Bio-inspired Nanoparticles for Mechano-Regulation of Stem Cell Fate. Mechanical stimulation plays a critical role in regulating stem cell fate. Nanostructure-mediated mechanical cues can precisely stimulate stem cells, but predicting their impact on stem cell differentiation is challenging. This project aims to engineer nanostructures to regulate stem cell fate and gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanical properties that affect cell function. The expected outcomes and benefits of this ....Bio-inspired Nanoparticles for Mechano-Regulation of Stem Cell Fate. Mechanical stimulation plays a critical role in regulating stem cell fate. Nanostructure-mediated mechanical cues can precisely stimulate stem cells, but predicting their impact on stem cell differentiation is challenging. This project aims to engineer nanostructures to regulate stem cell fate and gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanical properties that affect cell function. The expected outcomes and benefits of this project include a new fundamental understanding of the effect of mechanical properties on cell function, novel insights into the regulation of stem cell fate, and the development of a new class of roughness-tunable materials suitable for use in tissue engineering and pharmaceutical applications. Read moreRead less
Micro Process Plants - Non-Newtonian flow and particle synthesis in confined geometries. Understanding the flow behaviour of well characterised non-Newtonian fluids within microfluidic and nanofluidic devices is of vital importance to development of novel high-value added services, products and devices within Australia's burgeoning biotechnology, environmental technology, communications and information technology industries. The outcomes of this project will provide new 'systematic' design stand ....Micro Process Plants - Non-Newtonian flow and particle synthesis in confined geometries. Understanding the flow behaviour of well characterised non-Newtonian fluids within microfluidic and nanofluidic devices is of vital importance to development of novel high-value added services, products and devices within Australia's burgeoning biotechnology, environmental technology, communications and information technology industries. The outcomes of this project will provide new 'systematic' design standards for microdevice manufacture for these industries, ultimately leading to the creation of new, exciting avenues for tailoring novel biotechnology and 'point-of-care' products for Australia.Read moreRead less
Utilisation of dense gas technology for the development of controlled release active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) delivery systems. The aim of this project is to develop an orally administered drug formulation for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other diseases of the colon. Irritable bowel syndrome is a debilitating condition and the cost to society is similar to that of asthma. As such, the project has the potential to have a major impact on society.
Solar Nano-photocatalytic Disinfection and Mineralization of Treated Wastewater from Sewage Treatment Plants. Reuse of the treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs) has become significantly important in Australia due to dwindling water resources. The poor quality of the wastewater has limited its use for agriculture and aquaculture. This project aims to develop a solar nano-photocatalytic tertiary wastewater treatment process for disinfection and mineralization of the treated waste ....Solar Nano-photocatalytic Disinfection and Mineralization of Treated Wastewater from Sewage Treatment Plants. Reuse of the treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs) has become significantly important in Australia due to dwindling water resources. The poor quality of the wastewater has limited its use for agriculture and aquaculture. This project aims to develop a solar nano-photocatalytic tertiary wastewater treatment process for disinfection and mineralization of the treated wastewater from STPs, making the wastewater suitable as a water resource. The newly developed nano-fibre catalysts and photocatalytic technology in the teatm will be used and further developed in this novel process. The research will focus on the water quality objectives in terms of technical reliability, and economic and environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Tailoring nano-crystal suspensions for extended ion supply to hydrophobic and hydrophilic leaf surfaces. Nutrient deficiency undermines the potential of billions of people and many nations. The requirement is to rapidly increase micro-nutrient delivery to support intensive and fortified crop production. This proposal seeks to develop a controlled ion release system through the use of tailored suspensions of nano-crystal nutrient materials for delivery to plants through the leaves. This will incr ....Tailoring nano-crystal suspensions for extended ion supply to hydrophobic and hydrophilic leaf surfaces. Nutrient deficiency undermines the potential of billions of people and many nations. The requirement is to rapidly increase micro-nutrient delivery to support intensive and fortified crop production. This proposal seeks to develop a controlled ion release system through the use of tailored suspensions of nano-crystal nutrient materials for delivery to plants through the leaves. This will increase yields from arable land, reduce water requirements and fertiliser applications, fortifying foods for better nutrition leading to improved human health and wellbeing. It leverages and applies recent significant advances in surface science and nanotechnology to gain improved outcomes in agriculture.Read moreRead less
Catalysts for hydrogen-free ammonia production by electrochemical method. This project aims to realise the next generation of ammonia production under ambient conditions without hydrogen feedstock. Through a combination of theoretical molecular-level understanding and experimental materials engineering, a range of catalysts will be developed under a materials discovery scheme for electrochemical nitrogen reduction to ammonia. These new catalysts, featuring high activity, efficiency, selectivity, ....Catalysts for hydrogen-free ammonia production by electrochemical method. This project aims to realise the next generation of ammonia production under ambient conditions without hydrogen feedstock. Through a combination of theoretical molecular-level understanding and experimental materials engineering, a range of catalysts will be developed under a materials discovery scheme for electrochemical nitrogen reduction to ammonia. These new catalysts, featuring high activity, efficiency, selectivity, and stability, will facilitate an alternative artificial nitrogen fixation technology powered by renewable energies. This technology will enable the production of green fertilisers and provide renewable energy storage, which are key environmental and energy challenges that Australia and the world currently face.Read moreRead less
Innovative green technology for bio-particle engineering. Approximately 40% of new pharmaceuticals are poorly soluble in bodily fluids. In many cases this leads to poor bioavailability, and consequent undesirable side effects as a result of high compensating dosages and generally poor patient compliance. These issues will be addressed by developing a green technology for the re-engineering of pharmaceuticals with the objective of increasing bioavilability. The research programme falls within th ....Innovative green technology for bio-particle engineering. Approximately 40% of new pharmaceuticals are poorly soluble in bodily fluids. In many cases this leads to poor bioavailability, and consequent undesirable side effects as a result of high compensating dosages and generally poor patient compliance. These issues will be addressed by developing a green technology for the re-engineering of pharmaceuticals with the objective of increasing bioavilability. The research programme falls within the Designated Research Priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries. Read moreRead less
Production and nano-characterisation of II-VI semiconductor quantum dots from plant cell cultures. Nanocrystallites with semiconductor properties have potential applications in medicine, microelectronics and waste treatment. Cheap, reliable methods for producing large quantities of monodisperse nanoparticles are required. Solution techniques have been used most commonly; however, production of stable, high-quality particles remains difficult. Biological synthesis using plant cell culture offers ....Production and nano-characterisation of II-VI semiconductor quantum dots from plant cell cultures. Nanocrystallites with semiconductor properties have potential applications in medicine, microelectronics and waste treatment. Cheap, reliable methods for producing large quantities of monodisperse nanoparticles are required. Solution techniques have been used most commonly; however, production of stable, high-quality particles remains difficult. Biological synthesis using plant cell culture offers several important advantages. As peptide capping is incorporated into the biological assembly process, the nanoparticles are restricted in size, their stability is improved, and their surfaces are passivated. Application of plant cultures for nanocrystallite production is a novel approach with the potential to yield significant improvements in the quality of manufactured quantum dots.Read moreRead less
Novel Synthesis and Bio-applications of Functional Macroporous Ordered Siliceous Foams. This project will lead to advances in materials science and nanotechnology, providing high efficiency separation and purification for viruses or plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which are important in modern gene engineering for the treatment of genetic and acquired diseases. Application benefits also include developing a new protocol in the detection of trace amount proteins, which will afford a signific ....Novel Synthesis and Bio-applications of Functional Macroporous Ordered Siliceous Foams. This project will lead to advances in materials science and nanotechnology, providing high efficiency separation and purification for viruses or plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which are important in modern gene engineering for the treatment of genetic and acquired diseases. Application benefits also include developing a new protocol in the detection of trace amount proteins, which will afford a significant improvement in diverse fields such as health care. Through this project, novel macroporous materials will be fabricated using an economically and environmentally sustainable approach. These new materials will have unique structures and properties compared to conventional macroporous materials, advancing Australia's intellectual position in this discipline.Read moreRead less
Microfluidic Studies of Stimuli-Responsive Emulsions. Breakthrough 'stimuli-responsive interface technology' has been developed in Australia to allow better control over emulsions, which are oil-in-water mixtures used widely in everyday products such as medicines. This project will increase our understanding of this new technology, by examining how the chemistry of the molecules at the interface interacts with fluid behaviour when the emulsion is made. The research will employ miniature lab-on-a ....Microfluidic Studies of Stimuli-Responsive Emulsions. Breakthrough 'stimuli-responsive interface technology' has been developed in Australia to allow better control over emulsions, which are oil-in-water mixtures used widely in everyday products such as medicines. This project will increase our understanding of this new technology, by examining how the chemistry of the molecules at the interface interacts with fluid behaviour when the emulsion is made. The research will employ miniature lab-on-a-chip systems, to give engineers and scientists design rules for this new technology, opening the way to new products that will improve our everyday lives. One immediate product to be researched is 'precision' double emulsions, which show unique properties for the delivery of chemotherapy medicines.Read moreRead less