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
Bioanalytical Microchips Based on Integrated, Application Tailored Monolithic Modules. Microfluidic devices offer substantial advantages over current technology, in terms of speed, cost of analysis, portability, operator simplicity and safety. Integrating multiple analytical processes within a simple and reliable portable device will lead to application in a range of areas, from pharmacology to therapeutic drug monitoring, proteomic and metabolomic screening for disease diagnosis and drug develo ....Bioanalytical Microchips Based on Integrated, Application Tailored Monolithic Modules. Microfluidic devices offer substantial advantages over current technology, in terms of speed, cost of analysis, portability, operator simplicity and safety. Integrating multiple analytical processes within a simple and reliable portable device will lead to application in a range of areas, from pharmacology to therapeutic drug monitoring, proteomic and metabolomic screening for disease diagnosis and drug development, and also for performing clinical diagnostics in a rural area. This will significantly impact on the quality of life of the Nation as a whole, not only due to expedient diagnosis and treatment which has obvious health benefits, but also in the considerable financial benefits that result from early and efficient treatment. Read moreRead less
Oral Insulin Delivery facilitated by Enteric Coating using Dense Gas Technologies. Insulin dependant diabetes is a rapidly growing disease. The current method for insulin delivery to the patient is by injection, which is inconvenient. Oral delivery of insulin is a more acceptable method. It is proposed to develop a dense gas technique to coat insulin with a pH sensitive polymer to protect it from the acidic environment of the stomach. Insulin can then be released at the high pH of the intestin ....Oral Insulin Delivery facilitated by Enteric Coating using Dense Gas Technologies. Insulin dependant diabetes is a rapidly growing disease. The current method for insulin delivery to the patient is by injection, which is inconvenient. Oral delivery of insulin is a more acceptable method. It is proposed to develop a dense gas technique to coat insulin with a pH sensitive polymer to protect it from the acidic environment of the stomach. Insulin can then be released at the high pH of the intestine when the polymer is dissolved. Particle size control is feasible by dense gas processes by manipulating operating parameters. Advantages include low residual solvent and manufacture at ambient temperatures.Read moreRead less
New Strategies for Modelling Polyoxometalates. Polyoxometalates are a versatile class of genuine nanomaterials with remarkable chemical and physical properties and dimensions ranging from tens to tens of thousands of atoms. Designing functional materials which exploit their enormous potential is limited by practical difficulties in their structural characterization and restrictions on our ability to model their behaviour. In this project, we will develop a new strategy for computer modelling of ....New Strategies for Modelling Polyoxometalates. Polyoxometalates are a versatile class of genuine nanomaterials with remarkable chemical and physical properties and dimensions ranging from tens to tens of thousands of atoms. Designing functional materials which exploit their enormous potential is limited by practical difficulties in their structural characterization and restrictions on our ability to model their behaviour. In this project, we will develop a new strategy for computer modelling of polyoxometalates based on the classical molecular mechanics approach and high-level techniques. This novel line of attack will be exploited in the characterization of large and highly substituted derivatives which are key to developing functional materials.Read moreRead less
Patterned assemblies of molecules on surfaces. Because of their redox and photophysical properties, artificial porphyrin systems have been designed for applications such as light-harvesting antennae, catalysts and sensors. Control of molecular orientation is required in order to construct practical devices, and in this project methods of assembling porphyrins on surfaces in well-defined patterns will be developed. Sophisticated methods will be used to characterise the films produced in these w ....Patterned assemblies of molecules on surfaces. Because of their redox and photophysical properties, artificial porphyrin systems have been designed for applications such as light-harvesting antennae, catalysts and sensors. Control of molecular orientation is required in order to construct practical devices, and in this project methods of assembling porphyrins on surfaces in well-defined patterns will be developed. Sophisticated methods will be used to characterise the films produced in these ways, in order to provide the information necessary to refine procedures and design new molecules suitable for advanced applications. Expected outcomes are new methods and architectures that can ultimately yield devices that act at the molecular level.Read moreRead less
NOVEL Fe-Cr OXIDE AND SKELETAL (RANEY) CATALYSTS FOR WATER GAS SHIFT REACTION. The water gas shift reaction has an importance implication in the control of carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratios of gas mixtures used during the synthesis of methanol, diesel and hydrogen. The research study aims to develop and characterise Fe-Cr oxide and chromia-promoted Raney Cu catalysts for water gas shift reaction using a tube wall reactor. The catalyst fabrication is based on leaching and electrochemical deposition ....NOVEL Fe-Cr OXIDE AND SKELETAL (RANEY) CATALYSTS FOR WATER GAS SHIFT REACTION. The water gas shift reaction has an importance implication in the control of carbon monoxide/hydrogen ratios of gas mixtures used during the synthesis of methanol, diesel and hydrogen. The research study aims to develop and characterise Fe-Cr oxide and chromia-promoted Raney Cu catalysts for water gas shift reaction using a tube wall reactor. The catalyst fabrication is based on leaching and electrochemical deposition to promote the catalytic activity. The produced catalysts will be characterised and tested for catalytic activity, temperature stability and other physical properties to determine fundamental understanding for future commercial applications.Read moreRead less
New approaches to inhibition of activity of HIV integrase. This project aims to assist in the development of novel anti-HIV drugs that will benefit the 17000 Australians and more than 33 million people worldwide who are currently suffering with this terrible disease. The project will utilise state-of-the-art approaches in structure-based drug design to identify and synthesise compounds as leads for the development of anti-HIV drugs. Furthermore, the project will provide invaluable training for t ....New approaches to inhibition of activity of HIV integrase. This project aims to assist in the development of novel anti-HIV drugs that will benefit the 17000 Australians and more than 33 million people worldwide who are currently suffering with this terrible disease. The project will utilise state-of-the-art approaches in structure-based drug design to identify and synthesise compounds as leads for the development of anti-HIV drugs. Furthermore, the project will provide invaluable training for the researchers involved and enhance the relationship between the academic and commercial collaborators.Read moreRead less
Building advanced polymeric nanotubes for targeted drug delivery. Advanced drug delivery devices have major commercial applications in fighting diseases like cancer and infectious viruses. The success of this project will provide fundamental knowledge for the design of new drug delivery devices based on polymeric nanotubes. The project will also further advance Australia's nano- and bio-technological research and industries. This project will also provide additional benefit for developing contro ....Building advanced polymeric nanotubes for targeted drug delivery. Advanced drug delivery devices have major commercial applications in fighting diseases like cancer and infectious viruses. The success of this project will provide fundamental knowledge for the design of new drug delivery devices based on polymeric nanotubes. The project will also further advance Australia's nano- and bio-technological research and industries. This project will also provide additional benefit for developing controlled release systems in drug delivery and artificial vessels, and improve sensitivity in molecular sensors. The pioneering work proposed will ensure that Australia remains at the forefront of innovative scientific research within the rapidly advancing disciplines of nanotechnology and novel macromolecular design.Read moreRead less
Investigation of Strategies to Improve the Efficiency of Industrial Radiators and Cooling Coils. Innovative strategies for improving in-service effectiveness of tube & plate-fin heat exchange 'coils' will be explored. Such coils are used throughout chemical process industries, diesel powered plant, vehicles and air-conditioning systems. Coil manufacture is a 'mature' industry, but design concepts have changed little since 1950. Fouling of diesel engine 'radiators' in dusty conditions and in mari ....Investigation of Strategies to Improve the Efficiency of Industrial Radiators and Cooling Coils. Innovative strategies for improving in-service effectiveness of tube & plate-fin heat exchange 'coils' will be explored. Such coils are used throughout chemical process industries, diesel powered plant, vehicles and air-conditioning systems. Coil manufacture is a 'mature' industry, but design concepts have changed little since 1950. Fouling of diesel engine 'radiators' in dusty conditions and in marine environments is endemic. New design concepts evolved via Computational Fluid Dynamic analysis will be manufactured and tested in the unique heat and mass transfer wind tunnel on the University's Industry Liaison Campus. The major outcome will be a rugged design methodology with broad applicability.Read moreRead less
Study of hydrocarbon flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions. This project aims to study gaseous flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions. This technology has been proven to reduce fuel consumption, improve thermal efficiency and substantially reduce nitric oxides emission. The effect of mixing, turbulence and temperature on the structure and stability of these flames will be investigated. The project combines experimental and computational research applied to a laboratory s ....Study of hydrocarbon flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions. This project aims to study gaseous flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions. This technology has been proven to reduce fuel consumption, improve thermal efficiency and substantially reduce nitric oxides emission. The effect of mixing, turbulence and temperature on the structure and stability of these flames will be investigated. The project combines experimental and computational research applied to a laboratory scale burner and a small scale furnace. The main objectives are to better understand the chemical pathways in low temperature hydrocarbon flames under heat and gas recirculation conditions and to understand the effect of mixing and turbulence on the flame structure and pollutants emission.Read moreRead less