Current projects

Our research work at LaRGIS (as an integral part of CENGIVRE) is carried out in the Department of Applied Sciences of the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC). Technically, our research projects are multidisciplinary, with collaborations in the fields of materials engineering, polymers and chemical engineering. All work is primarily focused on developing surfaces capable of withstanding extreme winter conditions that may possess the ability to self-clean and self-repair. By using very sophisticated devices, we try to create anti-icing/icephobic surfaces and owing to sophisticated analytical devices and tests in our icing infrastructures (cold wind tunnel, cold rooms, etc.), we can predict their behavior under a wide range of natural precipitations such as frost, sleet. and frost.

Fabrication of Nanocomposites Volumetric Superhydrophobicity

Emerging Damage-tolerant

Injection molding tool

for superhydrophobic silicone rubber insulators

Development of Self-cleaning Polymeric Surfaces

Using Polymer processing Systems for Application to High-voltage Insulators
Development of antiviral coatings for textiles and hard surfaces

for textiles and hard surfaces
Development of superhydrophobic silicone nanocomposites

for application in high voltage insulators
Fabrication of a durable self-healing superhydrophobic coating

to improve the performance of high voltage insulators during winter conditions
Development of slippery icephobic coatings

for protection of high voltage insulators
Fabrication of smart icephobic coatings

containing encapsulated PCMs
Development of icephobic coatings

for the protection of port steel structures
In-depth study of ice nucleation and ice adhesion

Ice on structured surfaces
Development of Icephobic coatings

Polyurethane Based

Study of the behavior of water droplets

on the surface of micro-structures