Chemical Analysis Laboratory

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pectroscopy Instruments
Agilent 8453 UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
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Wavelength: 190-1100 nm
Temperature range (10-110° C)
Quantitative analysis for UV-Vis absorbing materials
Perkin Elmer Lamda 1050 UV-Vis –NIR Spectrophotometer
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Wavelength range 185 nm – 3300 nm
Photometric Range: 0.0002- 8 AU
Liquid and solid samples measuring capabilities
150 mm Integrating Sphere (Total Diffuse Reflectance)
Triple detector module
Peltier System, temperature range 5 to 100°C
Varian FTS 7000 FT-IR Imaging System
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DTGS detector for bulk sample measurement
Single element MCT and FPA MCT detectors (Focal Plane Array) (64×64, takes 4096 spectra at the same time over 350×350 micron area)
Covers 5000 cm-1 to 950 cm-1 for MCT detectors
Grazing angle objective and 36x Cassegrain objective
Thermo Nicolet Almega XR Raman Microscope
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A confocal Raman microscope
10x, 20x, 50x and 100x objectives
532 nm and 785 nm lasers with CCD detector
Microscope stage resolution of 0.1 micron
Jasco J-810 Circular Dichroism Chiroptical Spectrometer
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CD/ORD spectra for optically-active compounds
Temperature range: -4 to 110 °C
Protein folding studies
Protein conformational studies
Organic stereochemistry studies
Purity testing of optically active substances
Wavelength range 163 nm to 1100 nm
SFM-20 Jasco/Bio-logic 2-syringe stopped-flow system
PTI QM40 Fluorescence Spectrophotometer
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Wavelength range: 185-900 nm
Sample volume: 45 uL to 3
Temperature: -40 to 105 °C
Bandpass 0 to 32 nm
Signal to noise ratio 10, 000 :1 or better (350nm excitation, 5 nm spectral bandpass, 1s integration time)
Detection limit: 460 attomolar of fluorescein solution at 0.1 M NaOH
Analytical Instruments
Agilent 1100 HPLC
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Diode array detector (DAD) and Sedex model 75 evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD)
Separation, quantification of non-volatile organic compounds
Agilent 1100 HPLC
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Diode array detector (DAD) and Fluorescence detector
Separation, quantification of non-volatile organic compounds
Agilent 1100 LC/MS (SL)
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Single quadrupole mass analyzer
API-ESI and APCI ionization sources
Mass range (m/z) up to 3000
Non-volatile organics, peptide, protein analysis
Deconvolution software
Agilent 6890N GC/5973 MSD
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Single quadrupole mass analyzer
Electron impact (EI) and chemical ionization (CI) sources
Mass range (m/z) up to 800
Molecular weight determination
Identification and quantification of volatile organics
Agilent 6890N GC
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Flame ionization detector (FID)
Quantification of volatile organic compounds
Other Instruments
Malvern Zetasizer Nano-ZS
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Particle size distribution measurement (0.6 nm to 6 micron)
Zeta potential measurement
Molecular weight measurement (1×10ˆ3 to 2×10ˆ7 Da)
Temperature range of 2 to 90°C
Brookhaven BI-200SM Multi-angle Light Scattering System
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Both dynamic light scattering (DLS) and static light scattering (SLS)
Angular range: 8-155 º
He/Ne laser (632.8 nm)
Highly efficient BI9000 AT autocorrelator containing 522 selectable channels
Measurements of particle size and size distribution
Mw, Rg, A2 for dilute polymer solutions
CONTIN, Zimm, Guinier and Fractal analysis
TA Q50 TGA Analyzer
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Temperature range: ambient to 1000 °C
Maximum weight: 1g
Weight Sensitivity: 0.1µg
Controlled heating rate: 0.1 to 100 °C/min
Auto gas switch feature

Services

Bio-materials

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Nano-enabled Bio-materials
Virtually all synthetic materials, solvents and adhesives throughout the world come from hydrocarbon feedstock.

While Canadian industry success has traditionally been underpinned by an abundant and inexpensive supply of foundational raw materials, savvy companies are quickly realizing that their ongoing livelihood hinges on sustainable practices and effective use of non-renewable resources.

Progressive large forest, chemical and agricultural industries are shifting focus from commodity to high-value products. And with the help of bio-materials and bio-products, they are gradually decreasing their use of non-renewable petroleum-based materials.

The Opportunity
Canada’s bioproducts market is healthy and growing.

At NINT, we are continuing to focus on converting simple biomaterials into high value-added products through:

programmed assembly of biomaterials using genetic engineering of organisms to convert simple biomaterials into high value added nanomaterials,
biomass conversion to create chemicals and polymers from agricultural, forestry and municipal waste feedstocks, and
extraction of naturally occurring bionanomaterials such as nanocrystalline cellulose to produce light weight biodegradable composite materials.
We are leveraging our expertise in materials design and synthesis and tapping into valuable resources like the government-funded iNgenuity Tech Inc. as we work towards the development of a globally competitive value-added bioproducts and bioprocessing industry.

Featured Projects
Diagnosing diseases with a click of a button?

NINT researchers are exploring how nanodevices can be used to increase diagnostic reliability and efficiency, moving beyond traditional mechanisms for testing the therapeutic effects of medications as they investigate bold new alternatives.

In the future, handheld nanodevices will facilitate more rapid and cost effective drug testing by using a series of chip based enzymes that mimic enzymatic pathways in major organs including the liver, where most drugs are metabolized. This novel ‘mouse on a chip’ technology will allow scientists to circumvent the use of prolonged pharmaceutical and animal testing.

These nanodevices will also provide an alternative to more invasive and time consuming blood screening processes. This leading-edge research will underpin revolutionary developments including tiny customizable chips that contain engineered molecules that can identify markers for diseases on the spot. NINT will change the way the world looks at disease.

NINT Researchers in the Nano-enabled Bio-materials Program

Business Development

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Business Management Services
Business Management Services and the Innovation Support Program is your gateway into NINT’s R&D expertise, services and facilities.

This specialist team will work closely with you to establish mutual research ventures and will help foster connections with commercialization and funding partners who can contribute to your success in the marketplace.

Working together
We can connect you with TEC Edmonton where they can help you manage commercialization, secure investment or start a new company.
The National Research Council (National Research Council’s) Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) is Canada’s premier innovation and funding assistance program for small and medium-sized enterprises. IRAP is a cornerstone in Canada’s innovation system and is globally recognized as one of the best programs of its kind.
NRC’s National Science Library is another invaluable resource from the National Research Council. As Canada’s national science library, it provides our research and innovation community with tools for accelerated discovery, innovation and commercialization.
NINT has an established nanotech partner cluster that includes: University of Alberta, National Research Council, Government of Alberta, as well as more than 24 established and early-stage small tech companies and many other local, national and international partners.
Successful collaborations
During the last decade, we have undertaken many collaborative ventures with partners in various sectors.

We have enjoyed working with several industrial partners. As examples, a selection of partners are listed below:

Hitachi High Technologies,
Acoustic Vision Technologies Inc.,
CBF Systems Inc.,
ChemRoutes Corporation,
KMT Hepatech Inc.,
Intelligent Nano Inc.,
Smile Sonica Inc.,
Alberta Research Chemicals Inc.,
Xerox XRCC and
Preciseley Microtechnology Corp.

Hybrid NanoElectronics

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During the last few decades, consumers have witnessed the shrinking of common household gadgets while at the same time expecting continuous improvements in performance. Computers, laptops, televisions, digital cameras and cell phones have rapidly evolved to become faster, smaller, more efficient, and packed with more features.

Explorations in Nanoelectronics seeks to continue this revolution in computing, communications, and many other electronics industries. Companies are embracing these changes as they develop products that offer improved performance, portability, enhanced information storage capacity, and potentially completely new functions that are unavailable with current electronic components. NINT is working to develop nanoscale materials and structures that function beyond the limits of conventional electronics, enabling a variety of new device architectures, including the potential to overcome the current limits of Moore’s Law.

Various strategies toward realizing new and/or improved functionality using nanoscale devices are being explored at NINT. For example, projects aimed at evaluating organic molecules as components in circuitry, including small molecules, polymers, and inorganic self-assembled arrays are being tested as substitutes for traditional electronic materials. These materials may provide improved performance through the unique mechanisms at play at the molecular scale, and may also decrease the cost of device manufacturing due to their amenability to processes such as printing, which avoids the need for expensive fabrication facilities.

Collectively, advances in Hybrid Nanoelectronics has great potential to have a profound impact on global computing architectures and electronics fabrication, leading to added value in a variety of industries. We are active in seeking partners to deploy the latest advances in this area.

The Opportunity
NINT is constantly extending the boundaries of capability in nanoscale electronics. With an active and expanding intellectual property portfolio, we are looking to extend these advances into commercial products. Because research in this area is highly active, new opportunities are constantly under development. Partners in a variety of industrial sectors may be able to leverage NINT’s expertise, as well as its technological advances, in order to positions themselves for unique and exclusive new products.

Areas where Nanoscale electronics are being actively developed include hybrid analog circuitry for use in musical signal processing, molecular flash memory cells with the potential to have both lower cost and better performance than current flash, next-generation transistors based on nanoscale active components, quantum computing for high-end computational applications, and atomic scale tips for use in microscopies.

NINT researchers working in Hybrid NanoElectronics Program

High-Field NMR Facility

Business Management Services Business Management Services and the Innovation Support Program is your gateway into NINT’s R&D expertise, services and facilities. This specialist team will work closely with you to establish mutual research ventures and will help foster connections with commercialization and funding partners who can contribute to your success in the marketplace. During the last few decades, consumers have witnessed the shrinking of common household gadgets while at the same time expecting continuous improvements in performance. Computers, laptops, televisions, digital cameras and cell phones have rapidly evolved to become faster, smaller, more efficient, and packed with more features.

Surface Chemistry

From discovering new and improved ways to access our natural resources to exploring how fuel cells can be better fabricated, these developments are certain to have a lasting effect on industry thanks to advances at NINT’s surface chemistry laboratories.

Competencies

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NINT has identified three competencies with an overarching “Enabling Facilities and Policies” competency that supports and informs R&D programs at NINT.

Materials, Fabrication and Characterization of Nanostructures (MFC)
Surface and Interface Science (SIS)
Electron Microscopy (EM)
Enabling Facilities and Policies (EFP)

Materials, Fabrication and Characterization of Nanostructures (MFC)

NINT possesses expertise in top-down and bottom-up fabrication of nanostructures in organic and inorganic materials. The expertise includes the design and synthesis of novel materials, the development of nano-scale device fabrication processes and the development and use of techniques to characterize materials and device properties, supported by a highly interactive theory and modeling group. The research activities of the MFC competency support NINT’s hybrid nano-scale electronics, energy generation and storage, metabolomic sensor systems and nano-related biomaterials programs.

Surfaces and Interface Science (SIS)

In order to support all of NINT’s programs, a deep understanding of the chemical and physical processes at surfaces and at interfaces of nanostructures is essential whether it is the modeling of solid surfaces, particle-surface interactions or solid-liquid interfaces. This competency enables the fabrication of devices that capitalize on the surface or interface properties to provide competitive technologies in terms of selectivity and sensitivity.

Electron Microscopy (EM)

The core expertise in electron microscopy at NINT is quantitative characterization of radiation sensitive organic and inorganic materials. Through partnerships with instrument providers like Hitachi, novel microscopy techniques are co-developed for testing in prototype instruments. The suite of instruments includes analytical SEM, Focused Ion Beam, environmental TEM and electron holography. The EM competency supports NINT’s hybrid nano-scale electronics, energy generation and storage, metabolomic sensor systems and nano-related biomaterials programs.

Enabling Facilities and Policies (EFP)

NINT has a core set of unique instruments with a wide range of tools and techniques essential to nanotechnology research, along with the expertise to serve and train its users in the framework of collaborative relationships. In addition to its state-of-the-art research facilities, NINT houses ultra-quiet laboratory space providing optimal conditions for nano-scale research. The NINT Cleanroom Facility has capabilities that complement the current toolset at the University of Alberta’s Nanofab. Facilities are maintained and managed centrally to better serve clients.

NINT research programs are developed intentionally to inspire the responsible and ethical translation of nanotechnology to society. The development of appropriate controls, public policy tools and commercialization strategies is meant to be pro-active and collaborative with government, industry and academia.

Facility Access

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Designed and built by Alberta companies, we are one of the most technologically advanced research facilities in the world.

Our highly specialized $52.2 million facility includes chemical and biochemical laboratories for synthesis and analysis of the material structure at the atomic scale, as well as a Class 1000 Clean Rooms for the production of nanostructured systems.

We are home to the latest generation of scientific equipment, including electron and scanning probe microscopes, and chemical and material analysis instruments and offer ultra-quiet and modern laboratory spaces.

IP Management

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NINT is at the forefront of new ideas and innovations.

We are proud to partner with leading companies, academic institutions and key industry players.

Our success to date has been underpinned by responsive, accessible, flexible, transparent, fair and consistent policies. NINT values the contribution of every stakeholder and as such, is eager to ensure a shared understanding with regard to intellectual property rights and obligations.

Our Intellectual Property Policy clearly outlines expectations around the use of knowledge including authority, ownership, disclosure, protection, risk management and enforcement. The Policy applies to all NINT members and their partners.