updated: 31 January 2007

WebMaster: Thomas D. Lazzara

February 2007

Dr. Reghan J. Hill
Nanocomposites: how novel macroscale properties can emerge from classical microscale physics

Monday, 26 February 2007
Otto Maass Chemistry, room 10
Public Lecture: 6:00 P.M.
_____________________________
Council Meeting: 4:30 P.M.
Ruttan Room
_____________________________
Member Reception: 5:30 P.M.
Ruttan Room

January 2007

Dr. Chandra Madramootoo
Water, Water Everywhere
But not a drop to drink

Monday, 22 January 2007
Otto Maass Chemistry, room 10
Public Lecture: 6:00 P.M.
_____________________________
Council Meeting: 4:30 P.M.
Ruttan Room
_____________________________
Member Reception: 5:30 P.M.
Ruttan Room

December 2006

JOIN US FOR THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS RECEPTION
11 December, details

Congratulations to the 14 winners of the 2006 Undergraduate Research Competion who were made associate members of Sigma Xi. read more

Dr. Chris Williams
Molecular Modeling and
Computer-Aided Drug Design:
An overview of methods with application
to tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Monday, 11 December 2006
Otto Maass Chemistry, room 10
Public Lecture: 6:00 P.M.

November 2006

Congratulations to the 14 winners of the 2006 Undergraduate Research Competion who were made associate members of Sigma Xi. read more

Dr. Ronald Stewart
Our Winter Storms:
The Science Of Their Precipitation

Monday, 27 November 2006
Otto Maass Chemistry, room 10
Public Lecture: 6:00 P.M.
_____________________________
Council Meeting: 4:30 P.M.
Ruttan Room
_____________________________
Member Reception: 5:30 P.M.
Ruttan Room

October 2006

Our Chapter has received a
Certificate of Recognition for the fiscal year 2006 from Sigma Xi

Dr. Hans Larsson
Hunting Dinosaurs and other fossils
in the Canadian High Arctic:
what ancient climate
change may tell us

Monday, 23 October 2006
Otto Maass Chemistry, room 217
Public Lecture: 6:00 P.M.
_____________________________
Council Meeting: 4:30 P.M.
Ruttan Room
_____________________________
Member Reception: 5:30 P.M.
Ruttan Room

 

September 2006

You are cordially invited to our Second Entin lecture:

Dr. David R. Colman
Evolution, Structure and
Assembly of the Myelin Sheath

Monday, 25 September 2006
Otto Maass Chemistry
Public Lecture: 6:00 P.M.
Ruttan Room
_____________________________
Council Meeting: 4:30 P.M.
to be announced
_____________________________
Member Reception: 5:30 P.M.
Ruthan Room

 

SUMMER 2006
The McGill-Montreal Chapter has a
new co-president:
Dr. Juan Vera
Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineering

We have new secretaries:
Mr. Thomas D. Lazzara
Ms. An Thien Ngo

Pictures and information about our third Sigma Xi Excellence in Undergraduate Research Awards
are available: Click here.

You may also view our trip to the McCord Museum
in April 2006: Click here.

 

The McGill-Montreal Sigma Xi Chapter :: site map & links
home :: programme :: news events :: officers :: members :: photos :: about chapter :: archives :: Sigma Xi Canada
Sigma Xi international :: American Scientist magazine

February 2007

Our speaker of the month:
Monday, 26 February 2007, 6:00 P.M.
McGill University, Otto Maass, Room 10


Dr. Reghan J. Hill
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
McGill University
Canada Research Chair (tier II)
in Colloids for Advanced Materials

Download: PDF POSTER

NANOCOMPOSITES:
how novel macroscale properties can
emerge from classical microscale physics

In recent years we have witnessed an unprecedented effort in the scientific and engineering research communities to synthesize nano-particulates and polymers for a bewildering range of technological applications. A particularly effective and economical route to novel materials with enhanced properties involves dispersing commodity nano-particles in continuous polymeric networks. This talk will discuss several recent theories that have led to compelling quantitative interpretations of experiments where nano-composites have exhibited particularly intriguing membrane properties. The focus will be on ultra-permeable, reverse-selective membranes synthesized from polymer glasses embedded with fumed silica; and water-saturated polymer networks (hydrogels) doped with colloidal silica nano-spheres. The former are candidates for highly efficient gas separations in the petrochemicals industry, whereas the latter have been proposed as active membranes for biosensing and microfluidics technologies.

Positive (red) and negative (dark blue) laterally mobile charges bound to the surface of a spherical colloid at various adsorption densities (electrically neutral). Oppositely charged ions whose separation is less than a Bjerrum length (0.714nm) are colored yellow (positive) and light blue (negative). The apparent radius of the ions equals the Bjerrum length, whereas the hard-sphere radius of the ions is much smaller.