Surface Science Western

SSW Director Mark Biesinger in Western News!

Western News - Western professor applies research principles to his fishing passion Acclaimed Western University imaging expert Mark Biesinger applies science to the art of angling.

We are using an FE-SEM equipped with an in-chamber nano-indentor to compress tiny pillars

With the in-chamber nano-indentor attachment, SSW staff along with engineer Konrad Mazurkiewicz, are squishing little tiny micron sized pillars of metal inside of Dr. Moser’s (Earth Sciences) FE-SEM… live, while we watch! These are in-situ experiments that are actually occurring inside the SEM. Typically people just use the SEM to observe things, and we’re actually doing experiments inside the SEM!

We are testing the micromaterial properties of the metal alloy Zirconium containing 2.5% Niobium. This alloy is used in the pressure tubes of the Canadian designed CANDU nuclear reactors, of which there are 18 in Ontario and 34 worldwide. These pressure tubes have non-enriched fissile Uranium fuel bundles pass through them, and along with the presence of heavy water, produce the heat needed to generate electricity. Note that over 50% of Ontario’s energy is derived from Nuclear energy – carbon emissions free! Through compression of these micropillars (sized 2 microns squared – an average human hair is 50 microns in diameter!), we can observe the mechanisms of deformation involved when the alloy is subjected to great stresses, it also allows us to quantify the material properties on the micro scale, and to ultimately generate a comparison between these properties when the material is subjected to the effect of irradiation hardening incurred over a lifetime of operation inside a nuclear reactor.

Surface Science Western and Alyssa Moore (Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Western Ontario) are using Micro-CT to look at the bones and cartilages of the developing mouse skull to better understand skull development in normal and disrupted developmental conditions.
Our lab aims to compare skulls of mice that underwent normal development to skulls of developing mice that have either been exposed to alcohol in the womb or are missing a gene in certain cell types. Scans such as this one will allow us to see how specific genetic disruptions and alcohol exposure impact the shape and size of the various bones and cartilages in the skull.

Using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry to probe surface complexes of relevance for biocorrosion processes

Are you interested in studying an important topic in depth? Apply for grad studies with professors Yolanda Hedberg and Heng-Yong Nie at the Department of Chemistry and Surface Science Western!

We are seeking candidates with background in mass spectrometric analyses, peak analyses, and/or relevant physics or programming skills to analyze large mass spectra.

The project investigates interactions of biomolecules, such as amino acids, peptides, or proteins, with metallic surfaces, such as biomedical implant materials, steel, and stainless steel. These interfacial processes are important for the biocorrosion and biodegradation processes of these materials in biological environments, such as the human body or soil. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry is a powerful method to detect small amounts of molecules within the outermost 2 nm of a surface. By accurate peak analysis and imaging, surface complexes and molecules can be identified and semi-quantified. By using principal component analysis, many peaks and spectra can be compared and information on biomolecule adsorption/binding and orientation can be obtained.

Apply: https://www.uwo.ca/chem/graduate/future_students/index.html

Prof. Yolanda Hedberg (Dept. Chemistry and Surface Science Western) and Prof. Heng-Hong Nie (Surface Science Western and Department of Physics and Astronomy), Western University, London, Ontario