Fundamentals and applications of dynamic interfacial forces in soft matter. The proposed program will make an internationally significant contribution to the fundamental understanding of soft matter on the nanoscale. This has a direct impact upon processes that are key to a wide range of Australian industries ranging from the manufacture of functional foods to minerals recovery to pharmaceutical formulation, where innovative solutions can substantially improve productivity, increase export pote ....Fundamentals and applications of dynamic interfacial forces in soft matter. The proposed program will make an internationally significant contribution to the fundamental understanding of soft matter on the nanoscale. This has a direct impact upon processes that are key to a wide range of Australian industries ranging from the manufacture of functional foods to minerals recovery to pharmaceutical formulation, where innovative solutions can substantially improve productivity, increase export potential and reduce environmental impact. The outcomes of this work, in the form of high impact papers and conference presentations, will build and enhance Australia's reputation as a world leader in nanotechnology and colloid science. Read moreRead less
Processing Pearl Nacre for Bio-Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has exciting potential to solve major health challenges of the 21st century. The proposed research focuses on developing health care products, derived from a renewable waste stream resource from the pearling industry, en route to establishing products to benefit the rural community, and beyond. The processed pearl nacre provides the possibility of alleviating problems associated with neurotrauma following injury, and for skin regenera ....Processing Pearl Nacre for Bio-Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has exciting potential to solve major health challenges of the 21st century. The proposed research focuses on developing health care products, derived from a renewable waste stream resource from the pearling industry, en route to establishing products to benefit the rural community, and beyond. The processed pearl nacre provides the possibility of alleviating problems associated with neurotrauma following injury, and for skin regeneration following burns. The recently established powerful multidisciplinary research team in partnership with Pearl Technology combines expertise in chemical processing, nanotechnology, biochemistry, neuroscience and tissue engineering, also providing a basis for quality research training.Read moreRead less
Triblock Copolymeric Structures As Novel Dispersants. ICI are one of the largest producers of surface-active compounds in the world. ICI are represented in Australia by National Starch & Chemicals who have significant manufacturing and research/development sites in Sydney and Melbourne. As the fastest growing market for dispersants is SE Asia, it is our intention that if the research is successful that scale up and manufacture will occur at both the Bristish and Australian sites.
Understanding and Controlling Wall Deposition in Spray Dryers via Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Studies. A key problem in operating spray dryers for producing milk powders and other consumer products, such as detergents, is the occurrence of internal wall deposits of powder, leading to thermal degradation of the products and potential fire hazards. However, no fundamental theory has been applied in spray dryers to allow this process to be controlled. The proposed project wi ....Understanding and Controlling Wall Deposition in Spray Dryers via Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Studies. A key problem in operating spray dryers for producing milk powders and other consumer products, such as detergents, is the occurrence of internal wall deposits of powder, leading to thermal degradation of the products and potential fire hazards. However, no fundamental theory has been applied in spray dryers to allow this process to be controlled. The proposed project will use state-of-the-art experimental and computational techniques to gain a fundamental understanding of this phenomenon and will develop a validated wall deposition model to predict when and to what extent this process occurs, to give higher throughputs and/or more efficient systems.Read moreRead less
Polymers for Novel Surfactants. The aim of the proposed research is to develop novel surface-active polymers with complex architectures and more efficient strategies for the synthesis of surface-active polymers in general. We will exploit the polymerization characteristics of the novel catalytic chain transfer and radical addition-fragmentation transfer polymerization techniques to achieve polymerization control that has been virtually impossible hitherto. The proposed research will thus make ....Polymers for Novel Surfactants. The aim of the proposed research is to develop novel surface-active polymers with complex architectures and more efficient strategies for the synthesis of surface-active polymers in general. We will exploit the polymerization characteristics of the novel catalytic chain transfer and radical addition-fragmentation transfer polymerization techniques to achieve polymerization control that has been virtually impossible hitherto. The proposed research will thus make accessible a wide range of novel surface-active polymers that have been impossible to synthesise to date, and which we expect to be more efficient and hence leads to greener technologies.
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Kinetic Control of Nanomaterial Assembly by Novel Polymerisable Surfactants. To build a competitive edge in the future Australian industries need to exploit the manipulation of matter at and near molecular length scales in order to create and use advanced nanostructured materials. In this project, using newly-discovered reactive surfactants we will develop novel methods for assembling and templating the formation of nanostructured polymeric and composite materials with a very broad range of pot ....Kinetic Control of Nanomaterial Assembly by Novel Polymerisable Surfactants. To build a competitive edge in the future Australian industries need to exploit the manipulation of matter at and near molecular length scales in order to create and use advanced nanostructured materials. In this project, using newly-discovered reactive surfactants we will develop novel methods for assembling and templating the formation of nanostructured polymeric and composite materials with a very broad range of potential applications. Australian postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers will be trained in advanced techniques for the creation and characterisation of self-assembled materials.Read moreRead less
Synthesis of stimuli-responsive star polymers for controlled drug delivery. The project aims to prepare novel star polymers suitable for drug delivery via controlled radical polymerization techniques. Such star polymers can be employed to release drugs within the human body in a controlled manner over time and are thus able to target specific sites, i.e. a tumor. The release characterisitics are be influenced by the structure and the size of the star polymer, which can easily be altered via cont ....Synthesis of stimuli-responsive star polymers for controlled drug delivery. The project aims to prepare novel star polymers suitable for drug delivery via controlled radical polymerization techniques. Such star polymers can be employed to release drugs within the human body in a controlled manner over time and are thus able to target specific sites, i.e. a tumor. The release characterisitics are be influenced by the structure and the size of the star polymer, which can easily be altered via controlled radical polymerization techniques. These novel stars are expected to improve the release kinetics of the drug comparing to similar structured micelles due to their higher stability upon injection.Read moreRead less
Microgel thin films for controlled release. This project represents a real and timely opportunity for Australian research to take a leading position in the field of stimulus-responsive thin films. The potential applications of the targeted advanced coatings lie in areas for which Australia is already a significant world player (water treatment, biomaterial/implant coatings, sensors) and will add value to these industries. The development of these "smart" films will have commercial potential for ....Microgel thin films for controlled release. This project represents a real and timely opportunity for Australian research to take a leading position in the field of stimulus-responsive thin films. The potential applications of the targeted advanced coatings lie in areas for which Australia is already a significant world player (water treatment, biomaterial/implant coatings, sensors) and will add value to these industries. The development of these "smart" films will have commercial potential for "next generation" nanotechnology or biotechnology companies. The project will increase the momentum of an internationally competitive research partnership. The training of a research associate, PhD and honours students will lead to competitive employment for these burgeoning scientists.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100085
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$340,000.00
Summary
Soft matter and responsive materials characterisation facility. The processing of minerals, foods and pharmaceutical materials underpins the delivery of these materials to the community. The industries associated with the named areas have cost-driven demands for higher throughput and constraints imposed by water and energy conservation requirements. Technological advances in the processing of soft matter and responsive materials therefore offer a gateway to revolutionary changes in many aspects ....Soft matter and responsive materials characterisation facility. The processing of minerals, foods and pharmaceutical materials underpins the delivery of these materials to the community. The industries associated with the named areas have cost-driven demands for higher throughput and constraints imposed by water and energy conservation requirements. Technological advances in the processing of soft matter and responsive materials therefore offer a gateway to revolutionary changes in many aspects of our everyday lives. The outcomes from research addressing these classes of advanced materials will translate into improvements in Australian industries and in training the next generation of world leading Australian scientists and engineers using state-of-the-art technology.Read moreRead less
Topical peptide delivery for cosmetic and therapeutic benefits. Milk is a major Australian agricultural commodity and is now used in a number of topical products for the management of various skin conditions including chafing in babies, eczema and ageing skin. Hence, this work hopes to contribute to promoting and maintaining good health of Australians.
In addition, there is considerable research being conducted on peptide development for a range of diseases and there may be a possibility of ....Topical peptide delivery for cosmetic and therapeutic benefits. Milk is a major Australian agricultural commodity and is now used in a number of topical products for the management of various skin conditions including chafing in babies, eczema and ageing skin. Hence, this work hopes to contribute to promoting and maintaining good health of Australians.
In addition, there is considerable research being conducted on peptide development for a range of diseases and there may be a possibility of delivering these by the skin.
This work, in seeking to understand some of the fundamental determinants governing how exogenously applied peptides distribute in the skin, is also contributing to the development of Australian pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.Read moreRead less