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
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
Exploring the bio-nano interface in plants to enhance crop growth. This project aims to improve the delivery of nutrients and therapeutics to plants by understanding their interactions with nanomaterials. This will create new knowledge on the impact of air, water, and soilborne nanomaterials utilizing cutting-edge bio-nano characterization techniques, innovative lab testing, and high-throughput nanoparticle coating and screening. Expected outcomes of the project include 1) an understanding into ....Exploring the bio-nano interface in plants to enhance crop growth. This project aims to improve the delivery of nutrients and therapeutics to plants by understanding their interactions with nanomaterials. This will create new knowledge on the impact of air, water, and soilborne nanomaterials utilizing cutting-edge bio-nano characterization techniques, innovative lab testing, and high-throughput nanoparticle coating and screening. Expected outcomes of the project include 1) an understanding into how nanomaterial coating technologies impact nanomaterial properties, which will 2) shed light on how nanomaterials interact with plants, which leads to 3) breakthroughs in using nanomaterials to deliver nutrients, fertilizers, and pesticides to boost crop yields and productivity in Australian agriculture.Read moreRead less
Indistinguishable Quantum Emitters in van der Waals Materials. Solid state sources of single photons ("quantum emitters") are a key building block for implementation of scalable quantum technologies. Amongst many potential platforms studied, impurities in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are at the forefront due to their brightness and ease of manufacturing. However, their main disadvantage is spectral instability which prohibits engineering of practical devices. The current project will address th ....Indistinguishable Quantum Emitters in van der Waals Materials. Solid state sources of single photons ("quantum emitters") are a key building block for implementation of scalable quantum technologies. Amongst many potential platforms studied, impurities in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are at the forefront due to their brightness and ease of manufacturing. However, their main disadvantage is spectral instability which prohibits engineering of practical devices. The current project will address this bottleneck and deliver an optically stable solid state quantum light source in hBN. The project will produce a robust hardware toolkit for quantum technologies. It will provide excellent training for young Australians and generate key intellectual property for quantum startups and the quantum industry.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100324
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,318.00
Summary
Cooperative Single Atom Catalysts for Zn-CO2 Batteries. This project aims to develop cooperative single-atom catalysts for efficient and selective electrocatalytic CO2 conversion and Zn-CO2 batteries. Cooperative catalysts at the single atom limit can potentially achieve enhanced electrochemical properties beyond state-of-the-art and will trigger significant theoretical and technological interests in energy conversion and storage fields. It is expected to generate new knowledge in materials scie ....Cooperative Single Atom Catalysts for Zn-CO2 Batteries. This project aims to develop cooperative single-atom catalysts for efficient and selective electrocatalytic CO2 conversion and Zn-CO2 batteries. Cooperative catalysts at the single atom limit can potentially achieve enhanced electrochemical properties beyond state-of-the-art and will trigger significant theoretical and technological interests in energy conversion and storage fields. It is expected to generate new knowledge in materials science and electrochemistry, using interdisciplinary approaches of atom-precise material engineering, in situ characterisation and full-cell optimisation. Significant economic and environmental benefits are expected from developing carbon-neutral CO2 electrolysers with low cost and high energy efficiency.Read moreRead less
Highly Efficient Nanomotors for Autonomous Cell Recognition and Isolation. This project aims to develop next-generation self-driven nanomotors capable of long-range motion with highly controlled directionality for cell recognition, transportation and separation in complex biological environments, to allow autonomous and seamless cell sorting with high accuracy. The anticipated goal of this project is to advance the field of nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing with potential to support new ....Highly Efficient Nanomotors for Autonomous Cell Recognition and Isolation. This project aims to develop next-generation self-driven nanomotors capable of long-range motion with highly controlled directionality for cell recognition, transportation and separation in complex biological environments, to allow autonomous and seamless cell sorting with high accuracy. The anticipated goal of this project is to advance the field of nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing with potential to support new applications and to value-add Australia’s advanced manufacturing industry, presenting new opportunities for Australian MedTech industries with innovative, disruptive technologies to address its unique needs and to claim Australia’s position within the competitive global market.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101371
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,592.00
Summary
Boron nitride nanosheets for low energy consumption self-cooling devices. This project aims to investigate the thermal transport mechanism of strained two-dimensional materials for self-cooling thermal management. It expects to generate new knowledge about their unique thermal properties, guiding the use of waste heat generated in electronics for self-cooling. Expected outcomes include a novel energy-effective thermal management strategy and enhanced capacity to engineer thermal transport in two ....Boron nitride nanosheets for low energy consumption self-cooling devices. This project aims to investigate the thermal transport mechanism of strained two-dimensional materials for self-cooling thermal management. It expects to generate new knowledge about their unique thermal properties, guiding the use of waste heat generated in electronics for self-cooling. Expected outcomes include a novel energy-effective thermal management strategy and enhanced capacity to engineer thermal transport in two-dimensional materials that will be deployed in miniaturised and high-density electronics to overcome overheating problems. This will provide significant benefits to the economy and the environment, such as reduced cost, energy consumption and CO2 emissions in thermal management technologies. Read moreRead less
Development of Novel Functionalised Two-dimensional Nanomaterials. This project aims to develop a series of novel 2D nanomaterials and their nanocomposites that have applications ranging from energy storage via a functional separator for batteries to thermal management devices. Developing novel functional 2D nanomaterials is important for several applications including energy storage, composite materials, and thermal management, as well as advancing knowledge in the control design of 2D nanomate ....Development of Novel Functionalised Two-dimensional Nanomaterials. This project aims to develop a series of novel 2D nanomaterials and their nanocomposites that have applications ranging from energy storage via a functional separator for batteries to thermal management devices. Developing novel functional 2D nanomaterials is important for several applications including energy storage, composite materials, and thermal management, as well as advancing knowledge in the control design of 2D nanomaterials and to promote the development of sustainable energy storage and thermal management technologies. The benefits to Australia, will be in addressing energy and environmental concerns by developing new clean and environmentally friendly energy devices and boosting national economic growth.Read moreRead less
Two-dimensional transition metal nitrides for energy applications. This project aims to develop novel nanomaterials for sustainable energy applications such as blue energy generation and energy storage. The focus is to explore novel 2D transition metal nitride nanomaterials and their advanced heterostructures with large specific surface area, high electrical conductivity and chemical stability. The expected outcomes include development of high-performance devices such as osmotic energy harvestin ....Two-dimensional transition metal nitrides for energy applications. This project aims to develop novel nanomaterials for sustainable energy applications such as blue energy generation and energy storage. The focus is to explore novel 2D transition metal nitride nanomaterials and their advanced heterostructures with large specific surface area, high electrical conductivity and chemical stability. The expected outcomes include development of high-performance devices such as osmotic energy harvesting devices for blue energy generation and micro-supercapacitors for energy storage. This should promote the growth of sectors in advanced materials, sustainable energy generation, smart energy storage and manufacturing, bringing efficient energy generation and storage system benefits to the Australia and the world.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101542
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,154.00
Summary
Impact of humoral immunity on nanoparticle–biological interactions. This project aims to improve the biological applications of nanomaterials by understanding their fundamental interactions with proteins and cells in relevant biological environments. This will create new knowledge on how humoral (antibody-mediated) immunity affects nanomaterials using cutting-edge immunoassays, bio–nano characterisation techniques, and bioinformatics. Expected outcomes of the project include an understanding of ....Impact of humoral immunity on nanoparticle–biological interactions. This project aims to improve the biological applications of nanomaterials by understanding their fundamental interactions with proteins and cells in relevant biological environments. This will create new knowledge on how humoral (antibody-mediated) immunity affects nanomaterials using cutting-edge immunoassays, bio–nano characterisation techniques, and bioinformatics. Expected outcomes of the project include an understanding of how specific antibodies modulate the protein coatings on nanomaterials, which will shed light on how immune cells interact with nanomaterials. This will lead to design principles for nanomaterial properties to improve their effectiveness in delivering drugs and gene therapies.Read moreRead less