On-demand 3D polymer scaffolds for directed stem cell differentiation. The project will develop new polymer gels that can be sculpted into shapes, representing tissues and organs. This 3D scaffold will provide a surface with biological signals to create functional tissues from stem cells. The approach will create engineered intestinal tissue with great promise to increase the survival rates of colon cancer patients.
Benign fabrication of microfluidic hydrogel for improved artificial vasculature in bone implants. We will create a benign technology for synthesising microfluidic hydrogels to generate artificial vascultures in bone implants. It is a critical step to enable the use of tissue-engineered vital organs, such as bone, heart and kidney in patients with end-stage organ failure. Thicker scaffolds will be possible, as the vasculature will provide nutrients and oxygen for cells to grow into 3D scaffolds. ....Benign fabrication of microfluidic hydrogel for improved artificial vasculature in bone implants. We will create a benign technology for synthesising microfluidic hydrogels to generate artificial vascultures in bone implants. It is a critical step to enable the use of tissue-engineered vital organs, such as bone, heart and kidney in patients with end-stage organ failure. Thicker scaffolds will be possible, as the vasculature will provide nutrients and oxygen for cells to grow into 3D scaffolds. It will promote capacity of Australia for manufacturing global biomaterial products for tissue engineering. We will also develop in-situ imaging analytical protocols for the rapid analysis of broad arrays of functional molecules, with significant bearing on BioMEMS design to develop methods for diagnosis of fatal diseases.Read moreRead less
Engineering the next generation of scaffolds. Engineering the next generation of scaffolds. This project aims to develop high efficiency quantum dots based on carbon nanomaterials, integrated with scaffolds and viable tissue cells, which can be used to develop smart implants with monitoring capabilities to reduce patient trauma and expenses. In certain cases, more than 50% of medical implants fail. Improving effective intervention is urgently needed, particularly monitoring of implants and early ....Engineering the next generation of scaffolds. Engineering the next generation of scaffolds. This project aims to develop high efficiency quantum dots based on carbon nanomaterials, integrated with scaffolds and viable tissue cells, which can be used to develop smart implants with monitoring capabilities to reduce patient trauma and expenses. In certain cases, more than 50% of medical implants fail. Improving effective intervention is urgently needed, particularly monitoring of implants and early diagnosis to prevent rejections and adverse reactions. Current methods are inefficient, expensive, and induce toxicity. A non-toxic and non-invasive method to monitor the progress of tissue regeneration and wound healing is expected to place Australia at the forefront of developing implants.Read moreRead less
Application of bioreactors for culture of differentiated cells and solid-phase tissues. The aim of this project is to develop methods for producing three-dimensional human cartilage outside of the body. Tissue-engineered cartilage has a range of applications, including in toxicity testing, for production of therapeutics, and as surgical transplant devices. Bioreactors will be used to culture cartilage under controlled conditions for development of living tissues with properties as close as possi ....Application of bioreactors for culture of differentiated cells and solid-phase tissues. The aim of this project is to develop methods for producing three-dimensional human cartilage outside of the body. Tissue-engineered cartilage has a range of applications, including in toxicity testing, for production of therapeutics, and as surgical transplant devices. Bioreactors will be used to culture cartilage under controlled conditions for development of living tissues with properties as close as possible to those of native articular cartilage. Novel culture strategies will be used to enhance the availability of growth factors and provide adequate oxygen and nutrient exchange. These techniques have the potential to yield significant improvements in the quality of engineered cartilage.Read moreRead less
Reducing wear on rotary coal pulverisers. The aim of this project is to develop an understanding of the small-scale flows and particle breakage required to permit optimised redesign of the attrition stage of the 36 coal pulverisers at Gladstone Power Station, which, because of erosive wear, currently have a maintenance budget of $4M per year. CFD-DEM simulation of the air and particle flows will be used to determine particle flow patterns, particle-particle and particle-wall impact energies. Thi ....Reducing wear on rotary coal pulverisers. The aim of this project is to develop an understanding of the small-scale flows and particle breakage required to permit optimised redesign of the attrition stage of the 36 coal pulverisers at Gladstone Power Station, which, because of erosive wear, currently have a maintenance budget of $4M per year. CFD-DEM simulation of the air and particle flows will be used to determine particle flow patterns, particle-particle and particle-wall impact energies. This information will be input to comminution and wear models to predict pulveriser performance and wear patterns. Simulation results will be validated using measurements from scale visualisation and working models.Read moreRead less
Interfacial Barriers to Transport in Nanomaterials. This project aims to make ground-breaking advances in the modelling of transport in disordered nanoporous materials by uncovering the interfacial barriers that are critical to the entry and exit of molecules from their nanostructure. The expected outcome is an efficient new simulation tool to simultaneously quantify interfacial transport resistances and system size-dependent internal transport coefficients. This is intended to be achieved throu ....Interfacial Barriers to Transport in Nanomaterials. This project aims to make ground-breaking advances in the modelling of transport in disordered nanoporous materials by uncovering the interfacial barriers that are critical to the entry and exit of molecules from their nanostructure. The expected outcome is an efficient new simulation tool to simultaneously quantify interfacial transport resistances and system size-dependent internal transport coefficients. This is intended to be achieved through simulations and experiments on the adsorption and dynamics of targeted gases in carbons with distinctly different nanostructures, enabling the optimal design of a wide range of emerging nanotechnologies for membrane separations, kinetic molecular sieving, catalysis, and gas and electrochemical energy storage.Read moreRead less
Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will re ....Engineering floating liquid marbles for three-dimensional cell cultures. This project aims to understand the physics of three-dimensional cell cultures in a liquid marble floating on a liquid free surface. New methodology developed can produce these cell cultures without using matrices or scaffolds and with run-times well beyond existing technologies. This methodology closely mimics a normal in-vivo environment and produces spheroids needed in cell transplantation therapies. This project will resolve uncertainties in the underlying phenomena. The expected outcome should support future high quality cell cultures suitable for transplantation therapies.Read moreRead less
Role of Reactive Particles in Explosive Emulsions. Concentrated water-in oil explosive emulsions are widely used in the minerals industry because they are cheap, easily detonated and relatively safe to handle. Their explosive energy can be significantly increased when reactive particles are introduced into the emulsion matrix. To do this, the interaction between the solid, oil, and water phases needs to be optimised. This investigation will increase our basic understanding of the physical and ch ....Role of Reactive Particles in Explosive Emulsions. Concentrated water-in oil explosive emulsions are widely used in the minerals industry because they are cheap, easily detonated and relatively safe to handle. Their explosive energy can be significantly increased when reactive particles are introduced into the emulsion matrix. To do this, the interaction between the solid, oil, and water phases needs to be optimised. This investigation will increase our basic understanding of the physical and chemical interactions that occur between the particle and the oil-water interface, and develop a more efficient explosive that can be produced continuously on a commercial scale.Read moreRead less
Vaporization of heavier gas oil in Fluid Catalytic Cracking risers. Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) is an important refinery operation responsible for about 45 per cent of the total petrol produced. The project is aimed at improving production efficiency of Australian refineries by applying fundamental modelling to the FCC. The outcomes will enable refiners to produce cleaner fuel and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
The Effect of Fines Particles on Production and Permeability of cbm Reservoirs. Coalbed methane (cbm) energy resources in Australia exceed $20b in value. One of the production issues with recovering cbm is fines that are created or exist in the coal, which block gas flow to the recovery wells and damage downstream equipment. Understanding how fines are created and migrate within gas wells and then overcoming this problem, the purpose of this research, could deliver additional gas production wort ....The Effect of Fines Particles on Production and Permeability of cbm Reservoirs. Coalbed methane (cbm) energy resources in Australia exceed $20b in value. One of the production issues with recovering cbm is fines that are created or exist in the coal, which block gas flow to the recovery wells and damage downstream equipment. Understanding how fines are created and migrate within gas wells and then overcoming this problem, the purpose of this research, could deliver additional gas production worth over $1.8billion and reduce maintenance costs related to cbm extraction by $25m per year.Read moreRead less