Micro and Nanoscale Structuring of Cellulosic Materials through Capillary Patterning and Photo-Initiated Crosslinking for Tissue Engineering and 3D Printing Applications
Faculty of Science - Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology,
The project aims at developing novel micro- and nanostructured materials, based on cellulosic components and thiol-ene click chemistry, that can be used to build scaffolds for tissue engineering and other applications. The research in this project leverages two key innovations: 1) modular surface functionalization of nanocellulose that allows the installation of specific reactive groups (provided by Dr. Moran-Mirabal), and 2) use of capillary patterning-stamping and photo-initiated 3D printing technologies (provided by Dr. Cerf) to form structured objects using the modified nanocellulose.
Impact
The project will develop new methods and materials for the fabrication of micro- and nanostructured materials based on cellulosic components. The direct outcomes of this research will be scientific publications and patents related to the developed methodology. In addition, the students involved will experience a multidisciplinary research environment in a different country, with the possibilities of extensive network formation and reciprocal exchanges.
Student Experience
The research described in the project involves a team of early career and young researchers, including two MSc (Helen Luu, and a French student to be recruited) and one PhD (Sokunthearath Saem) students, Dr. Cerf (who is a recent addition to the ELiA team and joined CNRS-LAAS in 2013), and Dr. Moran-Mirabal (who established his research group at McMaster in 2011). This collaborative effort is thus of paramount importance to the team, as it will open the doors to future France-Canada collaborative and funding opportunities. At the same time, the opportunity for graduate students to travel to another country and experience another multidisciplinary research environment will be highly beneficial, as it will expand their horizons, provide them with new scientific and technical skills, help them improve their scientific communication and presentation skills, and improve their French (for Canadian students) and English (for the French student) language skills.
Countries
Canada, France
Impact
Research, Education, Global Partnerships
Institutional Partner(s)
LAAS-CNRS
Community Partner(s)
Industry Partner(s)
Key Outcomes
Publications, Patents
Sponsorship
Federal Foreign
Sponsorship Details
France-Canada Research Fund – New Collaborations Grant Mitacs Globalink – Campus France
