News

Researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering have developed a new method for engineering bacteria that can be leveraged to improve biomedical applications such as drug delivery, cancer therapy, anti-inflammatory treatments, and vaccine development.

The international research group, led by Professor Yilan Liu, developed a process that enables bacteria to secrete bacterial membrane vesicles (BMVs). BMVs are nanosized bubble-shaped structures naturally released by bacteria. They have significant potential as tools for the development of a variety of therapeutics.  

Currently, the adoption of BMVs has been hindered by low production yields under natural conditions. The technique established by Liu resulted in a 140-fold increase in the secretion of BMVs.

"This advancement in bacterial engineering has the potential to be a transformative platform for next-generation vaccines, therapeutics, and nutrient delivery," says Liu. "This new process could profoundly impact global health by making biomedical treatments more efficient, accessible, and affordable."

The Department of Chemical Engineering is proud to announce the appointment of Professor Evelyn Yim as an NSERC Canada Research Chair in Nanomaterials for Regenerative Medicine.

Yim has also been awarded over $ 1 million to conduct research focusing on understanding and enhancing microenvironments by controlling cell-nanostructure interactions for applications in regenerative medicine.

Her research examines how cells respond to biomaterials, focusing on 2D and 3D systems. The field of regenerative nanomedicine uses nanotechnology to repair or regenerate damaged tissue and organs. She uses principles of engineering and biological science to advance regenerative nanomedicine.

Offering promising solutions for a range of diseases

Yim’s research group is developing different types of nanofabrication materials to mimic natural nanostructures found in the human body to guide cell growth.

Yim conducts pioneering research in nanotopography, cell therapy, and improving the design of neural stem cells.  She has advanced innovations in tissue engineering for vascular and corneal disease.

Climate change is devastating the world’s coral reefs, and pollution from microplastics in the oceans further damages these delicate ecosystems. Researchers at the University of Waterloo have made a breakthrough in understanding how and why microplastics get trapped in coral reefs. The new study sheds light on the role of mucus naturally secreted by coral reefs in the accumulation of microplastic pollution.

Removal strategies must ensure that detaching microplastics does not worsen environmental impact by floating back into the ocean water. Designing artificial coral reefs to capture microplastics may be the most promising answer in the race to save the planet’s coral reefs.

Coral reefs are diverse and important ecosystems, providing habitat for 25 percent of all marine life. They provide food, shelter, breeding grounds, and nurseries for millions of species. Coral reefs play a role in filtering water and creating oxygen. They also protect shorelines from the impact of storms and floods.

Chemical engineering graduate student Ananya Muralidharan took first place in this year’s GradFlix competition! Three other chemical engineering graduate students were finalists!

GRADflix is an annual competition that invites graduate students to present their complex research in a way that is accessible to a wider audience. Graduate students create presentations using a combination of live footage, slideshows, and animations to showcase their work. A panel of judges from various fields at the University of Waterloo selects the top four videos, which receive cash prizes. Additionally, there is a Finalist’s Choice Award determined by voting from fellow participants.

Launched in 2018 by the University of Waterloo’s Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA), GRADflix is funded by graduate students through the Graduate Studies Endowment Fund. Three other chemical engineering students were also finalists.

Inspired by the movement of water striders cruising on the surface of water, a research group led by Professor Hamed Shahsavan have designed smart, soft microrobots whose movements can be controlled by light, offering exciting possibilities in environmental remediation and biomedical applications.

Imagine autonomous robots deployed to clean up microplastics in bodies of water. The research also has potential in biomedical applications. Microrobots could be guided inside the human body to conduct medical procedures.

“We’re moving toward smart swimming robots with more autonomous behaviour, by making them respond to external cues like light, or magnetic fields,” said Shahsavan, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering

Imagine walking your dog in the middle of a blizzard or spending the day on a frigid ski hill and instead of wearing bulky layers, you have a winter coat that heats up autonomously!

New innovative cloth developed by a research group led by Professor Yuning Li requires no bulky batteries or manual controls, the warmth generated by the fabric comes entirely from solar energy, making it an environmentally friendly, self-sustaining solution for winter wear.

 Within 10 minutes of exposure to sunlight, the fabric’s temperature is able to rise by 30 degrees Celsius, keeping you cozy on a cold winter day.

Researchers have designed solar-powered smart fabric that not only warms up but also customizes its colour. A significant feature of this smart fabric fiber is its reversible colour-changing capability, which can monitor temperature fluctuations.

Professors Aiping Yu and Michael Fowler have been named on the Highly Cited Researchers™ list from Clarivate. Researchers on that list have publications that rank in the top one percent of citations globally and are deemed influential in their respective fields.

Yu’s research expertise is in utilizing graphene for energy storage in Zinc-ion and Na-ion batteries to increase their energy and power density using 2D materials. As Director of the Applied Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory, she is also focused on lithium battery recycling. Yu is also researching carbon dioxide conversion, using electrochemical cells to turn CO2 into small-chain chemicals like methane.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo can now make eco-friendly plastics using bacteria that feed on food scraps from your table. Unlike animals that store fat when they consume excess food, these bacteria store a biopolymer. Biopolymers are natural polymers produced by the cells of living organisms that are fully biodegradable. The biopolymer can be used in multiple applications, including single-use plastics.  

Utilizing food waste is beneficial to the environment as it typically generates methane and carbon dioxide when decomposing in landfills, contributing to greenhouse gases. 

Plastics produced using this new method have many potential applications. For example, in food packaging as a plastic film to cover meat.

A research group from the Department of Chemical Engineering, led by Professor Yverick Rangom, has made a breakthrough in lithium-ion battery design to enable extremely fast charging. With this novel technology, the batteries can charge from zero to 80 percent in just 15 minutes, a significant improvement over the current industry standard.

Batteries fabricated using this new strategy were shown to undergo 800 extreme fast charging cycles, a feat not possible with current EV batteries which limit charging times to prevent degradation.

The novel technology addresses major hurdles in the mass adoption of EVs: charging speed and cost.

In 2023, Professors William Anderson and Marc Aucoin supervised preliminary research on concussion biomarkers found in bodily fluids, particularly saliva.

Exploring concussion biomarker research

Initially, Shazia Tanvir, a research associate of Anderson’s, began exploring research on concussion biomarkers. She was later introduced to Andrew Cordssen-David, who was a Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology student at the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business at the time.

Cordssen-David was also a former student-athlete who played for the varsity men’s hockey team at the University of Waterloo and had experienced his share of concussions. Recognizing the potential impact of a saliva-based concussion test, Cordssen-David and Tanvir got to work, committing themselves to developing a new concept for a saliva-based concussion screening tool.