INNOLEC lecture: Kevin De France

Department of Plasma Physics and Technology cordially invites you to an INNOLEC lecture from a guest from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada:

Kevin De France ​– From biomass to bioproducts: Designing sustainable materials with cellulose & protein

This lecture will highlight key research developments in the De France Lab, focused on designing high-performance sustainable materials from biomass feedstocks as a practical replacement for non-renewable products. A typical workflow in the De France Lab encompasses the synthesis and modification of nanomaterial ‘building blocks’ from cellulose or proteins – two of the most abundant natural polymers on Earth. We then utilize these building blocks (for example: cellulose nanocrystals and protein nanofibers) in the bottom-up fabrication of materials such as hydrogels, aerogels, emulsions, and films for a variety of applications.

An emphasis is placed on understanding and leveraging structure-function relationships between individual building blocks and fabricated material assemblies in order to improve key performance metrics such as mechanical strength, adhesive potential, and structural ordering. Applications including water treatment (aerogel adsorbents and additives for anaerobic digestion processes), bio-based films and coatings, and biomedical materials will be highlighted. Taken together, the design and engineering of sustainable materials from biomass represents a significant milestone towards a collective greener future.