Group Members
Education-Postdoctoral fellow, University of Alberta, Department of Chemistry, Edmonton, Alberta, 2011-Present.
-Visiting scholar, University of Alberta, Department of Chemical and Material Engineering, Edmonton, Alberta, 2009-2010.
-Ph.D, Chemical Physics, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China, 2007.
-M.Sc, Applied Chemistry, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, China, 1999.
-B.Sc, Chemical Engineering, Chengdu University of Science and Technology, Chengdu, China, 1993.
Research Project:
Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Asphaltene Surface Deposits.
Project Description:
Asphaltenes are a significant quandary for extraction of oil sands due to their adsorption on mineral and catalyst surfaces. The emphasis of this project is the characterization of the behavior of asphaltenes attached to surfaces using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Specifically, the structure, conductivity and adhesive and nanomechanical properties of asphaltenes in various solvents will be measured and analyzed. The structural characterization of asphaltenes is complicated by the complexity of composition and by the nano-scale aggregation in solvents. Understanding the physical properties of asphaltenes on surfaces is crucial for the proper and cost-effective extraction and separation of bitumen from the oil sands.
Figure: Nanoaggregates on template-stripped gold (left) imaged with sharp AFM tip (right).