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Research summary

Canada’s goal of reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 would, among other things, require drastically reducing our fossil fuel extraction. Significant investments in renewable energy sources have already been made to meet the ambitious target. But, besides energy, fossil fuels also provide the majority of the building blocks (or monomers) used in commodity materials (plastics).

Dr. Saurabh Chitnis and his research team will develop new approaches to making fundamentally new inorganic polymers and materials that are low-carbon. The team will also study how these can be applied in multiple areas. The team’s approaches will make it possible to incorporate exotic elements into “polymer backbones” for the first time, unlocking new properties and stimulating new research questions.

Chitnis’ team’s work will speed up how new innovations can be discovered in the field of inorganic materials and polymers by applying a “synthetic modularity” approach. Further, many of the targeted materials will be degradable as slow-release fertilizers, decreasing waste and pollution. With this research program, Chitnis’ team will not only advance the fundamental science of low-carbon materials, but develop new applications for them in the high-tech sector, and train the next generation of Canadian scientists to design, deploy and degrade advanced materials for emerging technologies.