SILICON BASED PHOTONIC CRYSTALS FOR MONITORING BIOMOLECULAR INTERACTIONS. Two great goals of biomolecular science are to monitor biomolecular interactions in real time and with sufficient sensitivity to allow small amounts of biological material to be investigated. The achievement of these goals is limited by the methods of transducing these reactions. The aim of this multidisciplinary proposal is to overcome this limitation by developing photonic devices that exploit the unique properties of na ....SILICON BASED PHOTONIC CRYSTALS FOR MONITORING BIOMOLECULAR INTERACTIONS. Two great goals of biomolecular science are to monitor biomolecular interactions in real time and with sufficient sensitivity to allow small amounts of biological material to be investigated. The achievement of these goals is limited by the methods of transducing these reactions. The aim of this multidisciplinary proposal is to overcome this limitation by developing photonic devices that exploit the unique properties of nanoporous silicon. The hybridisation of DNA will be used as a model biorecognition reaction. Potential applications of these photonic devices are as highly sensitive affinity sensors and as tools for investigating the kinetics of biomolecular interactions.Read moreRead less
Electron and Positron Interactions with Bio-Molecules. This program of research will quantify reaction rates and elucidate reaction pathways for a range of important processes in our bodies involving ionising radiation. It will lead to a greatly improved understanding of positron and electron interactions with biological systems, including DNA and its constituent molecules and, through a better understanding of the underlying fundamental interactions, will lay foundations for improvements in te ....Electron and Positron Interactions with Bio-Molecules. This program of research will quantify reaction rates and elucidate reaction pathways for a range of important processes in our bodies involving ionising radiation. It will lead to a greatly improved understanding of positron and electron interactions with biological systems, including DNA and its constituent molecules and, through a better understanding of the underlying fundamental interactions, will lay foundations for improvements in technologies such as PET imaging. Read moreRead less
Quantum coherence of electronic transport in layered magnetoresistive materials. The continued rapid expansion of information technology requires new materials and devices for information storage. State of the art computer memories are based on new materials which consist of layers of complex arrays of atoms. These materials have metallic properties quite unlike those of simple metals such as copper and steel. This research will lead to a greater understanding of and ability to design better ma ....Quantum coherence of electronic transport in layered magnetoresistive materials. The continued rapid expansion of information technology requires new materials and devices for information storage. State of the art computer memories are based on new materials which consist of layers of complex arrays of atoms. These materials have metallic properties quite unlike those of simple metals such as copper and steel. This research will lead to a greater understanding of and ability to design better materials. Australia's capacity for research and development in this scientifically challenging and technologically important field will be enhanced by this project. Read moreRead less
Superfluid helium nanodroplet spectroscopy. Molecules trapped in a helium nanodroplet find themselves in an ultracold liquid environment from which they cannot escape. As such, the molecules are forced to interact and this is studied at a resolution that is unrivaled in condensed phase spectroscopy. This technique will be used to create new materials and study the dynamics behind a large range of chemical processes. The results are expected to lead to a greater understanding of condensed phase c ....Superfluid helium nanodroplet spectroscopy. Molecules trapped in a helium nanodroplet find themselves in an ultracold liquid environment from which they cannot escape. As such, the molecules are forced to interact and this is studied at a resolution that is unrivaled in condensed phase spectroscopy. This technique will be used to create new materials and study the dynamics behind a large range of chemical processes. The results are expected to lead to a greater understanding of condensed phase chemistry and chemical reactions in general.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989390
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
Versatile Scanning X-ray Microscopy Facility at the Australian Synchrotron. The challenges of the modern world means that the Australian community must continue to have access to state of the art research tools. An important component of international synchrotron sources is the very high resolution x-ray microscope. These microscopes are used to image samples of biological, material or environmental significance with extraordinary precision. This project will establish such a microscope at the A ....Versatile Scanning X-ray Microscopy Facility at the Australian Synchrotron. The challenges of the modern world means that the Australian community must continue to have access to state of the art research tools. An important component of international synchrotron sources is the very high resolution x-ray microscope. These microscopes are used to image samples of biological, material or environmental significance with extraordinary precision. This project will establish such a microscope at the Australian Synchrotron in Clayton, and nucleates an extensive nationwide collaboration that is devoted to the development of this and related techniques and their application to problems of national scientific, environmental and technological importance.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0231228
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
Victorian Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy Facility. The aim of this proposal is to establish a state-of-the-art Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) facility in the Melbourne region. ESEMs have considerable advantages over conventional instruments in that they allow imaging and analysis to be performed in gaseous or high pressure environments. This enables electron microscopy to be used for the detailed analysis of insulating, wet or out-gassing specimens in their natural ....Victorian Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy Facility. The aim of this proposal is to establish a state-of-the-art Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) facility in the Melbourne region. ESEMs have considerable advantages over conventional instruments in that they allow imaging and analysis to be performed in gaseous or high pressure environments. This enables electron microscopy to be used for the detailed analysis of insulating, wet or out-gassing specimens in their natural state as well as the investigation, in real time, of dynamical processes such as crystallisation and corrosion. The new facility will support a wide range of multi-disciplinary research programs from four Universities and three CSIRO divisions.Read moreRead less
Joint Theoretical and Experimental Electron Momentum Spectroscopic Studies for DNA Bases. The study of DNA structure is an area of intense research activity and continues to reveal new levels of complexity and diversity. Recent experiments (Science, 2002) provided direct evidences of the adenine non-planarity, indicating non-rigidity of DNA bases. Electron momentum spectroscopy (EMS) has been identified to be an appropriate technique in the study of chemical binding mechanism and orbitals at mol ....Joint Theoretical and Experimental Electron Momentum Spectroscopic Studies for DNA Bases. The study of DNA structure is an area of intense research activity and continues to reveal new levels of complexity and diversity. Recent experiments (Science, 2002) provided direct evidences of the adenine non-planarity, indicating non-rigidity of DNA bases. Electron momentum spectroscopy (EMS) has been identified to be an appropriate technique in the study of chemical binding mechanism and orbitals at molecular level. The aims of the project is to study orbitals and interactions of DNA and RNA bases such as adenine, thymine (uracil), guanine and cytosine using momentum space quantum mechanics and EMS experimental techniques. The outcome of the project will improve our understanding of the DNA double helical strand structure.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775562
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
The Melbourne Nanofabrication Facility. Australia is desperately short of facilities for actual fabrication, prototyping and construction of advanced micromechanical and nanoscale systems. This is impeding both academic researchers and industrial developers in the materials, optics and biotechnological industries. The proposed instrument would complete the development of Australia's newest high resolution microscopy centre and enable a wide range of users to image, measure, build and design comp ....The Melbourne Nanofabrication Facility. Australia is desperately short of facilities for actual fabrication, prototyping and construction of advanced micromechanical and nanoscale systems. This is impeding both academic researchers and industrial developers in the materials, optics and biotechnological industries. The proposed instrument would complete the development of Australia's newest high resolution microscopy centre and enable a wide range of users to image, measure, build and design complex nanostructures at the atomic level and upwards. Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354658
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
The Nanoparticle Network. Nanoscale materials are objects with one dimension less than about 20nm in size. Such exotic materials display unique, size-dependent properties (called "quantum size effects"). These materials will form the basis for many of the technological advances of the 21st Century. "The Nanoparticle Network" is a consortium dedicated to the exploration of different nanoscale materials and the origin of quantum size effects. The Network aims to enhance the uptake of all types of ....The Nanoparticle Network. Nanoscale materials are objects with one dimension less than about 20nm in size. Such exotic materials display unique, size-dependent properties (called "quantum size effects"). These materials will form the basis for many of the technological advances of the 21st Century. "The Nanoparticle Network" is a consortium dedicated to the exploration of different nanoscale materials and the origin of quantum size effects. The Network aims to enhance the uptake of all types of nanoparticle based technologies through an integrated network of scientists and engineers in conjunction with industry partners and government research institutions.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0238898
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$352,000.00
Summary
Novel Optical Microprobes - fluorescence excitation, lifetime and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopies. State-of-the-art technologies in microscopy will be combined with the versatility and diagnostic power of spectroscopy for the analysis and identification of materials by methods sensitive to chemical structure as well as spatial inhomogeneity. The proposed systems will operate within an existing multi-user optical characterisation facility at Macquarie University thus supporting the research ....Novel Optical Microprobes - fluorescence excitation, lifetime and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopies. State-of-the-art technologies in microscopy will be combined with the versatility and diagnostic power of spectroscopy for the analysis and identification of materials by methods sensitive to chemical structure as well as spatial inhomogeneity. The proposed systems will operate within an existing multi-user optical characterisation facility at Macquarie University thus supporting the research of an established and expanding network of researchers in the Sydney area and in Melbourne. The suite of instruments will provide new and exciting avenues for interdisciplinary research between the physical and biological sciencesRead moreRead less