Development of new membrane-electrode assemblies for low temperature fuel cells. New electrodes and electrolytes for low temperature fuel cells will herald in a new epoch in the hydrogen economy for Australia. The IP developed in this project will form the basis for new transportation systems that do not lead to chemical pollution in Australia's cities. The new materials and processing techniques will lead to cheaper and more efficient fuel cells, allowing their use in portable computers, small ....Development of new membrane-electrode assemblies for low temperature fuel cells. New electrodes and electrolytes for low temperature fuel cells will herald in a new epoch in the hydrogen economy for Australia. The IP developed in this project will form the basis for new transportation systems that do not lead to chemical pollution in Australia's cities. The new materials and processing techniques will lead to cheaper and more efficient fuel cells, allowing their use in portable computers, small electrical appliances, public transport and in private cars in about ten years. Read moreRead less
Storage of non-classical light in a solid. A new scheme for storing and recalling coherent light pulses based on 'slow light' has been demonstrated. The aim of this project is to show how this can best be achieved in a solid to enable practical applications. A range of materials will be investigated. The novel feature of the storage is the maintenace of the coherence information and a noise analysis will be made to determine whether it is experimentally possible to store non-classical light.
Defect-induced luminescence from ion-implanted silicon: Towards silicon photonics applications. This project focusses on advanced materials science, photonics and innovative silicon optical devices that have potential for contributing to information and communications technologies, areas where Australia has considerable expertise and investment. Specifically, national benefit will be derived from breakthroughs in fundamental science and intellectual property.
Matter-wave vortices in engineered nanostructures. This project tackles some of the key problems which must be solved before any applications of manipulating and controlling Bose-Einstein condensates with nanostructures can be realised. This project is therefore of National Benefit for its advances in critical fundamental research and for the potential applications which may be ultimately derived from harnessing the power of this new state of matter. Australia is at the forefront of this revol ....Matter-wave vortices in engineered nanostructures. This project tackles some of the key problems which must be solved before any applications of manipulating and controlling Bose-Einstein condensates with nanostructures can be realised. This project is therefore of National Benefit for its advances in critical fundamental research and for the potential applications which may be ultimately derived from harnessing the power of this new state of matter. Australia is at the forefront of this revolution in quantum technology. This project furthers Australia's competitive position and opens up new opportunities for ground-breaking research and applications in an area which has the potential to be as revolutionary as the development of the laser.Read moreRead less
Boron Nitride Nanotub Synthesis and Applications. Boron nitride (BN) nanotubes have an analogous structure to carbon nanotubes but offer many electronic and chemical properties. This project aims to synthesis BN nanotubes with controlled structures using a mechano-thermal method involving ball milling of boron powder at room temperature followed by thermal annealing in nitrogen gas. Systematic investigation will be conducted to clarify the fundamental formation mechanism related to various nano ....Boron Nitride Nanotub Synthesis and Applications. Boron nitride (BN) nanotubes have an analogous structure to carbon nanotubes but offer many electronic and chemical properties. This project aims to synthesis BN nanotubes with controlled structures using a mechano-thermal method involving ball milling of boron powder at room temperature followed by thermal annealing in nitrogen gas. Systematic investigation will be conducted to clarify the fundamental formation mechanism related to various nanostructures. New chemical, mechanical and thermal properties and possible applications will be explored. The outcomes of this research will be profoundly understanding of the controlled assembly of small atoms into nanosized tubules and an innovative synthesis technology.Read moreRead less
Wet Granular Materials: A Three-Dimensional Study Using X-Ray Microtomography. Wet granular materials are of immense economic importance in industries such as mining, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and food processing. It has been estimated that operations involving the storage, handling and transport of granular materials account for over a third of the capital costs and over half of all the operating costs involved in process industries worldwide. An improved understanding of the dramatic effec ....Wet Granular Materials: A Three-Dimensional Study Using X-Ray Microtomography. Wet granular materials are of immense economic importance in industries such as mining, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and food processing. It has been estimated that operations involving the storage, handling and transport of granular materials account for over a third of the capital costs and over half of all the operating costs involved in process industries worldwide. An improved understanding of the dramatic effects of liquid on the cohesion, flow and mixing of granular materials will be of benefit to Australian industry both in terms of helping to reduce costly problems, such as caking and segregation, and in terms of the development of better particulate-based products, such as ceramics and pharmaceuticals.Read moreRead less
Formation Mechanism and Controlled Growth of Carbon Nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are exciting nano-materials and important "building blocks" of nanotechnology. Research and application of nanotubes are at the forefront of nanotechnology development. This project will investigate the formation mechanisms and controlled growth of carbon nanotubes in a new mechano-thermal synthesis process in which carbon nanotubes are produced in the order of kilogram from graphite powder by mechanical milling and ....Formation Mechanism and Controlled Growth of Carbon Nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are exciting nano-materials and important "building blocks" of nanotechnology. Research and application of nanotubes are at the forefront of nanotechnology development. This project will investigate the formation mechanisms and controlled growth of carbon nanotubes in a new mechano-thermal synthesis process in which carbon nanotubes are produced in the order of kilogram from graphite powder by mechanical milling and thermal annealing. The outcomes of this research will be profoundly enhanced understanding of the controlled assembly of carbon atoms into a variety of nanosized tubules with excellent mechanical, chemical and physical properties, and an innovative synthesis/manipulation technology for industrial applications.Read moreRead less
Nonlinear atom optics of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices. When a new state of matter - Bose-Einstein condensate - is trapped in a periodic potential created by light, it forms a unique, reconfigurable nano-scale system with unprecedented control over its properties. Its behaviour ranges from quantum to classical, from linear to nonlinear, and from continuous to discrete. This project aims to develop a theory for the nonlinear localization, transport, and excitation of BEC in the op ....Nonlinear atom optics of Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices. When a new state of matter - Bose-Einstein condensate - is trapped in a periodic potential created by light, it forms a unique, reconfigurable nano-scale system with unprecedented control over its properties. Its behaviour ranges from quantum to classical, from linear to nonlinear, and from continuous to discrete. This project aims to develop a theory for the nonlinear localization, transport, and excitation of BEC in the optical lattices. Its outcome will provide an important assessment of the feasibility of the proposed use of the BEC in optical lattices in quantum computing, information storage, precision measurements, and nanotechnology.
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Carrier dynamics in III-V semiconductor quantum dots and nanostructures. Quantum dots and related nanostructures are one of the most attractive topics in the recently years. This project will investigate the role of carrier dynamics in these nanostructures by using state-of-the-art ultrafast spectroscopy techniques. The wealth of information obtained from this study will not only enhance our knowledge base but also allow us to design high performance QD lasers and detectors and to demonstrate in ....Carrier dynamics in III-V semiconductor quantum dots and nanostructures. Quantum dots and related nanostructures are one of the most attractive topics in the recently years. This project will investigate the role of carrier dynamics in these nanostructures by using state-of-the-art ultrafast spectroscopy techniques. The wealth of information obtained from this study will not only enhance our knowledge base but also allow us to design high performance QD lasers and detectors and to demonstrate innovative optoelectronic devices for optical communication systems as well as quantum information processing. It will ensure that Australia is at the cutting edge of nanotechnology and optoelectronics research.Read moreRead less
Quantum technologies based on crystalline rare-earth ion doped optical waveguides and resonators. Quantum information processing is a powerful emerging technology that aims to fully exploit the properties of quantum mechanics to perform computations and securely transmit information. This project will develop an essential component for this technology that will enable for the first time the direct and reversible transfer of quantum information between solid-state quantum systems and light. Succ ....Quantum technologies based on crystalline rare-earth ion doped optical waveguides and resonators. Quantum information processing is a powerful emerging technology that aims to fully exploit the properties of quantum mechanics to perform computations and securely transmit information. This project will develop an essential component for this technology that will enable for the first time the direct and reversible transfer of quantum information between solid-state quantum systems and light. Successful completion of this project will provide a route to fully scalable quantum computing and long range quantum networks. This project will help secure Australia's leading role in this strategically important new generation technology.Read moreRead less