Understanding nanostructure in lead-containing piezoceramics - the key to improved and environmentally-friendly materials. Lead-containing piezoelectric ceramics form the basis of multi-billion dollar industries, posing an increasingly serious environmental threat due to the toxicity of lead. By obtaining a detailed understanding of how their properties arise from their nanoscale structure and chemistry, our research will lead to improvements in existing materials and aid the quest for environme ....Understanding nanostructure in lead-containing piezoceramics - the key to improved and environmentally-friendly materials. Lead-containing piezoelectric ceramics form the basis of multi-billion dollar industries, posing an increasingly serious environmental threat due to the toxicity of lead. By obtaining a detailed understanding of how their properties arise from their nanoscale structure and chemistry, our research will lead to improvements in existing materials and aid the quest for environmentally-friendly alternatives. We will use a methodology for the elucidation of local structure and dynamics in which we are world leaders. The project will further enhance our standing in the field, provide excellent research training for students and early-career researchers and highlight the power and potential of Australia's new Synchrotron and OPAL research reactor.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989123
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$575,000.00
Summary
Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) Facility for Advanced Materials Processing. The establishment of the first Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) facility would significantly enhance Australia's capacity in manufacturing of advanced materials, especially the more sophisticated and specialized materials, which is a National Research Priority. This facility will benefit a large number of researchers and projects in Australia's premier research organisations and will also meet the needs of organisations outside ....Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) Facility for Advanced Materials Processing. The establishment of the first Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) facility would significantly enhance Australia's capacity in manufacturing of advanced materials, especially the more sophisticated and specialized materials, which is a National Research Priority. This facility will benefit a large number of researchers and projects in Australia's premier research organisations and will also meet the needs of organisations outside the consortium. It will allow Australian researchers to remain at the leading edge of research and enhance collaborations in advanced materials nationwide. The successful outcomes of these activities will underpin the advancement in many areas of research and technology developments in the country.Read moreRead less
Grain-boundary sliding in high-temperature ceramics: mechanical spectroscopy of high-purity magnesium oxide. The demise of elastic behaviour in materials stressed at sufficiently high temperature limits the usefulness of ceramics for structural applications, and is also responsible for reduced wave speeds and associated attenuation of seismic waves in the Earth's interior. Yet the nature of the transition in fine-grained materials tested at high temperature from elastic through anelastic to vis ....Grain-boundary sliding in high-temperature ceramics: mechanical spectroscopy of high-purity magnesium oxide. The demise of elastic behaviour in materials stressed at sufficiently high temperature limits the usefulness of ceramics for structural applications, and is also responsible for reduced wave speeds and associated attenuation of seismic waves in the Earth's interior. Yet the nature of the transition in fine-grained materials tested at high temperature from elastic through anelastic to viscous rheology remains poorly understood. Through a combination of mechanical testing by torsional forced oscillation/ microcreep methods of carefully fabricated and characterised specimens of polycrystalline MgO and associated micro-mechanical modelling we seek to clarify this fundamental and general aspect of high-temperature mechanical behaviour.Read moreRead less
Probing anti-ferroelectric to ferroelectric structural phase transitions: towards high power energy transformation devices. Materials which can be rapidly switched from anti-ferroelectric to ferroelectric states exhibit a wide range of exploitable properties. This project will identify the factors enabling such materials to respond to applied electric fields and mechanical stresses and use them to enhance the ability of industry to develop new advanced materials.
A high performance and environment-friendly piezoelectric detector platform for biosensor applications. The development of high performance, lead-free, piezoelectric films and their incorporation into devices is rapidly becoming an urgent task as a result of recent legislation banning the use of lead in electronic components. The successful development of piezoelectric biosensors, as proposed in this project, has numerous potential benefits including the prospect of rapid and cheap biosensor dev ....A high performance and environment-friendly piezoelectric detector platform for biosensor applications. The development of high performance, lead-free, piezoelectric films and their incorporation into devices is rapidly becoming an urgent task as a result of recent legislation banning the use of lead in electronic components. The successful development of piezoelectric biosensors, as proposed in this project, has numerous potential benefits including the prospect of rapid and cheap biosensor devices as well as an environment-friendly, sensitive and real time solution for on-site drug, chemical and biological sensing. Successful development of the latter would provide immediate benefit in the areas of national security, food safety as well as in environmental and health monitoring. Read moreRead less
Tailoring the microwave dielectric properties of promising electroceramics for use in wireless telecommunication components and devices. This project aims to develop and tailor the microwave dielectric properties of promising electroceramic materials specifically targeting next generation wireless telecommunications applications. The partnership between the ANU and the Australian company Microwave and Materials Designs has the potential to enable new microwave electroceramic materials to be disc ....Tailoring the microwave dielectric properties of promising electroceramics for use in wireless telecommunication components and devices. This project aims to develop and tailor the microwave dielectric properties of promising electroceramic materials specifically targeting next generation wireless telecommunications applications. The partnership between the ANU and the Australian company Microwave and Materials Designs has the potential to enable new microwave electroceramic materials to be discovered and then incorporated into new microwave components and/or devices developed in response to the requirements of the international wireless telecommunications market. The requested PhD student will gain experience in both the industrial and academic worlds and the skills needed to be part of Australia's high-tech workforce. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668469
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$195,000.00
Summary
The Rapid Kinetics Research Facility - an Integrated system for rapid kinetic studies of materials using synchrotron radiation. The Rapid Kinetics Research Facility will provide Australian researchers with the tools to follow and understand very rapid processes within advanced materials. This will greatly assist in: i) the development of more efficient materials processing technologies, ii) the development of advanced catalysts able to neutralize pollutants and reduce the energy cost of industri ....The Rapid Kinetics Research Facility - an Integrated system for rapid kinetic studies of materials using synchrotron radiation. The Rapid Kinetics Research Facility will provide Australian researchers with the tools to follow and understand very rapid processes within advanced materials. This will greatly assist in: i) the development of more efficient materials processing technologies, ii) the development of advanced catalysts able to neutralize pollutants and reduce the energy cost of industrial processes, iii) the development of viable hydrogen fuel storage media and iv) the training of young Australian researchers in advanced methods of materials characterization. Read moreRead less