The Surface Science of Vacuum Glazing. In order to achieve a stable vacuum in evacuated glazing, high temperature baking during evacuation is required. The high temperature processing prevents the use of strengthened glass, such as tempered glass. However, samples made at low temperatures suffer from poor vacuum characteristics, particularly when exposed to UV radiation. In this project, we aim to discover the chemical and physical processes occurring on the glass surface responsible for vacuum ....The Surface Science of Vacuum Glazing. In order to achieve a stable vacuum in evacuated glazing, high temperature baking during evacuation is required. The high temperature processing prevents the use of strengthened glass, such as tempered glass. However, samples made at low temperatures suffer from poor vacuum characteristics, particularly when exposed to UV radiation. In this project, we aim to discover the chemical and physical processes occurring on the glass surface responsible for vacuum degradation. We will use this knowledge to develop a low temperature manufacturing process that can be used with tempered glass and results in a high-quality vacuum, stable over the device service life.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989127
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
A High-Throughput Neutron Spectrometer for The Study of Atomic and Molecular Motion at ANSTO. Neutron scattering enables new science across a broad range of disciplines, and for this reason it is undergoing major expansion in the USA, Europe, Japan and Australia. Various diffactometers and spectrometers have recently been built at ANSTO, but an instrumental option for a high-throughput cross-discipline spectroscopy is urgently needed. Fortunately, it is fairly straightforward to add this type of ....A High-Throughput Neutron Spectrometer for The Study of Atomic and Molecular Motion at ANSTO. Neutron scattering enables new science across a broad range of disciplines, and for this reason it is undergoing major expansion in the USA, Europe, Japan and Australia. Various diffactometers and spectrometers have recently been built at ANSTO, but an instrumental option for a high-throughput cross-discipline spectroscopy is urgently needed. Fortunately, it is fairly straightforward to add this type of option to an existing spectrometer that will broaden its user-base from specialised applications in physics to more general applications in physics, chemistry, materials-science and biology. This additional option provides a totally new way for Australian scientists to study atomic and molecular motions. Read moreRead less
Scaling-up microstructured fibres for terahertz radiation. Terahertz radiation is the last region of the electromagnetic spectrum to be fully utilised. Many applications have been identified but their practicality has been limited by a lack of low-loss flexible waveguides. The waveguides to be developed in this project will build on Australia's existing international lead and investments in photonics as well as extend the dynamic field of microstructured optical fibres, indentified as the 'futur ....Scaling-up microstructured fibres for terahertz radiation. Terahertz radiation is the last region of the electromagnetic spectrum to be fully utilised. Many applications have been identified but their practicality has been limited by a lack of low-loss flexible waveguides. The waveguides to be developed in this project will build on Australia's existing international lead and investments in photonics as well as extend the dynamic field of microstructured optical fibres, indentified as the 'future' of optical fibres. Low-loss flexible waveguides will enable imaging and spectroscopy applications that can reveal and object's internal structure and composition. This will have immediate applications in security, quality control, medical imaging and other safety or industrial applications.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989492
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Dynamic Texture Measurement Facility. A texture goniometer is an advanced tool for texture characterisation of steels, light alloys, nanomaterials, superconductors and minerals. The ability to conduct dynamic texture measurements will significantly enhance the effectiveness of four material-based research institutes at the University of Wollongong and at Deakin University, as well as collaborative research with BlueScope Steel. The research is directly aligned to the National Research Priority o ....Dynamic Texture Measurement Facility. A texture goniometer is an advanced tool for texture characterisation of steels, light alloys, nanomaterials, superconductors and minerals. The ability to conduct dynamic texture measurements will significantly enhance the effectiveness of four material-based research institutes at the University of Wollongong and at Deakin University, as well as collaborative research with BlueScope Steel. The research is directly aligned to the National Research Priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industry. The equipment will provide a valuable resource for industries in the Illawarra region of NSW and in regional South-West Victoria.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668482
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$485,000.00
Summary
X-ray micro-tomography facility. This proposal identifies a new area of importance in the investigation of the function and structure of materials as diverse as muscle and metal coatings - the ability to quantify the physical structure of an object. Researchers can further couple that ability with existing facilities at La Trobe University, which allow the chemical makeup on an interface to be analysed. The planned research projects will benefit the community in applications ranging from compos ....X-ray micro-tomography facility. This proposal identifies a new area of importance in the investigation of the function and structure of materials as diverse as muscle and metal coatings - the ability to quantify the physical structure of an object. Researchers can further couple that ability with existing facilities at La Trobe University, which allow the chemical makeup on an interface to be analysed. The planned research projects will benefit the community in applications ranging from composite and light-weight materials for aerospace, metal coatings for automotive and tool manufacture and tissue engineering for artificial heart valves. This breadth of application ensures a truly multidisciplinary training environment for students in contact with the facility.Read moreRead less
Exposure dating with manganese-53, neon-21 and beryllium-10: a new toolkit for studying long-term landscape evolution. Australia today is the driest inhabited continent but this was not always the case. Tens of millions of years ago the climate of Australia was considerably wetter. Then, several million years ago, aridity in Australia developed producing most of the desert features of the red Centre that we see today. The age of our deserts and other arid features are not, however, well known. T ....Exposure dating with manganese-53, neon-21 and beryllium-10: a new toolkit for studying long-term landscape evolution. Australia today is the driest inhabited continent but this was not always the case. Tens of millions of years ago the climate of Australia was considerably wetter. Then, several million years ago, aridity in Australia developed producing most of the desert features of the red Centre that we see today. The age of our deserts and other arid features are not, however, well known. This project will determine the age of desertification in Australia, thereby enhancing our understanding of such processes and the response of our landscape to changing climate.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0454166
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,305,029.00
Summary
Nanoscale Materials Characterization Facility. We request a transmission and a scanning electron microscope, each with specialist electron probes smaller than a nanometre, which can selectively analyse the atomic structure and chemistry of sub-nanometre regions of material.
These capabilities are essential to advance a large range of research projects at the cutting-edge of materials science and engineering, undertaken by Victoria's leading research institutions: five Victorian universities, ....Nanoscale Materials Characterization Facility. We request a transmission and a scanning electron microscope, each with specialist electron probes smaller than a nanometre, which can selectively analyse the atomic structure and chemistry of sub-nanometre regions of material.
These capabilities are essential to advance a large range of research projects at the cutting-edge of materials science and engineering, undertaken by Victoria's leading research institutions: five Victorian universities, the CSIRO, Nanotechnology Victoria Ltd, the Victorian Centre for Advanced Materials Manufacturing and the CRC for Microtechnology. Together they have contributed $2.58 million to this project.
This state-of-the-art facility will include the highest spatial resolution microscope in Australia.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0237478
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$580,000.00
Summary
A 200 keV Analytical Transmission Electron Microscope. Analytical transmission electron microscopy is one of the most powerful techniques available for investigating and characterising the fine structures, compositions and crystallographic features of geological, biological and engineering materials. It is an essential tool in the arsenal of characterisation equipment for any organisation involved in high quality research and development of materials. The Illawarra region of NSW currently lacks ....A 200 keV Analytical Transmission Electron Microscope. Analytical transmission electron microscopy is one of the most powerful techniques available for investigating and characterising the fine structures, compositions and crystallographic features of geological, biological and engineering materials. It is an essential tool in the arsenal of characterisation equipment for any organisation involved in high quality research and development of materials. The Illawarra region of NSW currently lacks a modern analytical transmission electron microscope to support a wide range of internationally competitive materials research. The aim of this application is to correct this deficiency.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453879
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$184,163.00
Summary
Electron beam induced deposition and ablation nanofabrication facility. Electron beam induced deposition and ablation(EBIDA) is rapidly emerging as a new technology capable of fabricating three-dimensional nanostructures on nearly any substrate with very high precision. This proposal aims to establish a nanoscale EBIDA facility by integrating a specialized nanolithography attachment with an existing state-of-the-art 1nm resolution high current variable pressure scanning electron microscope. This ....Electron beam induced deposition and ablation nanofabrication facility. Electron beam induced deposition and ablation(EBIDA) is rapidly emerging as a new technology capable of fabricating three-dimensional nanostructures on nearly any substrate with very high precision. This proposal aims to establish a nanoscale EBIDA facility by integrating a specialized nanolithography attachment with an existing state-of-the-art 1nm resolution high current variable pressure scanning electron microscope. This combination of instrumentation will enable the high-speed production of conductive and insulating structures with 1-to-10nm dimensions. The unique facility will be used to manufacture and prototype novel nanoscale devices and structures and will enable measurement of their physical and chemical properties.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560850
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$295,320.00
Summary
Scanning Cathodoluminescence Microscopy and Spectroscopy Facility. Cathodoluminescence (CL), the emission of light during electron irradiation, has emerged as a unique analytical tool to characterise luminescence centres and study luminescence mechanisms in technologically important materials at the nano-scale. The main aim of this project is to establish a state-of-the-art scanning CL microscopy and spectroscopy facility in Australia. The facility will enable high spatial resolution CL analysis ....Scanning Cathodoluminescence Microscopy and Spectroscopy Facility. Cathodoluminescence (CL), the emission of light during electron irradiation, has emerged as a unique analytical tool to characterise luminescence centres and study luminescence mechanisms in technologically important materials at the nano-scale. The main aim of this project is to establish a state-of-the-art scanning CL microscopy and spectroscopy facility in Australia. The facility will enable high spatial resolution CL analysis of technologically important semiconductors and novel nano-structured materials, e.g. quantum dots and ceramic nano-crystals. These studies will facilitate a deeper understanding of the physics of light emission from nano-structured materials and enable the fabrication of higher quality opto-electronic materials.Read moreRead less