Massoud Dadras Chomachayi’s thesis defense, Monday, December 18, 1:30 pm, GHK 2320-2330
You are cordially invited to attend the thesis defense of Massoud Dadras Chomachayi, Ph.D. student in wood and bio-based materials engineering, which will take place in-class and remotely on Monday, December 18, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. (Quebec City time):
When and where?
December 18, 2023 – 1:30 p.m.
Gene-H.-Kruger Pavilion, room 2320-2330
2425 de la Terrasse Street
Laval University, Quebec City
Deliberation: Gene-H.-Kruger Pavilion, room 2376
Zoom link for the defense: https://ulaval.zoom.us/j/67576796263?pwd=TWhGZE5hYlNSYktLZzZIUDB6RmpvQT09
Welcome to all!
Thesis title: Development of a bio-based membrane for the building envelope
Abstract: The building envelope includes a sequence of materials to fulfill the functions necessary to ensure the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings. In a cold climate like Canada, the concentration of water vapor inside buildings is higher than in the exterior environment, leading to moisture migration through the building wall. Therefore, a membrane should be installed in the building envelope to control moisture transmission. Conventional membranes are mainly fossil materials that can have several negative impacts on the environment. This thesis, divided into three axes, was devoted to the development of entirely biosourced membranes for the application of the building envelope from biopolymers and cellulose microfibers (CMF). To improve the dispersibility of CMFs in the polymer matrix, three modification methods were conducted. The first axis focused on the hydrophilic modification of CMFs with the compatibilizer with polyethylene glycol (PEG). In the second axis, CMFs were modified with lactic acid (LA) via an esterification reaction, and the environmental impact of the developed membranes was studied. Finally, during the third axis, vapor barrier membranes with a sandwich structure were developed from biopolymers and CMFs modified by sol-gel, and their mechanical and barrier properties were studied. Additionally, a durability test was carried out to determine the effect of artificial aging on the properties of the sandwich composites. The results demonstrated that the mechanical and barrier properties of composites incorporated with untreated CMFs decreased after artificial aging, while composites reinforced with sol-gel modified CMFs experienced the least change.