Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown ....Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown that the bioactivity of HAp coatings strongly correlates with surface roughness on the scale of bone cells. This project will explore cell-attachment behaviour for hydroxyapatite coatings prepared by plasma spraying compared with engineered surface morphology/chemistry by microlithography and vapour coating.Read moreRead less
Functionally graded fibre-polymer composites: a novel material for spinal disk prostheses. Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. A strong social/economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucle ....Functionally graded fibre-polymer composites: a novel material for spinal disk prostheses. Chronic back pain affects a significant proportion of the population and is primarily caused by failure of the spinal disk. A strong social/economic imperative exists to develop engineering solutions to this problem. This project concerns the development of a novel fibre-polymer functionally graded composite material that mimics the structure of the spinal disk. The spinal disk comprises a soft core (nucleus) and a tough fibrous periphery (annulus). The graded composite approach of this proposal represents a significant advance over spinal fusion, and over the alternative spinal disk protheses in clinical use or in the patent literature.Read moreRead less
New directions to miniaturized power sources: Integrated all-solid-state rechargeable batteries. This project will lead to the development of safe integrated all-solid-state miniaturized lithium ion batteries for small autonomous devices, such as implantable medical devices, hearing aids, small autonomous devices with sensing and actuation, and for communications and rapid chemical/biological analysis. This will make a significant contribution to the nation in the areas of science, technology, h ....New directions to miniaturized power sources: Integrated all-solid-state rechargeable batteries. This project will lead to the development of safe integrated all-solid-state miniaturized lithium ion batteries for small autonomous devices, such as implantable medical devices, hearing aids, small autonomous devices with sensing and actuation, and for communications and rapid chemical/biological analysis. This will make a significant contribution to the nation in the areas of science, technology, health, and the economy. The development of new scientific knowledge related to this project will place Australia at the forefront of an emerging domain of research. The project will also provide excellent training for postgraduate students and young researchers to develop their skills in chemistry, materials science, and battery technology.Read moreRead less
Ferroelectric bilayer composites with giant electromechanical properties. This project aims to create a novel bilayer ferroelectric material structure that provides giant electromechanical response at the nano-scale. Traditional electromechanical devices based on ferroelectric materials including position sensors, mechanical actuators, and ultrasonic transducers rely on bulk form. As technology moves toward integrated functionalities, future electro-mechanical materials need to be scaled down t ....Ferroelectric bilayer composites with giant electromechanical properties. This project aims to create a novel bilayer ferroelectric material structure that provides giant electromechanical response at the nano-scale. Traditional electromechanical devices based on ferroelectric materials including position sensors, mechanical actuators, and ultrasonic transducers rely on bulk form. As technology moves toward integrated functionalities, future electro-mechanical materials need to be scaled down to thin film form. Currently, doing this induces mechanical constraints that dramatically suppress the electromechanical response. Using this approach one layer relieves this mechanical constraint while the other gives a giant electromechanical response, providing a pathway for future functional devices. Read moreRead less
It’s a fine line: analytical and experimental optimisation of drawing metal-in-dielectric nanowire composites to manufacture engineered metamaterials. Exploitation of ‘smart materials’ is a major opportunity for 21st century Australian manufacturing if cost effective bulk production is available. Metamaterials are ideal building blocks for such new-age materials, being dielectric/metal composites structured on sub-wavelength dimensions, offering diverse properties unavailable in natural material ....It’s a fine line: analytical and experimental optimisation of drawing metal-in-dielectric nanowire composites to manufacture engineered metamaterials. Exploitation of ‘smart materials’ is a major opportunity for 21st century Australian manufacturing if cost effective bulk production is available. Metamaterials are ideal building blocks for such new-age materials, being dielectric/metal composites structured on sub-wavelength dimensions, offering diverse properties unavailable in natural materials. Fibre drawing is a proven mass-production technology for translating the structure of a (macroscale) preform to microscale and has recently been applied it to fabricate microscale metamaterials. By overcoming fundamental instabilities, this project will transform the technique to manufacture nanoscale structured composites and demonstrate practical metamaterial-based optical devices with unique properties.Read moreRead less
Enhance ferromagnetic ordering by exchange coupling and defect engineering. This project aims to achieve room temperature ferromagnetism in two-dimensional materials via magnetic element doping and defect and interface engineering. Achieving high spin polarisation, high spin diffusion length and effective spin manipulation, the pre-requisites for functional spintronics devices, makes research into two-dimensional materials for spintronics applications difficult. This project could establish a so ....Enhance ferromagnetic ordering by exchange coupling and defect engineering. This project aims to achieve room temperature ferromagnetism in two-dimensional materials via magnetic element doping and defect and interface engineering. Achieving high spin polarisation, high spin diffusion length and effective spin manipulation, the pre-requisites for functional spintronics devices, makes research into two-dimensional materials for spintronics applications difficult. This project could establish a solid foundation for realising qualified spintronics materials for spintronics devices. The expected outcomes are low power, high speed, spintronics devices, enhancing Australia’s strength in spintronics research.Read moreRead less
The development of advanced diluted magnetic semiconductors through nonmagnetic element doping and defect engineering for spin transistors. This project is to develop advanced diluted magnetic semiconductor materials by nonmagnetic element doping and defects engineering for the fabrication of spin devices (for example, spin transistors) and to understand the physics and engineering science of 'spin' behaviour.
Light-responsive spin transport and spintronics with stable perovskites. This project aims to investigate the impacts of spin/orbital degrees of freedom of electrons in perovskites, and to realise efficient spin injection and transport in perovskite spintronic devices. Halide perovskite is a fast-rising star in the photovoltaic field and possess unique merits including low-cost processing, good charge transport and high light absorption. However there are questions regarding their physical prope ....Light-responsive spin transport and spintronics with stable perovskites. This project aims to investigate the impacts of spin/orbital degrees of freedom of electrons in perovskites, and to realise efficient spin injection and transport in perovskite spintronic devices. Halide perovskite is a fast-rising star in the photovoltaic field and possess unique merits including low-cost processing, good charge transport and high light absorption. However there are questions regarding their physical properties. This project will explore the synthesis and characterisation of layered perovskites and lead-free hybrid compounds, and use these new materials in charge/spin transport devices. As a result of the strong charge-spin-orbital correlation in perovskite semiconductors, the project is expected to have a significant impact on not only spin-based devices but also charge-based energy conversion and storage applications related to halide perovskites.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100084
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$760,000.00
Summary
Next-Generation Electronic and Magnetic Materials Characterisation Facility. Next-generation electronic and magnetic materials characterisation facility: This project aims to address two major experimental capacity gaps in Australian infrastructure for research and development of novel electronic materials and nanoscale devices for future technologies. It will establish a facility featuring a state-of-the-art force-feedback scanning tunnelling microscope for studying insulating surfaces, such as ....Next-Generation Electronic and Magnetic Materials Characterisation Facility. Next-generation electronic and magnetic materials characterisation facility: This project aims to address two major experimental capacity gaps in Australian infrastructure for research and development of novel electronic materials and nanoscale devices for future technologies. It will establish a facility featuring a state-of-the-art force-feedback scanning tunnelling microscope for studying insulating surfaces, such as ferroic films, and a magneto-directional electrical characterisation system with a unique nine Tesla full-sphere magnetic field rotation capacity for studying materials in the two to 300 Kelvin temperature range. This facility will bring important new tools to Australia, which is expected to enhance our international competitiveness in the development of next-generation electronic materials and device technologies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100750
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$315,000.00
Summary
On the origin of high strain in lead-free piezoelectric materials. Legislation against the use of lead initiated a search for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. This project aims to derive guidelines for the development and implementation of this new class of materials. This project will utilise an analysis technique that allows elucidation of the origin of the high strain in piezoelectric materials. A separate analysis of the three known strain mechanisms in materials with coexisting phases will ....On the origin of high strain in lead-free piezoelectric materials. Legislation against the use of lead initiated a search for lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. This project aims to derive guidelines for the development and implementation of this new class of materials. This project will utilise an analysis technique that allows elucidation of the origin of the high strain in piezoelectric materials. A separate analysis of the three known strain mechanisms in materials with coexisting phases will innovatively correlate theory and macroscopic observation with processes on the atomic scale. The quantification of the contribution of each mechanism will lead to new insights into the enhancement of sustainable functional materials.Read moreRead less