Improving Energy Efficiency through Cool Polymers in Building Materials. The advantages of using cool polymers in industrial applications such as building materials are significant. Cooler buildings are a positive contribution to our global environment with reductions in urban heat and smog through energy efficiency. Moreover, by reducing the overall temperature of the surface coating through inclusion and optimization of IR-reflective pigments, this should lead to polymers which are more durabl ....Improving Energy Efficiency through Cool Polymers in Building Materials. The advantages of using cool polymers in industrial applications such as building materials are significant. Cooler buildings are a positive contribution to our global environment with reductions in urban heat and smog through energy efficiency. Moreover, by reducing the overall temperature of the surface coating through inclusion and optimization of IR-reflective pigments, this should lead to polymers which are more durable when exposed in exterior environments. It is anticipated that the results from this work will have direct impact on the Australian paint market and potentially the commercial and residential building industries of Australia, combined with obvious economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Biodegradable immuno-therapeutic nanoparticles. The national benefit relates directly to Promoting and Maintaining Good Health through preventative healthcare as this project will develop a new vaccine delivery platform that will contribute to preventing a host of diseases such as viral infections and malaria. The health benefits of better vaccines directly enhance a Healthy Start to Life and Ageing Well. This area of nanoparticle therapies is a global 'hot spot' and this multi-disciplinary team ....Biodegradable immuno-therapeutic nanoparticles. The national benefit relates directly to Promoting and Maintaining Good Health through preventative healthcare as this project will develop a new vaccine delivery platform that will contribute to preventing a host of diseases such as viral infections and malaria. The health benefits of better vaccines directly enhance a Healthy Start to Life and Ageing Well. This area of nanoparticle therapies is a global 'hot spot' and this multi-disciplinary team could make huge and rapid progressions in this area of therapeutics. New intellectual property in the area of therapeutic particle production is the cornerstone of this project and could deliver lasting economic benefits through the creation of new health products and patents.Read moreRead less
Biomolecular activity modulated by interaction with nanostructures. Nanotechnological methods are able to reliably fabricate artificial nanostructures with dimensions similar to those of large biomolecules (a few to tens of nanometers). This study focuses on the interaction of artificial nanostructures with biomolecules such as proteins and DNA, and will enable scientists to better understand biomolecular recognition and binding events, which are central to all biological processes. The underst ....Biomolecular activity modulated by interaction with nanostructures. Nanotechnological methods are able to reliably fabricate artificial nanostructures with dimensions similar to those of large biomolecules (a few to tens of nanometers). This study focuses on the interaction of artificial nanostructures with biomolecules such as proteins and DNA, and will enable scientists to better understand biomolecular recognition and binding events, which are central to all biological processes. The understanding gained can then be used to design biomimetic surfaces for use in health monitoring and medical diagnostic devices with improved sensitivity, robustness and portability, thereby providing significant benefits to the health sector.Read moreRead less
Single molecule spectroscopy of functional luminescent materials. This project will provide new insights into the light induced processes occurring in individual molecules of potentially useful luminescent materials. The molecules to be studied include new fluorescent probes of biological and polymer systems and single light harvesting nanoparticles with applications in solar energy collection and conversion. The program of work proposed will increase our understanding of light induced chemical ....Single molecule spectroscopy of functional luminescent materials. This project will provide new insights into the light induced processes occurring in individual molecules of potentially useful luminescent materials. The molecules to be studied include new fluorescent probes of biological and polymer systems and single light harvesting nanoparticles with applications in solar energy collection and conversion. The program of work proposed will increase our understanding of light induced chemical processes and assist the design of advanced materials for photomolecular devices.Read moreRead less
Novel Nano Particles for Advanced Automotive and Industrial Coatings. In conjunction with our industrial partner (DuPont Australia), this project will develop a new generation of automotive and industrial coatings. The technology developed from this project can integrate into the existing system. The new coatings will be environmentally friendly and will make a significant contribution to solve the emission issue of volatile organic compound (VOC) faced by the industry. The novel nano particles ....Novel Nano Particles for Advanced Automotive and Industrial Coatings. In conjunction with our industrial partner (DuPont Australia), this project will develop a new generation of automotive and industrial coatings. The technology developed from this project can integrate into the existing system. The new coatings will be environmentally friendly and will make a significant contribution to solve the emission issue of volatile organic compound (VOC) faced by the industry. The novel nano particles developed from this project will provide unique properties for automotive paint and can be commercialized at an acceptable price. The science involved in this project represents the cutting edge of world leading technology and will bring polymer science into a new field.Read moreRead less
Materials World Network Synthesis and Processing Optoelectronic Materials in Supercritical and Condensed Phase Carbon Dioxide. The Australian partner will have leveraged access to the skill base and facilities of the Cornell Center for Materials Research, and the NSF MRSEC that leads the world in frontier technologies in advanced materials. The partnership will deliver to Australia progress in national priority goals "Frontier Technologies" and new manufacturing technologies in environmentally ....Materials World Network Synthesis and Processing Optoelectronic Materials in Supercritical and Condensed Phase Carbon Dioxide. The Australian partner will have leveraged access to the skill base and facilities of the Cornell Center for Materials Research, and the NSF MRSEC that leads the world in frontier technologies in advanced materials. The partnership will deliver to Australia progress in national priority goals "Frontier Technologies" and new manufacturing technologies in environmentally friendly media that will enhance the national research priority "An Environmentally Sustainable Australia". New transferable skills will be acquired by the participants in the project. Technology transfer could result in the formation of spinoff companies to exploite the intellectual property arising in the project.Read moreRead less
Performance Chemistry of Thermoset Surface Coatings. Surface coatings employed in the COLORBOND® range of pre-painted steel products are remarkable materials that are warranted against fading, peeling and cracking for 25 years. Unfortunately, the desired durability can never be uniform across all applications and performance failures do occur and are costly. Classic durability testing often provides misleading information. This project aims to develop a sound mechanistic model for polyester-is ....Performance Chemistry of Thermoset Surface Coatings. Surface coatings employed in the COLORBOND® range of pre-painted steel products are remarkable materials that are warranted against fading, peeling and cracking for 25 years. Unfortunately, the desired durability can never be uniform across all applications and performance failures do occur and are costly. Classic durability testing often provides misleading information. This project aims to develop a sound mechanistic model for polyester-isocyanate performance chemistry and to develop strategies for 'superdurable polyester' formulations based on these findings. This research will provide recommendations to BHP Coated Steel Australia on adoption of isocyanate based technology in the COLORBOND® range of products.Read moreRead less
Advanced polymer fibres with multiple functionalities. This project will add value to the local polymer and fibre industries. Australia is a significant producer of synthetic polymers such as polypropylene and the largest producer of wool. There is also local production of nanoparticles such as zinc oxide. This project will add value to all these producers through innovative uses and applications of different types of material. Combining organic and inorganic particles in a polymer matrix has no ....Advanced polymer fibres with multiple functionalities. This project will add value to the local polymer and fibre industries. Australia is a significant producer of synthetic polymers such as polypropylene and the largest producer of wool. There is also local production of nanoparticles such as zinc oxide. This project will add value to all these producers through innovative uses and applications of different types of material. Combining organic and inorganic particles in a polymer matrix has not been reported. This innovation will strengthen our position in research into advanced materials, which is a national research priority.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882948
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$440,000.00
Summary
Multidisciplinary 'Environmental' Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope. The present proposal is for a high resolution electron microscope for use in the development of new materials for the automotive, textile and bio-medical sectors. The new generation of automotive materials will be lighter and more crash resistant. New textiles will be 'active' in providing warmth and cooling through their conducting properties. They will also provide enhanced dynamic protection against physical ha ....Multidisciplinary 'Environmental' Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope. The present proposal is for a high resolution electron microscope for use in the development of new materials for the automotive, textile and bio-medical sectors. The new generation of automotive materials will be lighter and more crash resistant. New textiles will be 'active' in providing warmth and cooling through their conducting properties. They will also provide enhanced dynamic protection against physical harm. The facility will support the development of new cellular scaffolds made from metals and polymers. These scaffolds will be used for tissue growth and engineering. The facility will also be used to support Deakin University's regional collaborators.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775643
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,000.00
Summary
A multiscale system for characterizing surface and subsurface properties of advanced materials. The installation of the proposed equipment will greatly strengthen the research capability and capacity of the leading Australian teams in the frontier areas of multiscale manufacturing and advanced materials technology. This will in turn lead to more significant innovations and sharpen Australia's competitive edge internationally. The facility will enable the advanced training of students and enginee ....A multiscale system for characterizing surface and subsurface properties of advanced materials. The installation of the proposed equipment will greatly strengthen the research capability and capacity of the leading Australian teams in the frontier areas of multiscale manufacturing and advanced materials technology. This will in turn lead to more significant innovations and sharpen Australia's competitive edge internationally. The facility will enable the advanced training of students and engineers most needed by the country. Read moreRead less