Jean-Christophe and the chemistry of materials

Jean-Christophe Daigle

The Métro newspaper devoted an article last month, in its Careers / Training section, to Jean-Christophe Daigle, a doctoral student in chemistry at UQAM and to NanoQAM, with Pr. Jérome Claverie.

Materials chemistry

Putting their knowledge to the benefit of the community: this is the bet made by the students participating in the Science takes the metro project. Every three weeks, Métro will introduce a new participant. Today, we meet Jean-Christophe, a doctoral student in chemistry at UQAM.

In secondary school, Jean-Christophe preferred literature and history to science. It was not until late that he discovered his interest in chemistry thanks to one of his teachers in Secondary V. “So I decided to do a technique in analytical chemistry to integrate the job market more quickly,” said the doctoral student. I do not regret my choice. It is easier to read books at home than to do chemistry at home. ”

After working for a year for a polymer factory, he enrolled in the Bachelor of Chemistry at UQAM to learn more about polymerization. Polymers are assemblies of molecules that produce a material whose properties are different from those of the components that make up the new substance.

Colorful molecules

At the end of his baccalaureate, Jean-Christophe did his internship in a research team. Together with his colleagues, he designed a polymer that coats nanoparticles with metal oxides. “We use these particles to produce the color of the paint,” explains the student. In order for the shade to be uniform, it is important to disperse them well, and our discovery facilitates this process. ”

For his master’s degree, Jean-Christophe decided to continue studying polymers. The magnitude of the task enabled him to obtain a direct transition to the doctorate. “We do not yet know what concrete applications will result from our experiences, but the possible outlets are manifold,” says the young chemist. For example, our discoveries could lead to the design of plastics that dissolve in water or biomedical prostheses more compatible with the chemistry of the human body. ”

Source: Metro