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Dr Gurinder Kaur:
Teensy Tiny Technology

by SVJETLANA VRBANIC

 

 

Bigger's not always better

Dr. Gurinder Kaur is undertaking a larger-than-life research project dealing with the smallest technology. Nanotechnology's got the physics department a buzz at College of the North Atlantic's Labrador West Campus and Dr. Kaur is at the head of innovation with her Nanotechnology Research Laboratory.

It promises to revolutionize industry and make people's lives easier by making data storage devices more efficient, cost-effective and portable.

Ever wonder how music is stored on CD's or movies on DVD's or files on memory sticks? It is done through nano-structured materials and, according to Dr. Kaur; it's the wave of the future.

Not easy

"People working in my particular field, we're heading towards the nano structuring of these materials and devices - that's where technology's taking us," she noted. 

"In my particular field there are very few people who are trying this kind of approach," she added.  "The success rate has not been so good so far. People have tried and people are trying, but haven't had success. Nanostructuring is not easy. It's not easy to bring atoms together in a particular configuration. Then you have to check the reproducibility of your results - an important factor which is hindering the commerciability of this technology."

Dr. Kaur graduated from University of Delhi with a Ph.D. in physics and was atthe  University of Western Ontario, Canada, before she got a permanent faculty position at the CNA in 2007, teaching university transfer courses.

"(Nanotechnology's) been my field of research for a long time, I got a job here, I wanted to do research, and the college encouraged me," she said. "They allowed me to apply for funding and I set up a research lab here. It was tough setting up the lab because the college didn't have anything at all - no one knew what the research was all about. It was a lot of hard work."

She received funding from the college, she explained, and a $100,000 grant form the provincial government's Industrial Research Innovation Fund, which went toward purchasing equipment including an atomic force microscope.

"If there's a research lab in Labrador City, it will contribute to the development of the city at an international and national level," she said. "I know of people who've never heard of Labrador City. I like it here - it's a beautiful place and people are very nice, simple, sweet, and very supportive of my work."

Bottoms up approach

She uses a bottom up approach to her work, she explained, starting from atoms.

It is called the Colloidal Method, which involves working to combine atoms (chemical synthesis) while they're in their liquid state.

Liquids can then be evaporated and the material turned into a solid state (usually glass), which can then be used in electronic devices.

The compatibility to other electronics, she emphasized, is of utmost importance.

For example, in a CD player, a laser interacts with a certain material and switches its state.

The switching is reflected by a laser and read by electronics, she explained, as binary data.

That's why, she went on to say, the switching time of a material is important and highly stable material she experiments with most is the combination of chemical elements germanium, antimony, and tellurium (GST).

She said the elements are not hazardous and are easy to handle, and once combined in a liquid state they can be turned into a thin film for further study.

She's most interested in fourth to sixth group elements and their parameters including bonding with other elements, electronic structure, and band structure.

One nano particle she studies, she noted, can be anywhere from 10 to 1,000 atoms or 100 thousandth thickness of a hair.

The size, however, she said, is the main hindrance because it takes high-tech equipment to observe and sometimes she has to send materials out to be observed by more powerful microscopes at other universities.

"In a year or two years, we can hope to get somewhere," she said.  "Here it's a little slow progress because we do not have any institution with good experimental facilities within easy reach, so we must use the facilities at other institutions."

In addition to optical and electronic materials, she noted, she's also doing research on semi-conducting materials that can be used in drug delivery.

However, she said, getting a novel material - that can be commercially used - is her ultimate goal.

 

[Courtesy: The Aurora]

September 23, 2010

Conversation about this article

1: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), September 23, 2010, 7:42 PM.

"Not Easy" reminds me of my own planting days, when my first Manager was J. Bayne, a remarkable man who tackled problems almost effortlessly. It was like going back to the university all over again. The word 'impossible' was not in his dictionary. This is what he said: "The difficult is possible. The impossible merely takes a little longer!" Gurinder Ji: your name itself has the Guru in it. Place trust in Him while you apply your undivided attention to the project in hand. Seek His guidance. The answers will start appearing in flashes. Devote some time for meditation, and you will be surprised how He provides answers. He never fails. May Waheguru's blessings be with you.

2: Frances Melberzs (nee Bayne) (Adelaide, South Australia), September 26, 2010, 5:42 AM.

Follow on from Sangat Singh's comment: I am the eldest daughter of J. Bayne who is mentioned as one who considered life as all about challenges that could be tackled head on. My father had the greatest of admiration for those who shared his view in light of being active in a constant quest for learning and achieving. My father had the highest respect for S. Sangat Singh, his assistant manager on Sua Betong Estate at that time, who shared his vision under his mentorship, forging Sangat's future in a planting career. Sangat Singh's name was often raised in discussions of good times in Malaysia as part of our family's life. So much so, searching and finding Sangat Singh in a recent visit to Malaysia by my sister and I was an absolute joy. Sangat Singh brought Jimmy Bayne back to life in sharing his time with us and taking us back to Sua Betong Estate.

3: Gurinder Kaur (Labrador, Canada), September 26, 2010, 1:06 PM.

Thank you very much for the kind and sincere advice, S. Sangat Singh ji. Yes, I strongly believe that everything can be achieved by staying in faith.

4: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), September 27, 2010, 8:46 PM.

Gurinder ji: a 'nikki' ardaas before starting anything produces amazing results. The smallest, almost invisible seed has in it an amazing programmed circuitry to grown into a massive tree, flower or fruit and ability to reproduce, yet it is born and dies and keep coming back with renewed vigour, with the latest edition. Is there any man-made nano-chip in existence to match a seemingly humble seed with that unseen potential? There is just one 'tuk' to keep us humbly aware that He is the Doer. 'Tayraa ant na jaa-ee lakhi-aa/ akath na jaa-ee har kathia-aa" [GGS:435.16] - "Your limit cannot be known/ The indescribable Lord cannot be described". May Waheguru guide you in your endeavour.

5: Professor H.S. Virk (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), September 29, 2010, 10:59 PM.

Gurinder Kaur was in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, but her potential and talents remained untapped. I am happy to learn about her recent project on Nanotechnology. What a nice heading to the news item with 3 Ts! Keep it up, Gurinder!

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Teensy Tiny Technology"









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