Advanced Materials Research Facility

National Research Council Canada, Mississauga, Ontario
What the facility does

Accelerated development of advanced engineered materials and processing technologies and their commercialization into disruptive new products

Areas of expertise

The focus of the Advanced Materials Research Facility is accelerated discovery, maturation, and transition to industry of disruptive new engineered materials for a range of industry sectors. Our team of research professionals in chemistry, materials science, engineering, AI (artificial intelligence), robotics and technology transfer addresses common challenges in materials development and commercialization through research and technology development (R&TD), spanning 3 core platform technologies:

  1. Accelerated materials discovery and process development, including computational materials discovery, design and process simulation, high-throughput materials characterization and shared materials databases
  2. Production scale-up, demonstration and standardization, including materials and process standards development, materials synthesis, and design and demonstration of multifunctional materials and devices
  3. Materials and process sustainability and safety, including materials and product life cycle assessment, health and environmental impacts and mitigation and accelerated aging of materials and devices

We currently apply these platforms to clean energy materials, novel materials for additive manufacturing, and smart and multi-functional materials and structures.

Research services
  • Materials characterization, including advanced spectroscopy (XANES, EXAFS, diffraction) nanoindentation, static and fatigue performance
  • Development of automated synthesis and characterization tools
  • Development of artificial-intelligence-based materials discovery tools and platforms
  • Development, synthesis, and characterization of metallic, ceramic and composite powders
  • Development and optimization of electrochemical processes, including cell and catalyst design and engineering
  • Architected lattice material design, topology optimization, and production of multifunctional metamaterials
Sectors of application
  • Aerospace and satellites
  • Automotive
  • Chemical industries
  • Clean technology
  • Defence and security industries
  • Energy
  • Information and communication technologies and media
  • Manufacturing and processing
  • Mining, minerals and metals
  • Transportation
  • Utilities
Specialized LabEquipmentFunction
Characterization LaboratoryAnton Paar ChemStar TPx Chemisorption AnalyzerBrunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) Chromatography; gas adsorption isotherm/surface area measurement
Characterization LaboratoryAgilent Cary 630 FTIR-ATR SpectrometerFourier Transform Infrared/Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) Spectroscopy; infrared adsorption/emission for chemical/functional group identification
Characterization LaboratorySigray QuantumLeap XAS X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy System    Fluorescence/transmission mode XANES/EXAFS lab-scale instrumentation
Characterization LaboratorySurface Measurement Systems iGC-SEAInverse Gas Chromatograph (iGC)-Surface Energy Analyzer (SEA); surface analysis
Characterization LaboratoryAnton Paar UNHT3 NanoindenterHigh resolution nano-mechanical testing platform/mapping of mechanical properties at sub-micron scale
Characterization LaboratoryMalvern Panalytical Mastersizer 3000 laser diffraction particle size distribution analyzerLaser diffraction particle size analysis
Characterization LaboratoryNETZSCH STA 449 F5 Jupiter TGA-DSC-MS Simultaneous Thermal Analysis SystemThermogravimetric analysis (TGA)/Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)/Mass Spectrometry (MS); thermochemical and spectroscopic analysis
Characterization LaboratoryRigaku MiniFlex 6G X-ray diffractometerX-ray diffraction spectroscopy; benchtop X-ray diffraction analyser for powders and films
Characterization LaboratorycyberTECHNOLOGIES CT 300 Optical ProfilometerNanoscale resolution characterization of surface features and roughness
High BayTekna Tek-15 Lab scale induction plasma system, 15kWMicro- and nano-metre scale powder synthesis
High BayELBOW JET EJ-L3 Lab scale gas classifier powder classifierFine powder classification
High BayElcan Hi-Sifter 15-inch/400mm diameter powder screening systemPowder classification
High BayGranutools suite (GranuCharge, GranuDrum and GranuPack)Characterization of powder electrostatic, density and rheology
High BayMaxSphere 20 Litre Max MixerPowder mixer
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryBioLogic 20A model MG#5 Potentiostat/GalvanostatHigh Current Electrochemical testing
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryBioLogic Multichannel 20A VMP3 Potentiostat/Galvanostat

Research-grade multi-channel

potentiostat

Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryBioLogic 6-Channel Standard VSP-300 Potentiostat/Galvanostat

Research-grade multi-channel

potentiostat

Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryBioLogic 2x 1-Channel Standard SP-150 Potentiostat/GalvanostatResearch grade single-channel potentiostate
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryEspec BTL-433 Benchtop Temperature and Humidity ChamberBenchtop environmental test chamber with temperature (-20C to 180C) and humidity (10 to 95% RH) cycling
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratorySRI 8610C-0571 MultiGas AnalyzerGas chromatography; gas analysis, including CO2, H2, CO and hydrocarbons up to C6.
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryIntamsys Funmat HT Enhanced High temperature FFF 3D printerFused filament fabrication (FFF); extrusion 3D printer for manufacturing with high performance engineering thermoplastics (PEEK, PPSU, PEI, etc.)
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryHyrel 3D System 30M Multimaterial Extrusion 3D printerDirect-ink-writing (DIW), filament extrusion and tool-changing 3D printer for manufacturing with pastes, emulsions, polymers, and laser processing
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryMetrohm 874 Oven Sample ProcessorQuantitative moisture analysis
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryInstron 5969 Load Frame, 50kNUniversal mechanical testing system for tension, compression, flexure, shear, fracture toughness tests
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryNorth Robotics Materials Acceleration Platform Solution Chemistry / Electrochemistry System (Custom built)Modular automated liquid handling, electrochemical analysis, and elemental identification platform
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryFormlabs Form 3L SLA 3D PrinterStereolithography (SLA) Resin 3D printer; Vat polymerization 3D printers for manufacturing parts with high resolution features, and experimental thermosetting resin chemistries
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryAsiga PRO 4K80 DLP Resin 3D PrinterDigital Light Processing (DLP) Resin 3D printer (open materials system)
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryOriginal Prusa SL1 DLP 3D PrinterMasked Stereolithography (MSLA) Resin 3D printer (open materials system)
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryPeopoly Moai SLA Resin 3D PrinterStereolithography (SLA) Resin 3D printer (open materials system)
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratorySyft technologies Voice200 ultra SIFT-MS Mass SpectrometerSelected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS); Chemical ionization mass spectrometer with automated gas/liquid multi-sampling capabilities
Wet / Dry Chemistry LaboratoryTA instruments DHR-2 Liquid RheometerViscosity of liquid, including accessories such as Peltier element and UV curing
  • Xerox Research Centre Canada
  • Natural Resources Canada
  • University of Toronto
  • University of Waterloo