Ab initio Theory in Complex Materials and Surfaces: Prediction and Design of Functional Structures. Using state-of-the-art first-principles theory, this project involves the study of complex materials and surfaces which are central to areas of high technological interest, namely, high temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor materials for spintronics, nitride-based structures for optoelectronic devices, nanocomposites for protective coatings, as well as heterogeneous oxidation catalysis. It wil ....Ab initio Theory in Complex Materials and Surfaces: Prediction and Design of Functional Structures. Using state-of-the-art first-principles theory, this project involves the study of complex materials and surfaces which are central to areas of high technological interest, namely, high temperature ferromagnetic semiconductor materials for spintronics, nitride-based structures for optoelectronic devices, nanocomposites for protective coatings, as well as heterogeneous oxidation catalysis. It will provide fundamental knowledge and understanding on the atomic level, and will facilitate the design and development of functional materials and surfaces of relevance to industry.Read moreRead less
Development of a Novel One Step Process for Gas Conversion to Liquid. Australia has a rich natural gas reserve, most of which is in remote locations. This project will lead to a new technology to use the remote gas that would be flared into the atmosphere, thus benefiting both Australian economy and green house gas reduction. It will also reduce the risk of relying on importing oil from Overseas thus contributing to Australia's energy security. In addition, while crude-based oil emits SOx, NOx a ....Development of a Novel One Step Process for Gas Conversion to Liquid. Australia has a rich natural gas reserve, most of which is in remote locations. This project will lead to a new technology to use the remote gas that would be flared into the atmosphere, thus benefiting both Australian economy and green house gas reduction. It will also reduce the risk of relying on importing oil from Overseas thus contributing to Australia's energy security. In addition, while crude-based oil emits SOx, NOx and particulates etc into air, the liquid fuels from gas are pure and burns cleanly thus also contributing to air pollution control. Read moreRead less
Novel Graphitic Mesoporous Carbon Materials for Next Generation Carbon Catalyst Supports and Carbon Electrodes. This project will bring about direct application benefits in terms of disclosing novel graphitic mesoporous carbons with high accessible surface area and graphitic framework as catalyst supports and electrode materials. This would lead to advanced processes important to the Australian energy and environmental industries, such as electrical double layer capacitors, greenhouse reduction ....Novel Graphitic Mesoporous Carbon Materials for Next Generation Carbon Catalyst Supports and Carbon Electrodes. This project will bring about direct application benefits in terms of disclosing novel graphitic mesoporous carbons with high accessible surface area and graphitic framework as catalyst supports and electrode materials. This would lead to advanced processes important to the Australian energy and environmental industries, such as electrical double layer capacitors, greenhouse reduction by hydrogen fuel, and hydrodesulfurization of diesel fuels. The techniques and synthesis strategies developed in this project are also applicable to creating other graphitic mesoporsous carbons important to advanced sensors, fuel cells and optoelectronic applications. Read moreRead less
Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will desi ....Reactions of Coordinated Dinitrogen. The program will develop novel metal-based catalysts and reagents that will transform nitrogen gas into ammonia and other nitrogen-containing compounds (nitrogen fixation). This fundamental chemical transformation underpins major chemical industries and this new approach using organometallic catalysts will significantly improve the efficiency of ammonia production and reduce the energy and harsh reaction conditions currently required. This program will design catalysts with multiple complementary metal centres tailored to bind and activate nitrogen gas to facilitate its reaction with hydrogen or other reagents.Read moreRead less
Novel nanostructured InVO4 and related vanadates photocatalysts for water splitting under visible light irradiation. This proposal is at the forefront of a number of important fields, and therefore the outcomes are expected to be of great interest to a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including sustainable energy supply, solar energy applications, and environmental purification. This novel material system could lead to highly efficient photocatalysts for application in solar energy to split w ....Novel nanostructured InVO4 and related vanadates photocatalysts for water splitting under visible light irradiation. This proposal is at the forefront of a number of important fields, and therefore the outcomes are expected to be of great interest to a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including sustainable energy supply, solar energy applications, and environmental purification. This novel material system could lead to highly efficient photocatalysts for application in solar energy to split water to produce hydrogen. The outcomes of this project will position Australian researchers among the pioneering groups in this area and will benefit several major technology-related fields including sustainable energy supply, environmental protection engineering, and materials manufacture technology.Read moreRead less
Controlled synthesis of well-aligned single crystalline one-dimensional semiconducting nanomaterials for energy application. This proposal is at the forefront of a number of important fields, and therefore the outcomes are expected to be of great interest to a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including advanced materials, nanotechnology, and sustainable energy. The novel synthetic methods and the targeting material system could lead to advanced materials for energy application. The outcomes o ....Controlled synthesis of well-aligned single crystalline one-dimensional semiconducting nanomaterials for energy application. This proposal is at the forefront of a number of important fields, and therefore the outcomes are expected to be of great interest to a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including advanced materials, nanotechnology, and sustainable energy. The novel synthetic methods and the targeting material system could lead to advanced materials for energy application. The outcomes of this project will place Australian researchers among the pioneering groups in this area and will benefit several major technology-related fields including materials manufacture technology and sustainable energy.Read moreRead less
Hydrogen Production by Non-thermal Plasma Assisted Catalytic Pyrolysis of Natural Gas. This project aims to develop a cost effective technology for hydrogen production using catalytic pyrolysis of natural gas assisted by non-thermal plasma. The mechanism and kinetics of catalytic hydrocarbon decomposition on carbons produced in situ will be systematically studied. Based on the fundamental understanding of carbon nanostructures and their catalytic activities and stabilities, the non-thermal plasm ....Hydrogen Production by Non-thermal Plasma Assisted Catalytic Pyrolysis of Natural Gas. This project aims to develop a cost effective technology for hydrogen production using catalytic pyrolysis of natural gas assisted by non-thermal plasma. The mechanism and kinetics of catalytic hydrocarbon decomposition on carbons produced in situ will be systematically studied. Based on the fundamental understanding of carbon nanostructures and their catalytic activities and stabilities, the non-thermal plasma and the catalytic reactions will be optimized to achieve high conversion and catalytic stability. The project will lead to a new process combining effective carbon catalyst and low temperature plasma to produce pure hydrogen with high energy efficiency and no CO2 emissions.Read moreRead less