Crystalline Mesoporous Metal Oxides for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrodes. Our crystalline mesoporous electrodes will help realise the full potentials of solid oxide fuel cells. Such advanced fuel cell technology will drastically increase the power generation efficiency, and reduce CO2 emissions from present power plants, thereby transforming Australian energy industry and improving our environment. The design and development of novel crystalline mesoporous materials that find widespread industri ....Crystalline Mesoporous Metal Oxides for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electrodes. Our crystalline mesoporous electrodes will help realise the full potentials of solid oxide fuel cells. Such advanced fuel cell technology will drastically increase the power generation efficiency, and reduce CO2 emissions from present power plants, thereby transforming Australian energy industry and improving our environment. The design and development of novel crystalline mesoporous materials that find widespread industrial applications will advance Australia's knowledge and skill base, and help Australia's high-tech industries to stay competitive, including the development of new high-tech industries in Australia.Read moreRead less
Evolution of Contact Damage in Layer Structures. Brittle layer structures (eg brittle coating on ceramic substrate) can be much more damage tolerant than their constituent material components - cracks tend to remain contained within the coating. Very little is known about the factors that control this behaviour. This project will exploit unique local expertise in modelling damage evolution to fill a niche in a large study being carried out at the National Institute of Standards (NIST) in the U ....Evolution of Contact Damage in Layer Structures. Brittle layer structures (eg brittle coating on ceramic substrate) can be much more damage tolerant than their constituent material components - cracks tend to remain contained within the coating. Very little is known about the factors that control this behaviour. This project will exploit unique local expertise in modelling damage evolution to fill a niche in a large study being carried out at the National Institute of Standards (NIST) in the U.S.A. An understanding of the factors that maximise the containment of cracks is essential to the design and development of the next generation of advanced layer composites for many biomechanical and other engineering applications.Read moreRead less
Geopolymers for nuclear applications. With the pressing need for the reduction of Greenhouse emissions from electricity generation in Australia, one option that must be seriously considered is nuclear energy. However, the issue of waste storage is a highly significant one that must be addressed. Geopolymeric cements are expected to perform much better than traditional Portland cements in nuclear applications, both for solidification of radioactive wastes and also for the construction of undergro ....Geopolymers for nuclear applications. With the pressing need for the reduction of Greenhouse emissions from electricity generation in Australia, one option that must be seriously considered is nuclear energy. However, the issue of waste storage is a highly significant one that must be addressed. Geopolymeric cements are expected to perform much better than traditional Portland cements in nuclear applications, both for solidification of radioactive wastes and also for the construction of underground waste storage bunkers. This project will use Australia's strong existing knowledge in geopolymers research, and apply it to the development of materials to fill the need for environmentally secure waste storage solutions.Read moreRead less
New Generation Lead-free Piezoelectric Ceramics for Acoustic Sensor Technologies. Cooperative research between University of NSW and Thales Australia to design new Lead-free piezoceramics is of critical importance to Australia's strategic leadership in underwater acoustic technology. This area has been identified by the Department of Defence to be a critical defence capability and essential to Australia's exploration of oil, gas, and minerals. Improved and new transducer components will provide ....New Generation Lead-free Piezoelectric Ceramics for Acoustic Sensor Technologies. Cooperative research between University of NSW and Thales Australia to design new Lead-free piezoceramics is of critical importance to Australia's strategic leadership in underwater acoustic technology. This area has been identified by the Department of Defence to be a critical defence capability and essential to Australia's exploration of oil, gas, and minerals. Improved and new transducer components will provide significant economic benefit to Australia through increased export of sonar technology, particularly to Europe and all Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliant countries. The project will produce highly skilled graduates ensuring an on-going basis for Australia's future innovation in this area.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
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