Why do you think is it important to be able to recreate bioinspired materials with the same control and perfection as is done by nature?
AM: Years of scientific studies and everyday observations have taught us that nature is able to build materials with unprecedented levels of precision, efficiency and complexity. It does so from the most basic of starting materials, typically one molecule at a time.
By creating bioinspired materials, the goal is to be able to better understand how nature works in order to efficiently build ever more complex materials with novel functions geared toward meeting current and future needs.
An additional benefit to this technique is the surprising speed at which these flowers grow! In only a few hours we have the ability to grow objects that biomimic, where nature often takes days, weeks, months or even years.
How did you photograph the barium carbonate crystals?
AM: They are smaller than the width of a human hair, which is about 100 microns in diameter. So, in order to capture the image of the crystals, I used a scanning electron microscope.
Why are the structures shaped like that?
AM: This is a function of the dynamic interplay that exists between silica and barium carbonate, which form the flowers, and their response to solution pH and carbon dioxide concentration. The influx of carbon dioxide into the system by simple diffusion causes the precipitation of barium carbonate, leading to the reduction of the pH (i.e. increased acidity) where growth occurs.
At the same time, the formation of silica consumes this acid, thus allowing for the barium carbonate to crystallize again. So, the sizes and shapes of these crystals are regulated by this cyclic feedback mechanism that exists between these two components.
Deeper in the solution, where the carbon dioxide concentration is lower, the nucleation density also tends to be lower. Thus, the microstructures are able to unfurl into flower-like shapes. This is a process that we can guide deterministically by allowing more carbon dioxide into the system at specific times or by changing the initial pH such that shapes can be hierarchically assembled.
Where are you at with your studies at Concordia and what are your plans after graduating?
MT: I am doing my MSc degree in chemistry at Concordia with Louis Cuccia, through the Cuccia Research Group.
I suspect my life after graduation will involve sending out countless job applications. The good thing is that chemistry is essential for designing innovative solutions to the challenges of our daily lives. More specifically, my studies have given me invaluable experience in the use of various microscopy instrumentations, crystallization techniques and material chemistry.
Why did you choose to do your NSERC-funded research at Concordia?
MT: To be a student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry here is to belong to a community that not only fosters curiosity and excellence in science but one that also nurtures and takes care of its student researchers. It is precisely this sort of positive environment that made me choose to do my research at Concordia.
See more images from NSERC's 2017 Science Exposed photo contest.
ON CAMPUS: See the work of finalists from both Science Exposed and La preuve par l’image — a similar competition held by the Association francophone pour le savoir (Acfas) — on the main floor of Concordia's Richard J. Renaud Science Pavilion on November 6 and 7, and in the atrium of the EV Building on November 8, 9 and 10.