News

Professor Milad Kamkar’s research group has developed the first all-graphene water-based ink for 3D printing via direct ink writing. The ink promises to unlock new possibilities for addressing environmental challenges, such as eliminating invisible electromagnetic pollution from our surroundings.

The eco-friendly graphene ink enables groundbreaking applications in advanced fields, including electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, electronics, and environmental protection while providing a scalable solution for next-generation 3D-printed technologies.

Graphene is a material renowned for its remarkable strength, electrical conductivity, and thermal properties. One of the challenges to the widespread utilization of graphene is that it is typically produced in powder form, which is difficult to handle and limits its full application potential.

Researchers overcame this barrier by precisely engineering the nano-scale surface chemistry of graphene nanosheets to make them dispersible in water, creating a room-temperature printable, eco-friendly ink.

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

Researchers at the University of Waterloo are taking a novel approach to tackle the critical issue of microplastic pollution in water systems. The research team is engineering bacteria that already exist in wastewater to break down Polyethylene terephthalate(PET).

Plastic waste in water systems is an urgent environmental concern. PET plastics degrade into microplastics that adversely impact the ecosystems of our lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Professor Marc Aucoin from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Professor Brian Ingalls from the Department of Applied Mathematics with PhD student Aaron Yip are developing a technique that enables wastewater bacteria to break the links between plastic molecules so PETs can be degraded.

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.

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.

A new study by researchers at the University of Waterloo has uncovered a crucial mechanism in the evolution of regulatory systems in E. coli that could have far-reaching applications in cancer therapy and biomanufacturing for products such as insulin or mRNA vaccines.

The critical insight arose when the research team examined a regulatory mechanism near the tail end of a protein called PykF

“A helpful analogy to understand this mechanism is the speedometer in a car. When you're driving through a town, where there are dangers to avoid, you need to know how fast you're going, so the speedometer is important. But, if you're on an open stretch of road with no risks, you can throw the speedometer out the window and put the pedal to the metal,” said Dr. Christian Euler from the Department of Chemical Engineering. “The research opens up the potential to one day put a new stoplight on the road to limit growth rate.”

Ever heard of the phrase coined by Friedrich Nietzsche, “the devil is in the details”? Professors William Anderson and Boxin Zhao have advanced the battle against microplastic pollution by uncovering the intricate details of how microplastics degrade in the environment. Observation and understanding the fine details of microplastics are key to eradicating them from our environment.

The research group has been able to observe the degradation of micro and nanoplastics with unprecedented detail. In collaboration with the National Research Council (NRC) researchers leveraged 3D imaging technology, which allows for a much deeper understanding of the microplastic degradation process than traditional 2D microscopy.

This detailed observation is the first of its kind, demonstrating the potential of 3D imaging as a powerful tool in microplastic research.

Imagine a coat that harnesses solar energy to keep you warm on a brisk winter walk, or a shirt that seamlessly monitors your heart rate and temperature. Picture athletes wearing smart clothing that tracks their performance, all without the burden of bulky battery packs.

Professor Yuning Li's research group has developed a smart fabric with these remarkable capabilities. The fabric can potentially harvest energy, monitor health, and track movement.

The new fabric, designed by the research team, can convert body heat and solar energy into electricity, potentially enabling continuous operation without the need for an external power source. Additionally, different sensors that monitor temperature, stress, and more can be integrated into the material.

Professor Boxin Zhao is this year’s recipient of the Ontario Professional Engineering Association (OPEA) Research and Development Engineering Medal.

Administered by OPEA, the Research and Development Engineering Medal is awarded to individuals who have advanced engineering knowledge and have developed useful and novel applications. Zhao certainly fits the bill.

Zhao's research is at the frontier of surface science and engineering. His work focuses on innovative soft matter engineering and bionanomaterials research aimed at advancing sustainable manufacturing. This includes the development of smart polymers, advanced adhesives, and coating materials.

Azin Adibi has always had a passion for working in the field of polymer science. During high school, she won the prestigious Khwarizmi Youth Award for a project which developed biodegradable plastics from potato starch. This achievement further ignited her interest in polymer engineering, particularly in sustainable and green materials. As a result, she pursued research opportunities in this field and eventually immigrated to Canada to pursue a graduate degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

“I was drawn to the University of Waterloo's Chemical Engineering program specifically due to the department's strong focus on polymer science and engineering, combined with the interdisciplinary approach of the Institute for Polymer Research and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, which offered me the ideal environment to explore my research interests,” says Adibi.