BPI Connect 2023 - Showcase Competition

BPI researchers are invited to participate in the BPI Connect 2023 Showcase Competition on December 8th. This event serves as a celebration of their dedication and passion, providing an opportunity to showcase excellence on a larger stage. The aim is to inspire continuous refinement of communication skills, ensuring that the impact of research resonates effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.

Eligibility

• Students and postdocs who work within or collaborate with BPI research groups can apply, either as an individual or a team of no more than 3 persons.

Topics

• Presentation topics should align with the following five BPI research themes. 
  1. Biocatalytic Transformation and Engineering of Biomass
  2. Bio-nanoparticle Enabled Materials
  3. Bio-based Polymers and Carbon Materials
  4. Biorefinery Systems
  5. BioProducts Ecosystem Analysis
• Ensure that your presentation is not a broad overview of your research team; instead, concentrate on a specific research area where you are actively engaged. Highlight a significant outcome or work in progress, demonstrating its impact on society. The outcome doesn't have to be physical; it should, however, exhibit a tangible or conceptual contribution to the betterment of society.

Presentation Materials

• Physical Prop/Demo: Create and bring a captivating demo or prop that can be set up on or around a 30"x48" table. Posters or laptops are allowed for display.
• Oral Presentation: Engage the audience with a one-minute oral presentation on stage, supported by a single PowerPoint slide.

Judges

• BPI faculty & researchers - Qingshi Tu, Susan Baldwin, Jaya Joshi, Joe Dahmen, Lacey Samuels, Titichai Navessin, Alexander Babin, Nicholas Lin, Ran Bi, Yeling Zhu, Ricky Hua
• Industry experts - Nadine Diner, Matyas Kosa, Keith Gourlay, Jacob Atherton

Judging Criteria

• Content & Appearance - 50%
  • Application matching BPI scope and possible impacts - 10%
  • Effective display of science and technology, understandable to both scientific and non-scientific audiences - 10%
  • Creativity and quality of demo materials to enhance the message - 10%
  • Aesthetic appeal of the overall booth layout- 10%
  • Design appeal of the PowerPoint slide- 10%
• Communication Skills - 50% 
  • Ability to clearly and effectively communicate complex concepts during the stage presentation, making them understandable to both scientific and general audiences - 10%
  • Effective use of body languages on stage (i.e., eye contact, vocal variety, gestures) - 10%
  • Knowledge and enthusiasm about the research and its impacts, as presented on stage  - 10%
  • Professionalism in hosting the table demo - 10%
  • Skill in addressing judges' questions and engaging in discussions at the booth - 10%

*Participants will be assessed based on the effectiveness of their communication, not on language fluency, to ensure a fair evaluation for everyone, regardless of their native language.

*Adhere to the 1-minute time limit for your oral presentation on stage. You will be clapped down at the end of the 1 minute. The oral presentation may be delivered by a team of up to 3 individuals. 

Prizes

• 1st Place - $500
• 2nd Place - $300
• 3rd Place - $200
• People's Choice Award - $100 (the most voted across all groups including the non-competition group)

Timeline

• 09:30AM-10:30AM  Booth setup
• 10:30AM-11:00AM  Showcase booths are open for visits by judges and guests who arrive early
• 11:00AM-11:15AM  Welcome
• 11:15AM-11:45AM  Keynote presentations by industry experts
• 11:45AM-12:15PM  Flash 1-min presentations on stage
• 12:15PM-13:15PM  Networking lunch / Showcase booths open (Showcase participants eat lunch from 13:00PM)
• 13:15PM-13:30PM  Award ceremony & Closing 
• 13:30PM-14:00PM  Clean up

Showcase Participants

Competition Group (30"x48" table each)

• C-1: Daniel Barker-Rothschild (PhD Student) - Assessing Climate Effects on Canada's Forest Resources: Impact of Drought on Wood Composition
• C-2: Jimmy Ke (Master's Student) - What Happens  If Wood Supply Is  Not Carbon Neutral?
• C-3: Sahar Ahmadvand (Postdoc) - Techno-economic Assessment and Multi-objective Supply Chain Optimization of Bio-hubs for Slash Utilization
• C-4: Jingqian Chen (Postdoc) & Julia Azzi (Master's Student) - Lignin Particle Fractionation for Tailored Size and Photonic Color
• C-5: Xun Niu (PhD Student) & Rana Alimohammadzadeh (Postdoc) - Triterpenes from Bark: Cosmetics and Hydrophobic Foams 
• C-6: Huimin Zhou (PhD Student) - Performance of High Solids Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Bioethanol Fermentation of Food Waste under the Regulation of Saponin
• C-7: Xia Sun (PhD Student) - All-cellulose-based Hydrogel Adhesive
• C-8: Yizhou Sang (Postdoc) - Wood-based Leather via Weaving and Chemical Welding
• C-9: Penghui Zhu (Postdoc) - Stretchable Cellulose Film for Packaging Applications
• C-10: Zhaodong Ding (PhD Student) - Cellulose Foam-based Triboelectric Nanogenerator
• C-11: Hao Sun (PhD Student) - Mechanically Robust and Scalable Cellulose Composite Foam Enabled by Organic-Inorganic Network and Air Drying
• C-12: Marina Mehling (PhD Student) - Harnessing Bacteria to Build Artificial Human Corneas
• C-13: Lael Lassmann, Glen Meir, & Samantha Mung (Undergrad Students from UBC WasteNauts) - An Engineering Perspective to Kombucha Bio-Leather
• C-14: Isabella Howley (Undergrad Student) - Valorizing Industrial Waste: Bacterial Cellulose from Red Wine Vinegar Production for Bio-based Packaging Applications 
• C-15: Yeedo Chun (PhD Student) - Low-cost Microfluidic Devices towards Monodisperse Polysaccharide Foams
• C-16: Pu Yang (PhD Student) - Boosting the Surface Area with Tunable Pore Size for Bio-Based Carbon Materials at Low Temperature for Supercapacitors
• C-17: Yi Lu (Postdoc) - Chitin for Nature-Based Materials
• C-18: Zhangmin Wan (PhD Student) - Dislocation Mechanism of Chitin Crystals
• C-19: Akash Gondaliya (PhD Student) - Wood-based Advanced Bioproducts

Non-Competition Group (30"x72" table shared by 2-3 teams)

• N-1: Emily Carr Students  - Design Collaboration with BPI Researchers
• N-2: Ayako Takagi (Industrial Designer) & Sabrina Niebler (Artist) - Exploring the Science of Japanese Kami-Ito as an Option for Wood-To-Wear
• N-3: Wanyue Tan & Zirui Tang (Master's Students) - Introduction to Industrial Ecology and AI Applications in the Field
• N-4: Nicholas Lin (Postdoc) - Mycelium Biocomposites
• N-5: Gio Bautista (PhD Student) - Flavoglycans Isolated from Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata Donn) Bark as Food Additives
• N-6: Tianyu Guo (Postdoc) - Flowthrough Capture of Microplastics through Polyphenol-mediated Interfacial Interactions on Wood Sawdust
• N-7: Samantha  Pritchard (Master's Student) - From Paper to Water-Resistant Haptic Materials 
• N-8: Juan Pablo Calvo (Master's Student) - Wet-Spun Filaments
• N-9: Xuetong Shi (PhD Student) - Functionalized Wood for Photothermal Energy Conversion and T Regulation
• N-10: Anne Lalande (Master's Student), Megan Wolf & Logan Robeck (PhD Students) - Engineering Microbial Cell Factories for the Valorization of Lignin-Derived Aromatic Compounds
• N-11: Praven Kamalanathan (Master's Student) - Wood to Textiles and Promise of Foam Forming

*Table sharing:  (N-1, N-2)   (N-3, N-4)   (N-5, N-6, N-7)   (N-8, N-9)   (N-10, N-11)

Abstracts

C-1: Daniel Barker-Rothschild (PhD Student) 

Assessing Climate Effects on Canada's Forest Resources: Impact of Drought on Wood Composition

Drought is one of the most concerning effects of climate change and has significant implications for the value of Canadas forest resources by reducing productivity and altering the chemical composition of our trees. Understanding the impacts of drought on the chemical composition of wood is therefore important for both fundamental interests as well as for industrial processing and selective breeding objectives. Lignin content plays a key role in biomass processing chemistry and plant function and increased lignification has been associated with the drought stress response of some plants. Our work has demonstrated preliminary insights into the drought stress response of Douglas-fir, suggesting a potential 5% increase in wood lignin content. Further trails on larger samples sets are underway to better understand the consequences of drought on Canadas forest resources, both in Douglas-fir and Western red cedar.  We employ artificial intelligence combined with high-throughput compositional analysis to facilitate our studies at scales that would not be feasible otherwise.

C-2: Jimmy Ke (Master's Student) 

What Happens  If Wood Supply Is  Not Carbon Neutral?

Wood products are commonly assumed to be carbon neutral due to the biogenic carbon in the wood. However, this depends on forest management practices. This study provides a life cycle assessment of biogenic carbon and explores the climate impact of the system under different harvesting scenarios.

C-3: Sahar Ahmadvand (Postdoc) 

Techno-economic Assessment and Multi-objective Supply Chain Optimization of Bio-hubs for Slash Utilization

Slash pile burning is responsible for almost 8.7% of the annual GHG emissions in BC. Utilizing slash for production of bioproducts, bioenergy, and biofuels instead of this practice, could reduce waste and air pollution while bringing about economic and carbon benefits. According to the BC Ministry of Forests, the global market value for advanced biomaterials, biochemicals, biofuels, and bioenergy is projected to increase from 280 billion USD in 2021 to almost 670 billion USD in 2030. BC forest sector can plan to take advantage of this market by focusing on production of such products from slash at distributed forest biorefinery units. These units can be incorporated into the concept of bio-hub and turn it into an advanced processing depot with the capacity to produce high-value intermediate products such as nanocellulose and biooil. These intermediates can then be fed to large scale biorefineries; downstream chemical and industrial plants; or other end-market points. In this study, we evaluate the economics of establishing multiple bio-hubs for storing, preprocessing, and processing slash. These bio-hubs are scaled based on the nearby supply of slash and demand of intermediate and final products to reduce overall hauling distances. This would reduce transportation costs, a major component of logistics costs that can be as high as 65% of the total cost of biofuel or bioproducts. We perform a techno-economic assessment to determine the long-term financial viability of bio-hubs for production of various biofuels and advanced bioproducts at different capacities and locations. The products include pellets, biooil, biochar, nanocellulose, and activated carbon. We then, develop a multi-objective optimization model to optimize the bio-hubs’ supply chain network and product portfolio such that profits are maximized and emissions are minimized. The techno-economic assessment and optimization models are applied to the case of Williams Lake TSA.

C-4: Jingqian Chen (Postdoc) & Julia Azzi (Master's Student) 

Lignin Particle Fractionation for Tailored Size and Photonic Color

Control over the size and shape heterogeneity of lignin particles (LP) has challenged their conversion and applications, the latter of which include optical devices, coatings, biochemical sensors, among many others. It is often of interest to fractionate particle into populations with a low size dispersity and controlled assembly. For this purpose, it is desirable to have a theoretical understanding of related fractionation processes. 

Two main methods used for lignin fractionations include selective precipitation and ultra-filtration. However, both operations are energy-intensive and time-consuming. Hence, a particle size fractionation method by two-stage centrifugation is proposed to process highly polydispersed lignin colloids into monodispersed particles (PDI <0.06, dynamic light scattering) in a broad range of average sizes, from 59 to 857 nm. The proposed methodology provides a systematic linear fractionation of LP based on the effective centrifuge capacity and capacity factor. Depending on the initial particle size distribution, one or multiple linear fractionation ranges could be developed, which guides the LP size fractionation on a potentially industrial scale.

C-5: Xun Niu (PhD Student) & Rana Alimohammadzadeh (Postdoc) 

Triterpenes from Bark: Cosmetics and Hydrophobic Foams 

Foam insulation materials, e.g., polyurethane (PU), play a significant part in construction sectors since proper material selection, thickness, and placement allow optimum interior thermal comfort with economic effectiveness. Challenges come when designing a building envelope: low cost, lightweight, resistance to fire, water vapor permeability, and impact on the environment (with controlled degradability) and on human health (e.g., antimicrobial) need to be carefully assessed too. A solution to this sustainability limitation is using all biobased materials to fabricate a highly porous material. Herein, we have demonstrated a strategy for the versatility of foam-forming of cellulose-based foam based on coating of betulin (BE) from birch bark with hierarchical micro-/nanostructures, which can be an eco-friendly alternative for PU foam in terms of comparative mechanical performance, thermal insulation performance. Besides, the betulin-based foams exhibited excellent and long-lasting hydrophobicity (water contact angle > 150o), extended durability (no degradation for 3 months storage), and antimicrobial properties, thanks to the incorporation of BE. Moreover, the resultant foam shows fire retardancy and self-extinguishes. Moreover, we also demonstrated the designed suprastructures from natural building blocks (terpenes) with liquid stabilization ability and its application in skincare products (cream). The energy-saving foam-forming of cellulose foam technique and abundance of BE in bark guarantee the feasibility of scalability. This work shows the possibility of the design and valorization of wood components to replace petroleum-based insulating foams with superhydrophobic, tunable mechanical properties, antimicrobial, and fire-retardant BE-coated cellulose foam and cost cosmetics.

C-6: Huimin Zhou (PhD Student) 

Performance of High Solids Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Bioethanol Fermentation of Food Waste under the Regulation of Saponin

Bioethanol recovery from food waste through high solids enzymatic hydrolysis (HSEH) and high solids bioethanol fermentation (HSBF) alleviate the energy crisis. However, this cause decreased glucose and bioethanol yields due to the high solids content. In this study, saponin was introduced into food waste HSEH and HSBF systems to enhance the product yields. Under the regulation of saponin, the substrate released >90% of the theoretical reducing sugar. The glucose concentration increased by 137.41 g/L after 24 h of HSEH with 2.0% saponin. The bioethanol titer reached 73.2 g/L (1.0%-saponin). Untargeted metabolomics illustrating that saponin had higher antifungal properties at lower concentrations (0.5%-saponin) that caused a decrease in bioethanol yield. The addition of saponin concentrations of 1.0%~3.0% promoted HSEH, HSBF, and the metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae; thus, 1.0% was suggested for practical use. This study deepened the understanding of saponin in enhancing HSBF and provides theoretical support for further application.

C-7: Xia Sun (PhD Student) 

All-cellulose-based Hydrogel Adhesive

Hydrogels showing strong adhesion to different substrates have garnered significant attention for engineering applications. However, the current development of such hydrogel-based adhesive is predominantly limited to synthetic polymers, owing to their exceptional performance and an extensive array of chemical options. To advance the development of sustainable hydrogel-based adhesives, we successfully create a highly robust all-cellulose hydrogel-based adhesive, which is composed of concentrated dialcohol cellulose nanorods (DCNRs) and relies on enhanced hydrogen bonding interactions between cellulose and the substrate. We implement a sequential oxidization-reduction process to achieve this high-performance all-cellulose hydrogel, which is realized by converting the two secondary hydroxyl groups within an anhydroglucose unit into two primary hydroxyl groups, while simultaneously linearizing the cellulose chains. Such structural and chemistry modifications on cellulose chains increase out-of-plane interactions between adhesive and substrate, as simulations indicate. Additionally, these modifications enhance the flexibility of the cellulose chains, which would otherwise be rigid. The resulting all-cellulose hydrogels demonstrate injectability and strong adhesion capability to a wide range of substrates, including wood, metal, glass, and plastic. This green and sustainable all-cellulose hydrogel-based adhesive holds great promise for future bio-based adhesive design.

C-8: Yizhou Sang (Postdoc) 

Wood-based Leather via Weaving and Chemical Welding

Today, virtually all “vegan leathers” available in the market are made from made from materials such as cork, kelp, apple peels, and pineapple leaves coated with polyurethane (PU) and/or polyvinylchloride (PVC). The use of plastic in “vegan leathers” and their lack of biodegradability have caused microplastic pollution and negatively impact ecosystems globally

 [19]. Here we report a processing strategy to directly convert the wood flat sheets into strong and pliable material via chemical treatment and weaving. This includes reconstructing the cell wall to make wood bendable at all directions, weaving the flexible wood to fabricate large material, welding wood by cellulose dissolution and regeneration, and introducing specific functions and properties to the wood-based leather. This strategy takes advantage of much of the wood‚Äôs strength and functionality from its naturally hierarchical and anisotropic structure to make leathery material directly from wood by a top-down approach without introducing plastic.

C-9: Penghui Zhu (Postdoc) 

Stretchable Cellulose Film for Packaging Applications

Biodegradable cellulose films are considered ideal candidates for the replacement of plastics. Despite extensive efforts, achieving high stretchability for all cellulose films remains challenging. Herein, we developed a stretchable all cellulose film consisting of microfibers and dissolved cellulose through mechanical pre-treatments, cold NaOH swelling, followed by vacuum filtration and drying. The microfibers serve as preferential sacrificial networks to provide mechanical strength, while the soft dissolved cellulose matrix maintains global integrity of the film after the fracture of microfibers, allowing for more energy dissipation. Benefiting from these double networks, the cellulose film shows tensile strength of 89.0 MPa and strain to failure of 24.7%, corresponding to work of fracture of 17.3 MJ m–3, which surpasses the film counterparts without dual networks and also some representative commercial translucent cellulose films and some cellulose films reported in previous literature. Furthermore, the cellulose film was demonstrated in packaging and fruit preservation applications. Our work provides a facile strategy for the development of stretchable all cellulose film to substitute plastics.

C-10: Zhaodong Ding (PhD Student) 

Cellulose Foam-based Triboelectric Nanogenerator

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which involve a coupling effect of contact electrification and electrostatic induction, can efficiently harvest energy from random, low-frequency, high-entropy environments such as wave, vibration, wind, and movement. Herein, we present a  cellulose foam based-TENG with contact-seperate model  for human body mechanical energy collection.

C-11: Hao Sun (PhD Student) 

Mechanically Robust and Scalable Cellulose Composite Foam Enabled by Organic-Inorganic Network and Air Drying

To achieve scalable production of lightweight yet strong cellulose-based foams in a concrete manner, it is imperative to employ efficient structural design in conjunction with cost-effective processing methods. In this study, we engineer an organic-inorganic network to construct cellulose composite foam with high mechanical properties while considering the scalability of foam production. The enhancement of this organic-inorganic network relies on long-range interactions within the organic microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), as well as the stiffening effects imparted by the inorganic bentonite (BT), characterized by strong coordination and extensive secondary interactions within the network. As a result, the cellulose composite foams with organic-inorganic network achieve both a high compressive modulus of 451.3 kPa and a yield strength of 25.1 kPa at a low density of 32.9 mg cm–3. In addition, the incorporation of the organic-inorganic network has no negative effect on the scalability, recyclability, or biodegradability of cellulose composites foam, making closed-loop material recycling possible compared to petroleum-based foam. The structural design and manufacturability provided by the organic-inorganic network can stimulate market interest for cellulose foam and the development of the bioeconomy.

C-12: Marina Mehling (PhD Student) 

Harnessing Bacteria to Build Artificial Human Corneas

Over 8 million people worldwide suffer from corneal blindness and require a cornea transplant. However, corneal tissue is not in adequate supply in the organ transplant market. The leading synthetic cornea that is commercially available, the Boston KPro, has an 11.1% failure rate and ~33% of patients who receive this transplant have declined vision after 5 years. The most typical reason for onset vision loss is due to blood vessel formation in the Boston KPro, result of poor biocompatibility. These challenges demand a new artificial cornea that exhibits improved biocompatibility. 

Bacterial cellulose is a biobased material that is naturally synthesized by acetic acid bacteria. We devised a novel way to grow bacteria cellulose films with enhanced transparency and thickness to better mimic native corneal tissues. Future work will aim to enhance the rubber-like properties of bacterial cellulose films and assess how human cells grow and proliferate on these mimic corneas. Previous biocompatibility studies on bacterial cellulose sutures characterize the biopolymer as a promising material for reducing granular tissue and blood vessel formation. Bacterial cellulose may be the optimal material for artificial corneas.

C-13: Lael Lassmann, Glen Meir, & Samantha Mung (Undergrad Students from UBC WasteNauts) 

An Engineering Perspective to Kombucha Bio-Leather

In Canada alone, 500 million kilograms of textile waste end up in landfills. To tackle this issue, our team has worked on a broad variety of practical and innovative solutions to reduce textile waste. Currently, we are researching kombucha-based bio-leather to replace short-living plastic-based leather that floods the current vegan leather market. Our research focuses on maximizing efficiency in leather production by testing different parameters and conducting material tests via ASTM standards. We hope to create a functional wallet prototype by 2024 made from our samples that resemble real leather qualities qualitatively and quantitatively.

C-14: Isabella Howley (Undergrad Student) 

Valorizing Industrial Waste: Bacterial Cellulose from Red Wine Vinegar Production for Bio-based Packaging Applications 

Bacterial cellulose is a major waste product from the red wine vinegar industry, where it is synthesized as a byproduct when bacteria ferment alcohol to produce acetic acid. The resultant bacterial nanocellulose is unique, as it is layered with various polyphenols, namely tannins. This project aims to valorize this waste product to become industrially relevant and promote a circular bioeconomy. 

For control, a particular brand of red wine is fermented with Komagataeibacter medellinensis, a bacterial strain derived from pineapple residues in Colombia, to produce red wine vinegar. This process is standardized against bacterial cellulose production in Hestrin Schramm (HS) growth media and HS growth media with added in-situ tannic acid. A series of characterizations are completed to determine tannin and polyphenol content in the wine. The growth of the bacterial strains is monitored by mass over a fourteen-day period to determine the effects of glucose content, growth media, and alcohol concentration on the production of bacterial cellulose. Following the fermentation period, hydrometry and titration practices ensure the resultant red wine vinegar meets the required FDA standards for the alcohol and acetic acid content in red wine vinegar. 

A novel bacterial cellulose partial dissolution, regeneration, and plasticization process is completed such that the native bacterial cellulose pellicles can reform into biodegradable bioproducts. The presence of tannins in the packaging films allows for cross linkage with metal ions to provide additional unique physical properties. Current experimentation includes the optimization of the film production process and characterization of film properties. Film properties are hypothesized to include fire retardancy, conductivity, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity. As such, this provides an opportunity for a host of applications, including bio-based packaging with a particular focus on food packaging systems.

C-15: Yeedo Chun (PhD Student) 

Low-cost Microfluidic Devices towards Monodisperse Polysaccharide Foams

The field of microfluidics studies the behaviour of fluids at the micron scale, where the small dimensions result in low Reynolds number, high laminarity, and therefore orderly, repeatable behaviour. The consistency of these flows can be exploited to generate droplets or bubbles of monodisperse size in two-phase systems.

Microfluidic research today is overwhelmingly performed using microfluidic chips, requiring access to specialized equipment to produce or reliance on expensive off-the-shelf solutions with limited capability. This presents a signficiant barrier to many researchers without access to such facilities, sufficient funding, or market availability.

In this work, we present a flexible and facile method to construct simple low-cost co-flow microfluidic devices from common and accessible lab materials all avaialble online. These devices can then be connected directly to a pressurized air source to conduct microfluidic experiments.

With this design, any researcher in the world with the ability to order lab materials online and access to a pressurized air source can conduct experiments using monodisperse droplets or bubbles, enabling the creation of particles, films, emulsions, and foams with a variety of compositions and geometries.

C-16: Pu Yang (PhD Student) 

Boosting the Surface Area with Tunable Pore Size for Bio-Based Carbon Materials at Low Temperature for Supercapacitors

The fabrication of carbon materials with large specific surface area (SSA), abundant micropores and tunable mesopores by low temperature carbonization (≤ 600 °C) of biomass is a formidable task. Herein, different ZnCl2-based molten salt systems are investigated on carbonization of nitrogen-enriched chitin at low temperatures. Specifically, the employment of CaCl2 and CoCl2 plays a synergistic effect with ZnCl2 on achieving large SSA (up to 2125 m2/g) and micropore volume (up to 1.07 cm3/g) at only 500 °C. The combination of those three salts introduces additional small mesopores with controlled size distributions. The creation of numerous pores is attributed to the dissolution of CaCl2 and CoCl2 in molten ZnCl2 which expedites the diffusion of salt ions towards deep active sites of catalytic reactions. The substantial porous structure, coupled with retained heteroatoms, leads to an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 411.1 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g in a three-electrode system. The assembled symmetric supercapacitor cell exhibits superior rate capability of 72.8% at 20 A/g and 98% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. Moreover, CoCl2 is identified for its catalytic graphitization effect, contributing towards enhanced electrical conductivity and reduced internal resistance in carbon electrodes. In summary, this work establishes a feasible route for the construction of highly porous bio-based carbon materials with tunable pore size at low temperatures and targets energy storage applications. It also demonstrates potential applications in diverse fields, such as CO2 capture, water treatment, and catalysis, making meaningful contributions to broader societal issues.

C-17: Yi Lu (Postdoc) 

Chitin for Nature-Based Materials

Chitin is the second most abundant biopolymer after cellulose, which is present in crustacean shells (e.g., crab, shrimp, and lobster), squid backbones, insects, and the cell walls of fungi. Nanochitin, serving as the elementary block of chitin structures, has a certain extent of similarity with the well-studied nanocellulose because of the same polysaccharide backbone. Nevertheless, nanochitin also possesses unique attributes, considering the difference in crystal assembly, chemical heterogeneity, and biological origins. Herein, we will present our most recent studies related to nanochitin, particularly focusing on its potential to construct hierarchical soft matters. We will showcase that bioinspired 3D layer-by-layer structures can be introduced by the “brick-and-mortar” biomineralization of Ca2+ and PO3− 4 into a nanochitin dispersion, followed by ammonia vapor diffusion. With a well-controlled diffusion rate and localization of magnetic nanoparticles, encrypted messages can be carved within the hydrogels as scannable barcodes.

C-18: Zhangmin Wan (PhD Student) 

Dislocation Mechanism of Chitin Crystals

Understanding the anisotropic shear properties is fundamental to correlating the structure and properties of chitin crystals. However, little is known about the shear elastoplastic properties of chitin at the nanoscale. To comprehensively analyze the elastoplastic performance of α-chitin crystal, atomistic simulations using the quasi-static deformation method were conducted to shear the perfect crystal of α-chitin crystal. The shear stress-strain curves in the xy, xz, and yz directions are presented in Figure 1. The data demonstrate an initial linear elastic response, characterized by shear moduli of 4.68, 2.86, and 6.96 GPa in the xy, xz, and yz orientations, respectively. Beyond the elastic region, the occurrence of yield events in the α-chitin crystal can be attributed to torsion of functional groups and the slippage of polysaccharide chains in both the xy and xz directions, resulting in the plasticity of α-chitin crystal. In comparison, α-chitin crystal exhibits an complete elastic shear stress behavior in yz direction. This is characterized by the ability of the crystal's configuration to recover back to its original state following the propagation of dislocations. These findings contribute to our understanding of α-chitin crystal’s comprehensive shear elastoplastic behavior, addressing a longstanding knowledge gap impeding the anisotropic mechanical response for α-chitin crystals.

C-19: Akash Gondaliya (PhD Student) 

Wood-based Advanced Bioproducts

Biodegradable, and renewable materials obtained from natural biomass are excellent candidates to replace non-biodegradable materials obtained from petrochemicals (polymers) or through energy-intensive processes (for instance metal/alloys or concrete). Wood is an environmentally sustainable, benign, and high-performing green structural material readily available in nature which can be used to replace metallic materials in construction as well as EMI shielding applications, as well as polymers in packaging. However, due to the insufficient mechanical performance, moisture sensitivity, lack of functionality, and susceptivity to microorganism attack make it challenging to use the wood as it is in advanced engineering applications. Wood is a versatile material composed of cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose which can be altered or modified to give out high strength, softer, or even magnetic properties depending upon end application. For example, low-density wood can be transformed into a high-strength material by chemical pretreatment (delignification) followed by physical densification. This densified product is strong and has high-end applications such as roof tiles, cladding, and decking. On the other hand, the complete removal of lignin and hemicellulose components (via delignification) from the wood can make it softer and compressible suitable for packing applications to replace polystyrene peanuts. For advanced applications such as an EMI shielding metal casing, wood can be chemically modified and carbonized to synthesize iron articles in the wood and make it magnetic, and conductive suitable for shielding. There is a huge market potential to substitute petrochemical and metallic components with functionalized modified wood simplest example is the bike derailleur (sacrificial part) in a bike. It would not be wrong to say that ‘WOOD IS THE FUTURE’ and is a promising candidate for advanced structural and complex engineering applications.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at contact.bpi@ubc.ca. Thank you.