earth elements using advanced systems that can reduce waste, capital expenses and energy consumption,” says Ricardez-Sandoval, Director of the Chemical Process Optimization, Multiscale Modelling and Process Systems Group

A chemical engineering research group led by Professor Tizazu Mekonnen has developed an eco-friendly super absorbent hydrogel that could dramatically reduce the environmental impact of personal hygiene products like diapers, menstrual pads and tampons.

Unlike current products, which take centuries to break down, this new material degrades harmlessly in soil within three months.

In North America, billions of disposable diapers end up in landfills annually, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) taking up to 450 years to decompose.

Around 1.8 billion women menstruate monthly, and most single-use menstrual pads and tampons also end up in landfills. These products are about 90 per cent plastic and can take up to 500 years to break down, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

These are uncertain times for industry, as it navigates survival with geopolitical changes looming, inflation, and supply chain issues.

Chemical Engineering researchers are developing innovative methods to harness machine learning (ML) for industrial applications, helping industries plan production more effectively in the face of unpredictable conditions.

A research group led by Professor Luis Ricardez-Sandoval is using ML methods to train “smart agents” to make production scheduling decisions in chemical and manufacturing systems where there is uncertainty.

The agents are trained through simulations of plant processes that include unexpected events, for example, equipment failure or a sudden change in production demands.