Materials used in outer space, medical technology, and other advanced applications depend on chemistry that most people never see. At the surface of a metal, coating, or biological material, molecular interactions can shape how well these materials perform. 

A new international research initiative is focused on understanding and controlling these interactions. The Carbon-based Material-Biology Interface Science (CoMBiS) project brings together faculty and student researchers to study how biomolecules, such as proteins or sugars, interact with engineered materials, and how carbon-based chemistry can help make those connections more stable in complex material and biological systems.

Cathleen Crudden (Chemistry), Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Metal Organic Chemistry and Scientific Director of the Carbon to Metal Coating Institute (C2MCI) at Queen’s, is a Partner Principal Investigator on the project. Through C2MCI, Queen’s contributes expertise in nanoclusters and surface chemistry, which are central to studying how these interactions can be controlled.

The collaboration, led by Kenichiro Itami at RIKEN, a leading research institute in Japan, and supported by the Japan Science and Technology Agency’s JST-ASPIRE program, brings together researchers working across molecular nanocarbon science, structural biology, supramolecular chemistry, and interface chemistry in Canada, Japan, and Europe.

Researchers at Queen’s, including Farnaz Heidar-Zadeh, Chantelle Capicciotti, and Taleana Huff, will contribute to different aspects of the work as it develops, expanding the range of approaches used to study these systems.

Through this network, Queen’s researchers are working with international partners and facilities while advancing C2MCI’s work on NHC-stabilized nanoclusters and polymer-based coatings for demanding environments.

“When we understand how these interfaces behave, we can begin to design molecules that make those connections stronger and more reliable,” says Dr. Crudden. “That is where new possibilities start to emerge.”
 

Student exchanges expand research opportunities

Student and researcher exchanges are a central part of the program, with early connections already taking shape across the network. Graduate students Andrew Laluk and Hannah Aubin from Crudden’s lab were among those engaging with international partners at the project’s first symposium in Japan.

Participants at the CoMBiS symposium in Wakō, Japan.

Held at RIKEN in Wakō, the symposium brought together researchers from Canada, Japan, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Korea to begin aligning research priorities and building collaborations.

Nancy Ross, Vice-Principal (Research) at Queen’s, opened the symposium with remarks on the importance of sustained investment in research and international collaboration. 

“This partnership builds on expertise at Queen’s and connects it with leading research groups internationally across chemistry, biology, and materials science,” says Ross. “It strengthens the work underway here while expanding opportunities for students and early-career researchers to engage in interdisciplinary research.”

The event also featured a keynote lecture by Crudden on Organometallic-inspired Organic Materials, which highlighted how C2MCI is stabilizing metal surfaces and clusters using carbon-based approaches. The discussions marked an early step in coordinating research across the partnership.

As part of the program, the Crudden, Heidar-Zadeh, Huff, and Capicciotti research groups will host students from Japan, while sending Queen’s highly qualified personnel to partner institutions in Japan, Germany, and Spain. Students joining Queen’s labs will bring techniques from their home institutions to expand the project’s research themes. The program will run for at least three years, with the first student exchanges already being arranged.

Learn more about CoMBiS.