The CRMR Shines at the 2025 CERMA Annual Symposium: A Showcase of Innovation and Interdisciplinarity in Materials Science!
The CRMR was honored at the 2025 CERMA Annual Symposium, an exceptional event held on March 13, focused on the theme « Interdisciplinarity in Materials Science ». This day provided an ideal platform for researchers from diverse backgrounds to meet, fostering a fruitful exchange of knowledge and emphasizing the importance of collaboration between disciplines to advance research in increasingly complex and interconnected fields.
CRMR students played a key role in this event, presenting their work in various sessions, such as oral presentations, the Poster Express, and the poster session. These presentations not only highlighted the breadth and depth of research conducted at the CRMR, but also offered valuable opportunities to receive constructive feedback, engage with the scientific community, and deepen their reflections on their projects.
Special congratulations to Assira Keralta, Seyed Saman Vakili, Raissa Ngwane, Odile Sainte-Marie-Dionne, and Tiam Mahmoudian, who captivated the audience with high-quality presentations. Their projects, covering topics such as materials engineering, bioenergy, and bio-based materials, illustrated the richness of the research carried out at the CRMR. These interventions not only showcased the scientific excellence of the Centre, but also demonstrated the students’ commitment and passion for positioning themselves as leaders in innovation in their respective fields. The diversity of topics addressed fostered enriching discussions about the future of materials science and its impact on society.
This conference strengthened the scientific dynamic of the CRMR and CERMA, providing an intellectually stimulating space for enriching exchanges. Congratulations to all participants for their essential contribution to the success of this event and the visibility of the innovative scientific research conducted at the CRMR!
Oral Presentation
Assira Keralta (PhD, under the supervision of Véronic Landry), Towards a More Efficient Valorization of Dairy Industry By-Products
Waste valorization has become crucial today from an environmental, economic, and social perspective. The dairy industry is experiencing significant growth, which leads to the production of large amounts of by-products often mistakenly considered as waste. In cheese production, for instance, producing 1 kg of cheese generates 9 kg of whey. Whey consists of soluble proteins, lactose, minerals, non-protein nitrogen, and water. Thanks to membrane filtration techniques, its protein content can be extracted and utilized in human nutrition. This process results in a by-product called whey ultrafiltration permeate, which has a composition similar to whey but without the soluble proteins.
The dairy industry is also facing a surplus production of galacto-oligosaccharides, primarily used in infant nutrition. All these dairy by-products have a high chemical and biological oxygen demand, making their direct disposal into the environment undesirable. Moreover, current valorization methods often represent a cost rather than a source of revenue for companies.
On the other hand, wood, being a hygroscopic material, is vulnerable to fungal attacks and requires treatment for outdoor applications where it is exposed to fluctuations in relative humidity, ultraviolet radiation, and microorganisms. Wood polyesterification is a treatment process that enhances its dimensional stability, microbial resistance, and surface hardness. This process involves an in-situ reaction within the wood cell wall between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid.
In this project, Scots pine was treated with various dairy by-products. The results showed an improvement in physical properties, surface hardness, and a potential increase in microbial resistance, demonstrating a promising new application for dairy industry by-products in wood treatment.
Flash Poster Presentations
- Seyed Saman Vakili (PhD, supervised by Véronic Landry), Tannin-Based Bio-Adhesives: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Sustainable Material Innovation.
- Raissa Ngwane Tchanyo (PhD, supervised by Véronic Landry), Development of an anti-fingerprint coating for melamine laminated particleboard surfaces .
- Odile Sainte-Marie-Dionne (Master’s, supervised by Véronic Landry), Study of Complexation Strategies for Bio-Based Polyelectrolytes.
- Tiam Mahmoudian (PhD, supervised by Alain Cloutier), Modeling the Hygrothermal Behavior of Particleboard for Exterior Cladding.
Student Poster Presentations
Seyed Saman Vakili (PhD, supervised by Véronic Landry), Tannin-Based Bio-Adhesives: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Sustainable Material Innovation
Summary: Adhesives play a critical role in the wood and construction industries, yet traditional petroleum-based adhesives pose significant environmental and health challenges due to their reliance on formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals. This study focuses on the interdisciplinary development of bio-based adhesives derived from tannins found in the bark of softwood species from Quebec’s northern forests. Tannins, natural polyphenolic compounds, offer tremendous potential for creating eco-friendly adhesives due to their abundant availability in forestry residues. This project leverages expertise in chemistry, materials science, and sustainability to explore tannins as a renewable alternative to petrochemical-derived adhesives. By utilizing bark waste; a largely under utilized byproduct from sawmills, this approach aligns with circular economy principles and promotes resource efficiency. The research emphasizes the importance of optimizing tannin utilization to reduce the environmental impacts of adhesives while maintaining high performance standards. By fostering collaboration between multiple scientific disciplines, this work seeks to contribute to the broader transition toward sustainable materials and technologies. This poster will outline the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration in advancing bio-based materials, highlight the potential of tannin-based adhesives to mitigate environmental impacts, and discuss the role of Quebec’s forestry resources in fostering sustainable innovation. The study positions Quebec as a leader in bio-adhesive technology, paving the way for cleaner and greener industrial practices.
Raissa Ngwane Tchanyo (PhD, supervised by Véronic Landry), Development of an Anti-Fingerprint Coating for Melamine-Laminated Particleboard Surfaces
Summary: This project aims to develop a durable and environmentally friendly anti-fingerprint coating for melamine-laminated particleboard surfaces, enhancing both functionality and aesthetics. Current surface coatings often struggle to balance liquid repellency, mechanical durability, and environmental sustainability. To address this issue, the research focuses on modifying melamine resin by incorporating fluoroalkylsilane and acrylate compounds through a water-based Aza-Michael reaction. The modified resin is expected to exhibit high hydrophobic and oleophobic properties, characterized by elevated water and oil contact angles, along with improved mechanical resistance to ensure long-term performance. Advanced characterization techniques, including contact angle measurements and mechanical evaluations, will assess the coating’s effectiveness. The successful development of this coating will offer an innovative solution for industries such as Uniboard, providing surfaces with enhanced liquid repellency, durability, and reduced cleaning requirements—contributing to a more sustainable material for the future.
Odile Sainte-Marie-Dionne (Master’s, supervised by Véronic Landry), Study of Bio-Based Polyelectrolyte Complexation Strategies.
Summary: Wood is a highly valued organic material in the construction industry due to its durability and availability in Quebec. As a renewable and easily usable resource, it provides strength and good resistance to the structures it forms. However, wood is an excellent fuel, conducive to fungal proliferation, and subject to dimensional variations, which affect its various applications. The wood industry is therefore focused on improving wood treatment methods to enhance its durability. Its combustible nature has led to the development of several flame retardant systems, using compounds like phosphorus, silicon, boron, and nitrogen, each with different modes of action. These systems have replaced halogenated compounds that were initially present in flame retardants and proved hazardous to health and the environment. Phosphorus- and nitrogen-based flame retardants have shown improved fire performance. The application methods of traditional flame retardant systems also pose issues regarding time and the number of steps required. In recent years, research on polyelectrolyte complexes has significantly advanced. The main challenges related to these complexes involve their formation. The polyelectrolytes with opposite charges that form these complexes are often soluble at different pH levels, making complexation difficult. The electrostatic interactions within polyelectrolyte complexes reduce the film’s rigidity and affect its mechanical and chemical properties. This research focuses on evaluating the potential of bio-based polyelectrolyte complexation strategies using phosphorus and nitrogen, and their durability within wood. The use of a photoacid generator will simplify the complexation of polyelectrolytes, and the addition of a compound introducing crosslinking will improve the mechanical and chemical properties of the formed film.
Tiam Mahmoudian (PhD, supervised by Alain Cloutier), Modeling the Hygrothermal Behavior of Particleboard for Exterior Cladding
Summary:
The building sector is responsible for 40% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with 10% stemming from construction and materials. In Canada, this sector accounts for 17% of total emissions. The use of bio-based materials like wood represents an effective strategy to reduce environmental impact. As a renewable resource, wood sequesters carbon throughout its lifespan in buildings. Particleboard, made from wood residues like sawdust and chips, provides an attractive alternative to traditional construction materials. These boards are bonded with urea-formaldehyde resins for indoor applications and phenol-formaldehyde for outdoor, moisture-resistant uses such as subfloor layers and building facades. However, wood-based panels are susceptible to moisture, leading to swelling and degradation, especially under outdoor conditions. Understanding the relationship between panel structure and moisture transport is crucial to enhancing their durability. Despite the importance of this issue, few studies have explored the vapor permeability of particleboard intended for outdoor use.
This research focuses on the mathematical modeling of moisture transport in multilayer wood-based composite panels, considering density distribution, coatings, and environmental conditions. The model integrates panel structure, temperature, and humidity variations to predict moisture diffusion and swelling behavior under Canadian climatic conditions. By developing a predictive framework, this study aims to optimize the performance of composite panels for exterior applications, contributing to sustainable building practices.
Finally, many thanks to CERMA for organizing this event, which highlighted not only the importance of interdisciplinarity in scientific research but also its key role in innovation. This conference provided an ideal platform to foster knowledge sharing and encourage collaboration among researchers from diverse fields. This interdisciplinary approach is essential for addressing the complex challenges we face in the field of materials and beyond.