Page 5 - Eureka 2012

Collaborative Chemistry

in the Lab

Nano-scale research envisions big things research news

By Susan Hickman

ut a handful of students from
Pdifferent academic departments
in the same laboratory and interesting
chemistry can happen.
At least that’s what Sean Barry,
an associate professor in Carleton’s
Department of Chemistry, anticipates
as two of his students and a
student from Carleton’s Electronics
Department deposit atomic layers of
copper or gold on fibre-optic filaments,
study the passage of light through the
filaments and then analyze the data.
Collaboration between departments
can only lead to better things,
according to Barry.
“Put these kids in the same room photo: david irvine
and let their natural ability shine
through. If each student knows what
they are doing, they can interact and Students and professors from both the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering and
teach each other,” says Barry. “Then we Design work together in Chemistry professor Sean Barry’s lab. Barry (right) is seen here with
can improve their expertise and make Chemistry graduate student Jason Coyle.
them into better scientists, which is
the goal.” Barry’s groundbreaking research under a nearly $600,000 grant from
As chemistry students David Mandia in this area is benefiting the the Natural Sciences and Engineering
and Matthew Griffiths and electronics semiconductor industry, and Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
student Wenjun Zhou perfect their has potential biomedical and Professor Albert’s MOSAIC
collaborative and scientific skills, environmental applications. project (Multimodal Optical Sensor
Barry is contemplating a new acronym Last year, the chemistry professor’s Applications, Interfaces, and Controls)
for the nanoscience surface and team created a copper precursor that is a fibre optic sensing technology
sensor interfaces facility that will could well meet performance needs combined with nanoscience in
be constructed in the engineering of semiconductor foundries around chemistry to develop higher
building with new government and the world. A further breakthrough quality sensors that can be used
industry funding. occurred when the group repeated the in biomedical and environmental
“The vision we have,” says Barry, “is process using gold – a global first. research.
to further our research using atomic The non-reactive and longer- “We share an interest in nano-scale
layer deposition for non-traditional wearing properties of gold have structures,” notes Barry, who explains
applications.” significant and economical benefits the MOSAIC project will operate out
Barry is counting on his laboratory for coating medical devices and of the new facility once it’s completed.
developing a unique reputation for implants and micro-electrical A “clean room” in the facility will
being able to deposit extremely fine mechanical systems. also benefit many industry partners,
layers of metals, including gold and Barry is also working with who will provide academic as well as
silver, oxides and nitrides on metal Carleton’s electronics professor financial support to the work.
surfaces, ceramic, silicon wafers, Jacques Albert, Canada Research For more information about “The
natural fabrics such as cotton and, Chair in Advanced Photonic Barry Lab,” visit http://http-server.
well, just about anything, using this Components, who is addressing carleton.ca/~sbarry/.
atomic layer deposition process. medical and environmental issues

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