Functional topological materials for superior thermoelectric applications. The efficient generation of electricity from waste heat remains a significant technological challenge, hampered by the absence of efficient materials for conversion. This project aims to develop functionalized topological materials with ultra-high thermoelectric and photothermal performance for harvesting heat into electricity. A recent breakthrough in device efficiency will be a game-changer and position Australian acade ....Functional topological materials for superior thermoelectric applications. The efficient generation of electricity from waste heat remains a significant technological challenge, hampered by the absence of efficient materials for conversion. This project aims to develop functionalized topological materials with ultra-high thermoelectric and photothermal performance for harvesting heat into electricity. A recent breakthrough in device efficiency will be a game-changer and position Australian academics and industries at the forefront of next generation of renewable power generation and refrigeration products. The outcomes will provide an advantage to end-users and industry, and will open a new market for advanced thermoelectric devices in multidisciplinary fields, communities and emerging industries.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101354
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$448,169.00
Summary
Novel Ion Exchange Membrane for High Performance Vanadium Flow battery. This project aims to design and synthesis novel ion exchange membrane with tailored ion selectivity and high proton conductivity for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). VRFB is a promising energy storage technology for large scale storing renewable energy due to its advantage of decoupled capacity and power, long lifetime. Currently, VRFB suffers from fast capacity decay and cyclic instability because of severe vanadium ion ....Novel Ion Exchange Membrane for High Performance Vanadium Flow battery. This project aims to design and synthesis novel ion exchange membrane with tailored ion selectivity and high proton conductivity for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). VRFB is a promising energy storage technology for large scale storing renewable energy due to its advantage of decoupled capacity and power, long lifetime. Currently, VRFB suffers from fast capacity decay and cyclic instability because of severe vanadium ion permeability of commercial membrane. The expected research outcomes in this project include stable, high ion selectivity membranes made of cost-effective aromatic polymer and robust nanofillers, enabling high performance VRFB. This will place Australia in the forefront of clean energy storage technologies.Read moreRead less
High Performance Monolithic Perovskite Photocapacitors. Monolithic perovskite photocapacitor (MPPC) consisted of integrated energy harvesting perovskite solar cell and energy storage supercapacitor through an internally shared electrode can deliver stable electricity by harnessing solar energy. The performance of MPPC is dependent of properties of the shared electrode materials. This project aims to synthesis carbon materials with tailored surface, electrical and structure properties that are re ....High Performance Monolithic Perovskite Photocapacitors. Monolithic perovskite photocapacitor (MPPC) consisted of integrated energy harvesting perovskite solar cell and energy storage supercapacitor through an internally shared electrode can deliver stable electricity by harnessing solar energy. The performance of MPPC is dependent of properties of the shared electrode materials. This project aims to synthesis carbon materials with tailored surface, electrical and structure properties that are required to make a highly functioning shared electrode in MPPC. The goal is to fabricate stable, high performance MPPC. Successful achievement of the outcomes will enable cost-effective, reliable, solar electricity, placing Australia at the forefront of exploiting photovoltaics technologies.Read moreRead less
Solar-thermal desalination system for parallel water-electricity generation. This project aims to develop a multi-functional solar-thermal desalination device to simultaneously produce clean water and electricity. Interfacial solar evaporation-based desalination technology has the unique advantage of using solar light as the sole energy source for affordable clean water production. However, its absolute evaporation rate is still too low for practical application and all of the latent heat releas ....Solar-thermal desalination system for parallel water-electricity generation. This project aims to develop a multi-functional solar-thermal desalination device to simultaneously produce clean water and electricity. Interfacial solar evaporation-based desalination technology has the unique advantage of using solar light as the sole energy source for affordable clean water production. However, its absolute evaporation rate is still too low for practical application and all of the latent heat released from vapor condensation during desalination is wasted. Solving these two critical issues by the study of energy nexus, design and fabrication of advanced photothermal materials and desalination devices could accelerate practical adoption of this technology and benefit millions of people who desperately need clean water. Read moreRead less
Cost-effective metal selenide materials for solid-state devices. Thermoelectric materials, directly converting thermal energy into electrical energy, offer a green and sustainable solution for the global energy dilemma. This project aims to develop cost-effective metal selenide materials for high-efficiency solid-state devices using a novel industry-level approach, coupled with nanostructure and band engineering strategies. The key breakthrough is to design high-performance metal selenide thermo ....Cost-effective metal selenide materials for solid-state devices. Thermoelectric materials, directly converting thermal energy into electrical energy, offer a green and sustainable solution for the global energy dilemma. This project aims to develop cost-effective metal selenide materials for high-efficiency solid-state devices using a novel industry-level approach, coupled with nanostructure and band engineering strategies. The key breakthrough is to design high-performance metal selenide thermoelectric materials with engineered chemistry and unique structures for new generation thermoelectrics. The expected outcomes will lead to an innovative technology for harvesting electricity from waste heat or sunlight, which will place Australia at the forefront of energy and manufacturing technologies.Read moreRead less
Solar rechargeable batteries for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop a new solar battery as a sustainable power source for future wearable electronics. The research will develop solar rechargeable Zinc-Manganese oxide batteries based on new stretchable microelectrodes and materials engineering for the direct storage of solar energy. Expected outcomes include new classes of planar-type solar batteries, functional microelectrodes and energy materials, as well as new knowledge genera ....Solar rechargeable batteries for wearable electronics. This project aims to develop a new solar battery as a sustainable power source for future wearable electronics. The research will develop solar rechargeable Zinc-Manganese oxide batteries based on new stretchable microelectrodes and materials engineering for the direct storage of solar energy. Expected outcomes include new classes of planar-type solar batteries, functional microelectrodes and energy materials, as well as new knowledge generated from collaborations across materials science, photoelectrochemistry and nanotechnology disciplines. These will not only expand the applications of solar batteries to a new domain of wearable electronics, but also may eventually lead to new industry advances in functional materials for clean energy.Read moreRead less
A thermal battery for dish-Stirling concentrated solar power systems. This project will investigate new high temperature (> 600 degrees Celsius) metal hydrides and carbonates suitable for thermochemical energy storage in dish-Stirling Concentrated Solar Power systems. The intended outcome is to discover cost effective, energy dense materials that are capable of operating over a 30 year life span in a solar power plant. This will enable 24/7 electricity production from renewable sources in a disp ....A thermal battery for dish-Stirling concentrated solar power systems. This project will investigate new high temperature (> 600 degrees Celsius) metal hydrides and carbonates suitable for thermochemical energy storage in dish-Stirling Concentrated Solar Power systems. The intended outcome is to discover cost effective, energy dense materials that are capable of operating over a 30 year life span in a solar power plant. This will enable 24/7 electricity production from renewable sources in a dispatchable solar platform, ideal for remote locations. The successful development of high temperature metal hydrides and carbonates will finally provide an energy storage solution to dish-Stirling Concentrated Solar Power systems, which will greatly reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to produce electricity.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100521
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,000.00
Summary
Engineering semitransparent perovskite solar cells for smart solar windows. This project aims to develop highly efficient and stable semitransparent perovskite solar cells for innovative smart solar windows. The key concept is to explore novel functionalisation strategies on emerging carbon and two-dimensional materials to fabricate semitransparent perovskite solar cells for self-powered smart photovoltaic windows. Expected outcomes of this project include not only placing Australia at the foref ....Engineering semitransparent perovskite solar cells for smart solar windows. This project aims to develop highly efficient and stable semitransparent perovskite solar cells for innovative smart solar windows. The key concept is to explore novel functionalisation strategies on emerging carbon and two-dimensional materials to fabricate semitransparent perovskite solar cells for self-powered smart photovoltaic windows. Expected outcomes of this project include not only placing Australia at the forefront of research in the fields of materials science and renewable energy, but also creating commercial opportunities in Australia. This project expects to have various benefits for Australians – through the development of a cutting-edge sustainable energy device and the establishment of strong international collaborations.Read moreRead less
Enabling Next-generation Rechargeable Aluminium-ion Batteries. This project aims to develop a new generation of high performance and low-cost cathode materials for rechargeable aluminium ion batteries. To address the low capacity issue of current cathodes, this project anticipates to generate new knowledge in the material design of novel graphene materials. By developing an innovative surface perforation technique coupled in a continuous production process, this project expects to produce scalab ....Enabling Next-generation Rechargeable Aluminium-ion Batteries. This project aims to develop a new generation of high performance and low-cost cathode materials for rechargeable aluminium ion batteries. To address the low capacity issue of current cathodes, this project anticipates to generate new knowledge in the material design of novel graphene materials. By developing an innovative surface perforation technique coupled in a continuous production process, this project expects to produce scalable and cost-effective graphene cathodes with a record-high capacity. Expected outcomes of this project include industrial adaptable manufacturing processing and advanced materials for aluminium ion batteries, thus increasing the competitiveness of the partner organisation in the rapid growing graphene market.
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Sustainable Hydrogen Production from Used Water. The project aims to address the pressing challenge of water scarcity in hydrogen production by developing an innovative approach of using used water as the feed for water electrolysis. The project will result in an in-depth understanding of the impacts of water impurities in used water on the performance and durability of water electrolysers, and develop guidelines for the design of highly durable water electrolysers and the operation and upgrade ....Sustainable Hydrogen Production from Used Water. The project aims to address the pressing challenge of water scarcity in hydrogen production by developing an innovative approach of using used water as the feed for water electrolysis. The project will result in an in-depth understanding of the impacts of water impurities in used water on the performance and durability of water electrolysers, and develop guidelines for the design of highly durable water electrolysers and the operation and upgrade of existing wastewater treatment plants. The project will advance the practical applications of water electrolysis for scalable and sustainable hydrogen production and help Australia secure a leading position in the global emerging hydrogen economy.Read moreRead less